Former attorney claims near-death experience reveals universal energy Source and a revised view of Hell

An Ohio attorney who says she was raised Catholic describes a 1994 medical episode in which her heart stopped during a radiological procedure and her consciousness left her body. She says the experience opened a window into what she calls a universal energy Source that pervades all things and that souls are expressions of that energy taking on human form. The account, provided to a UK tabloid and later recounted in her own writings, frames a view of the afterlife that diverges sharply from traditional religious teaching.

During the episode, the claimant says she first encountered a sense of total blackness punctuated by a distant pinpoint of light. She describes being surrounded by beings of light who appeared humanoid in shape and radiantly luminous. The beings communicated with her in a way she characterizes as telepathic, conveying a sense of profound love and acceptance. She says these exchanges included a stream of knowledge downloads—instantly received information about the nature of existence, time, and consciousness—that she says was beyond ordinary human experience. In the narrative she shared, the light beings introduced her to a larger reality in which an energy presence, which she calls Source, governs all that exists and that this Source can inhabit every particle and vibration in the universe. The experience was described as both awe-inspiring and formative, reshaping her understanding of life, death, and the purpose of human life.

From that moment on, she contends, the journey did not simply terminate in a traditional afterlife but provided a set of revelations about the origin and structure of reality. She says Source conveyed that time is not an absolute, fixed measure but an artificial construct created by humans to organize experience. Mathematics, she says, can be viewed as a language used by Source to describe patterns in the cosmos. She asserts that mental illness, rather than serving as a supernatural phenomenon in itself, can reflect misinterpretations of certain behaviors and experiences that sit at the boundaries of human perception. A central claim is that the purpose of life is not to conform to a particular dogma but to participate in a larger cosmic narrative in which souls are deployed to fulfill specific missions on Earth.

The most provocative aspect of her account is the assertion that there is no Hell. She says the Source presented a framework in which the universe functions as a dreamlike system, with souls entering human life as volunteers to experience and learn. In this view, religious traditions arise as historical human attempts to interpret the divine in ways that are meaningful to their times, but no single tradition holds exclusive claim to truth. She says Source showed her the evolution of religion and suggested that human beliefs often drift from universal truths as they adapt to cultural contexts. In her description, there is a single truth underlying many paths, and that truth is not owned by any one religion but is a facet of the broader reality that Source created and maintains.

A key element of her testimony is a sense of belonging within Source that she describes as vast, intimate, and enduring. She recounts being granted access to Source’s memories and to a narrative of cosmic creation in which Source imagined the physical universe and then set in motion the rules that govern it—gravity, physics, and the structure of matter. She says that souls were created as characters within this imagined universe, allowing beings to explore different experiences and lessons. The account frames Earth as a stage on which an ongoing experiment unfolds, with human history, culture, and belief systems acting as chapters in a broader exploration of consciousness and meaning.

The interview with the Daily Mail, and subsequent writings by the claimant, place her experience in a broader context of afterlife research. She notes that many people who report near-death experiences encounter light, love, and peace, but that their interpretations are often filtered through their preexisting beliefs. By contrast, she argues that her encounter with Source furnished knowledge that extends beyond conventional near-death narratives, including claims about reincarnation, the absence of a single universal religion, and a redefined understanding of time and existence. She characterizes her experience not as a doctrinal conversion but as a transformative encounter that reshaped her approach to life and to the study of the afterlife.

In her assessment, the experience did not end with a sense of personal elevation alone. It prompted a broader view of humanity’s role in a grander cosmic story. She says the Source assigned her a mission to act as a catalyst in the lives of others, suggesting that souls may volunteer to take on particular challenges or circumstances to foster growth in others. She describes a sense of being part of Source again after an initial awakening, and she says the Source granted access to its own memories of creation, a revelation that reframed how she understands reality and humanity’s place within it.

The account is part of a long-running conversation about near-death experiences and their implications for health, neuroscience, and spirituality. Proponents argue that such experiences offer meaningful insights into the nature of consciousness and the human experience at the edge of death. Critics, meanwhile, emphasize the subjective and culturally influenced nature of these experiences and caution against drawing broad theological or existential conclusions from individual reports. The health implications of such narratives are debated among clinicians, psychologists, and researchers who study brain function, perception, and the experiences described by patients who have come close to death.

In reflecting on her case, she emphasizes that her account should be understood within the broader landscape of afterlife reports. She has written multiple books on the topic, positioning her experience as a data point in a larger inquiry into what people report when their life is in jeopardy and their sense of self is temporarily unsettled. Her case has drawn interest from readers of alternative spiritual literature and from those who seek to understand how extraordinary experiences can influence beliefs about health, illness, and mortality. Critics of sensational narratives caution that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and careful scrutiny, particularly when discussing topics that touch on religion and personal belief.

The case highlights the complex intersection of health events, near-death experiences, and personal belief systems. It underscores how sudden medical crises can become pivots for life-changing interpretations of existence, spirituality, and the nature of reality. Whether viewed as a spiritual testimony, a cognitive artifact of dissociation, or something in between, such stories continue to provoke discussion about consciousness, mortality, and the human search for meaning in the face of fundamental questions about life and death.