Glad to be alive. Yes. Most people - if they don't have to return to a traumatised body - come back saying they're glad to be alive. But being glad to be alive, and wanting to stay on the other side, are 2 different things entirely. NDE'ers have absolutely no fear of death, actually look forward to it, but they also understand that they returned for a reason and must accomplish their mission before they get to go "home" again. They're glad to be alive because they now see things much clearer, they appreciate things they never noticed before, they gain more wisdom, more serenity, recognise that physical life is just an experience they need.

Have you really met "many people who have had an NDE", Lostgirl? You're lucky. Perhaps you work in nursing or hospice. Most who have NDE's don't talk about them (except to very close friends and family, understanding nurses, or professional researchers) because they fear being laughed at. Perhaps your experiences are different for some reason, but I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of NDE'ers have NOT wanted to return, not because they don't love life, but because they discover they love the other side even more. No pain, sickness, restrictions, trauma, or judgement, all of which we face every day of our lives in some form in the physical.

When you say that for some, death isn't a pleasant experience, you're talking about the POINT of death, but did you know that when death is painful the REAL person actually leaves their body prior to passing? Those who have had painful NDE's have reported this time and again, so that even though they appear conscious and in pain, the real person is standing aside watching the process.

But we're not talking about the point of death here, we're talking about where they go and what they experience AFTER that moment. That's where they want to stay, because suddenly life and earth and physical bodies seem a long way away and of very little importance. They even watch their bodies suffering and feel little or no compassion for the person they see, even though it's them, because they feel disconnected from it and all earthly concerns and become aware that their body was just like an old overcoat that passed its use-by date.

Lostgirl, the afterlife is not about floating around on a cloud playing a harp and being serene. It's a busy place, with lots of living and learning to do but without the problems we have here. That's why very few want to return, regardless of their age, because they have seen .... heaven!