Special to The Citizen

When Dave Bennett of Skaneateles scheduled a meeting of the upstate New York chapter of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, he expected between 35 to 50 people. Instead, more than 80 attendees packed into the Getty Room at the Quality Inn in Syracuse. The high turnout may have been because the guest speaker was Tom Sawyer, one of the most well-known experts on the topic in the country, or just because so many people are interested in the phenomenon.

Bennett, the group facilitator, had a near death experience when working as a commercial diver in California in 1984. He was on a Zodiac rubber boat with several other divers during a night time storm. Powerful waves driven by fierce winds and rain pounded the boat. A 20-foot wave flipped the boat over, and everyone in it was thrown overboard.

“I didn't know it at the time,” Bennett remembered, “but my vest was faulty. I was expecting it to bring me up, but it never did. It kept pulling me down.” He was knocked unconscious and then was pulled underwater by the vest. That was when his experience with death began.

“I was in a dark void, but I felt a great peace. Then a light started to glow around me, and I saw several light beings. They gave me a sense of love and welcoming, like a family. Then I experienced my life review, and I was told I had to return. Immediately I saw my body being bashed against the ship.”

Bennett's body had been caught in a rope, which not only prevented him from staying under water, but the combination of being knocked against the ship and the end from one of the hard knots from one of the ropes pounding against his chest forced the water out of his lungs, stimulated his heart and revived him. Although he was in shock, with the help of the other divers, Bennett discarded his faulty life vest and was able to swim the mile to shore and safety.

That experience changed Bennett's life. He researched the phenomenon and discovered there are many similarities across cultural, ethnic and geographic boundaries. There is usually a sensation of floating and often the person's body can be seen, which can include hearing conversations and watching what is happening to the body. Next may come a darkness or entrance into a tunnel or other space followed by a light. Often deceased relatives, friends, strangers or religious figures are met, and some or most of the person's life may be reviewed.

People who have such an experience are deeply affected by what has happened

to them and finding help or support can be very difficult.

“Many churches, medical professionals and psychologists don't understand experiences and don't want to deal with them,” Bennett said. “Upstate NY IANDS is the only group of its kind in New York state, and there are only 40 across the country.“

IANDS tries to serve five different groups of people: Experiencers, people who have had an experience; people close to experiencers; professional care givers; researchers; and interested individuals. The organization is trying to counter the myths that experiences are caused by dreams, hallucinations, chemical imbalances or mental illness.

The goals of IANDS are to encourage thoughtful exploration of all facets of near-death and near-death-like experiences; to provide reliable information about them, and to serve as a community contact point about the topic.

In September the group is planning to show “The Day I Died,” a film about near death experiences.

“We would like to reach out to people who have had an experience, but don't know who to turn to for help,“ Bennett said.

Bringing in special speakers, such as Tom Sawyer, is one way IANDS tries to reach out to the community. In 1978 Tom Sawyer's pickup truck fell on him and crushed his chest flat. He was clinically dead for 15 minutes, yet he came back to tell about his strange experience of going through a tunnel, meeting a “light that was God” and being sent back to tell people about death and the unconditional love of God. He is the author of “What Tom Sawyer Learned from Dying” and “The Spiritual Whirlwind.”