The Three Classifications of Suicide Near-Death Experiences 

Dr. George Ritchie, author of Return From Tomorrow and My Life After Dying, learned during his near-death experience what happens to some people who commit suicide. According to Ritchie, the quality of life a person initially finds after suicide is influenced by their motive for committing it. He classifies suicide in the following three ways:

Concerning souls belonging to the first classification, Ritchie writes:

Dr. George Ritchie described in his book Return From Tomorrow what Jesus revealed to him during his near-death experience concerning  what happens to some people who commit suicide for less than justifiable reasons. In the following excerpt, Jesus is giving George Ritchie a "tour" of one particular afterlife realm known as the "earthbound" realm which is located in the same place as the living. However, earthbound spirits are unseen and unheard by living people except by those who are psychic or mediums. Earthbound spirits temporarily "haunt" the living or particular places they once lived and are what is commonly referred to as "ghosts".

NDEs reveal there is no condemnation from God for our actions. The problem many suicides face after death is difficulty in forgiving themselves for the horror they have put family and friends through by taking their own life. One remedy for helping a suicide cope with this predicament comes from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, an ancient Buddhist book of the afterlife. The Book of the Dead is one of the oldest books on Earth documenting NDEs. In my view, this source should be given great respect. The Book of the Dead mentions people who succeeded in committing suicide and who became imprisoned in the experience of their suicide. Accordingly, they can be freed from this condition through the prayers of the living and by them imagining streams of light pouring on them. Such actions free the person from the pain and confusion of their suicide. The Book of the Dead also mentions how people have no choice but to follow any negative karma resulting from their suicide.
 
NDEs report people choosing their own destiny in life before they are born. While this is true, it is also be true that we change this destiny by committing suicide. It is also assumed that nobody is predestined to commit suicide. NDEs reveal a perfect universal plan being worked out by God. Perhaps this perfect plan is not thwarted by suicide. I believe there is no reason to believe it is. But if a person cuts short their destined time for life because they have problems coping with life's demands, their problems may not necessarily go away. Their problems may also be complicated by the added burden of their knowing the full horrible consequences of their action on others.
 
People who are thinking of killing themselves can learn a great deal from NDEs. Some NDEs suggest how committing suicide may be the worse thing anyone can do because it is rejecting God's gift of life which destroys an opportunity for spiritual advancement. Not only that, as we have seen, some experiencers have observed the souls of those who committed suicide existing in an earthbound condition of temporarily being slaves to every consequence of their act of suicide. Such souls have been observed temporarily hounding and hovering around living family members and friends trying in vain to seek forgiveness. Some of them have been observed existing in a grayish fog and shuffling around slowly with their heads down. Perhaps these earthbound souls become freed from this condition when their natural destined time for death occurs. Nevertheless, this condition is only temporary. Some experiencers have also observed such souls being helped in the afterlife by spirit guides around them.

Sandra Rogers' NDE is a good example of what can happen when a person unjustifiably cuts short their life. After she attempted to commit suicide, she was given only two choices by the Being of Light. One choice involved being revived and living out the rest of her days. This was the choice she chose. The other choice involved remaining in the light with the condition of having to reincarnate at a future time to re-experience everything that led her to commit suicide in the first place. Sandra's NDE demonstrates that people must overcome their problems in this life or else face them again in a future life. In Sandra's case, committing suicide did not solve anything. If we delay dealing with these problems by committing suicide, we may only compound them. It has been said that the greatest enemy we face is self. Our problems may never go away unless we conquer them. NDEs reveal people carrying their non-physical problems with them after death. Perhaps one of the reasons we are born into this world is to overcome such problems. If we don't overcome them, we may have to reincarnate until we do.

Another interesting NDE resulting from a suicide attempt was that of Angie Fenimore. After committing suicide, Angie found herself in a hellish realm of psychic disconnection and torment. The anguish she experienced within herself in life had manifested itself in the spirit after death. A Being of Light, whom she identified as God, asked her, "Is this what you really want?" 
 
Angie realized none of the other suicides in this hellish condition were aware of God's presence. God told Angie, "Don't you know that this is the worst thing you could have done?"
 
She realized then she had thrown in the towel and because of it, she had cut herself off from God and from God's guidance. She felt trapped. She told God, "But my life is so hard." 
 
God's reply was, "You think that was hard? It is nothing compared to what awaits you if you take your life. Life's supposed to be hard. You can't skip over parts. We have all done it. You must earn what you receive."
 
Angie's NDE gives us a unique insight into unjustifiable suicide. It suggests that one of life's purposes is to grow toward perfection through suffering -- even as Christ did. It validates the truthfulness of the phase, "No pain. No gain." It is God's "tough love" in action.
 
This principle is also found in the Bible where it describes how suffering creates character, wisdom, perseverance and strengthening of faith. NDEs reveal the fact that everyone has a destiny to fulfill and a "mission" to complete. Part of this destiny may include suffering for the purpose of learning and growing. It probably also includes learning from past-life mistakes, paying back karmic debts and receiving karmic rewards. The fact that experiencers are often told their time for death has not yet come, suggests our time of death is predetermined. Suicide can possibly prevent a person's mission from being fulfilled. Sandra Rogers' NDE suggests the remedy for this is reincarnation.
 
Many people commit suicide due to a mental illness. One of life's lessons may be to learn how to cope with depression and overcome it. An overwhelming desire to commit suicide is one of the biggest indicators of clinical depression. There are many medications available on the market that can reverse clinical depression. If a person is thinking of committing suicide because of depression, seeking medical help may be one of the smartest decisions of their life. Nevertheless, NDEs such as Dr. George Ritchie indicate mentally ill people who commit suicide are given the same opportunities after death as those who do not.