IANDS is partnering with Roberta Moore of Blue Marble Films to produce a training video for medical professionals on caring for patients who have had a near-death experience. See a promotional video on Vimeo or on YouTube.
We have now reached the goal of $20,000, thanks to over 100 donations from more than 90 donors in just 8 short months!! The target is for Blue Marble Films to complete the video package by February 2013.
The video will provide medical professionals with a protocol for caring for patients who have had an NDE, and will give a model for a positive interaction between patients and caregivers.
It's not too late to give: we still need additional funds for follow-on work, like in-depth video interviews and a veterans focus, so if you would still like to contribute, make a secure donation to this project here. Follow the project on Facebook.
Despite NDEs having been highly featured through the mass media, NDEs are often still portrayed as mysterious events or hallucinations. This is the general perception of NDEs in our culture, and as a result those working as professional caregivers usually have a limited knowledge, if any, of NDEs.
The problem is that medical professionals have little or no training about how to deal with patients who are suffering not only from a physical trauma but also from the emotional shock of an NDE. In reality the caregivers cannot be blamed for their sometimes insensitive and occasionally very harmful responses. Without training, they are left with nothing but their own personal reactions, and when faced with a very sick patient talking about leaving her body or meeting a bright loving light, many of them simply don't know how to respond.
The solution to this problem proposed by IANDS and Blue Marble Films is the NDE Medical Training Video. The video will be specifically focused on educating doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and anyone else who might be directly caring for patients after an NDE. There will be a particular a focus on veteran patients. The video may also be of interest to experiencers themselves, as well as their family and friends.
The purpose of the video is not only to educate medical professionals about what an NDE is, but also to help them see that NDEs are fairly common. Caregivers must set aside their own reactions and beliefs in order to compassionately assist patients in need. The emphasis of the training video will be on patient care, with NDEs presented as normal human experiences which must be treated in the larger context of patient needs. Rather than focusing on the mystery of the near-death experience, our focus will be on the undeniable fact that NDEs impact patient care.
The protocol provided in the training video will help medical professionals to have a sense of confidence when confronted with a patient who talks about his or her NDE. They will know what questions to ask and where to refer patients for more help. The full NDE Medical Training Video package will include a 30-minute video, a PowerPoint presentation, brochures, and other training materials.
Tentatively titled Near Death Experience: Patient Care, the total cost to produce the video will be approximately $20,000. Our thanks go out to all of you who responded to Diane Corcoran's request in the last Vital Signs for donations in support of this project. To help make this video a reality, send your contributions to the IANDS Medical Training Video fund. Any amount you can share will help provide training to caregivers and better care to near- death experiencers.
To donate, please click here. Thank you!
If you would like to learn more about Blue Marble Films, please learn more at the website: http://bluemarblefilms.com
If you have had either a very positive or negative experience with caregivers after your NDE, please contact Roberta Moore at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She would appreciate hearing from caregivers who want to share stories, as well.