Vincent Tolman’s Exploration of His Near-Death Experience
“I was cut out of a body bag. I still have a piece of it.”
Vincent Todd Tolman
In his captivating memoir, Vicent Todd Tolman is an experiencer who recounts how his extraordinary near-death experience began with the goal of improving his health. His goal was to increase his physical fitness, and he focused on this with his best friend, Rob. Circumstances would have it that the supplements he was taking weren’t authentic and caused the cardiac arrest while he was alone. On the way to the gym, he felt very sick and convinced Rob to make a quick pit stop at Dairy Queen. His body was found nearly one hour later.
While he was having an out-of-body experience, his physical body was initially lifeless on the bathroom floor. When he was found, the EMTs were performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation to create blood flow to his vital organs. His body was cold, and the medical team was not able to resuscitate him. He was placed in a body bag. However, one of the Emergency Medical Technicians said that they had a feeling that he wasn’t dead.
He met his spiritual guide and obtained profound insights into living a life filled with purpose and inner peace. Vincent stated that he had joy and an overwhelming sense of love. He stated that he had a mini-life review with his spiritual being. He said that he did not experience the bright light scenario often described by others. Vincent shared that his experience was heavy with emotion. He knew the only way to connect with his purpose was to return to his earthly life and his body.
Vincent shared his experience and his book during our conversation for In the Rising Podcast. He expressed that religious traditions often acknowledge the afterlife love, and the bottom line is that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Bob Proctor, a well-known author of You Were Born Rich, would often describe these thought processes while teaching the principles of Earl Nightingale and Napolean Hill.
Vicent described that he experienced a clinical death as there wasn’t any electrical activity in his brain, causing him to find his way into the body bag. They often describe a dark tunnel and a being of light as part of their mystical experience.
His story offers readers an invaluable perspective on what lies beyond our physical existence and how embracing love and gratitude can transform our lives. Through engaging and heartfelt storytelling, Tolman gives readers a glimpse into the afterlife, sharing his encounters with angels, past loved ones, and a higher power. He delves into the intricacies of the soul’s journey beyond death, addressing themes such as forgiveness, unconditional love, and the interconnectedness of all beings.
The Light After Death: My Journey to Heaven and Back is a profound exploration of the afterlife and a guide for those seeking personal growth and spiritual enlightenment. Tolman shares practical wisdom and spiritual practices that helped him find his higher purpose and live a life of fulfillment.
Vincent Tolman’s Exploration of His Near-Death Experience
Vincent was dead. He was found with a body temperature of 79 degrees (normal is 97.6 degrees) on the cold, dirty floor of a Dairy Queen.
This all started with good intentions of getting healthy and back into shape. Vincent and his best friend took a pre-workout supplement substitute, as what they usually took was sold out. Vincent began to feel very queasy on the way to the gym, and he asked Rob to stop and let him out. Vicent remembers going into the bathroom.
While the same reaction had happened to his friend, Rob, the staff found his best friend. Vincent was not found for at least one hour.
It is during this unknown amount of time that Vincent’s story has some common themes with other reports of people having a near-death experience (NDE) in the United States and in other countries. He was like many in the prime of their lives who entered a state of consciousness that felt like a movie. Vincent can see the other patrons in the Dairy Queen and feels a wave of calmness flow over his body.
He eventually meets his spirit guide, who shares ten principles that create a life of meaning and hope. He also shares the great tower of strength his family brought through prayer. Vincent claims an awareness of events happening in the hospital setting and is able to share this after his coma.
What sets this memoir apart is Tolman’s raw and honest account of his struggles with addiction and his journey toward recovery. He openly discusses the darkness he experienced in his life, demonstrating that true transformation is possible even in adversity. Vincent emphasized how his life priorities shifted after his brush with death.
Once focused on his career and personal accomplishments, he now puts greater importance on nurturing relationships. He believes that the connections we forge in this lifetime are the only substantial things we can take with us to the next.
Readers will find themselves inspired and uplifted as they follow Tolman’s journey and reflect on their paths. Whether searching for answers about the meaning of life or simply needing a reminder to appreciate the present moment, “The Light after Death: My Journey to Heaven and Back” offers deep insights and profound wisdom.
One of the most striking aspects of Tolman’s account is his dedication to commemorating his death day, January 18th. This annual reflection serves as a powerful reminder of the incredible gift he has been given after his NDE – the ability to share his experiences and the lessons he learned during his journey to heaven and back.
Tolman’s memoir serves as a reminder that our existence is not limited to the physical plane and that there is a higher purpose to our lives. By embracing love, gratitude, and the power of the soul, we can find fulfillment and inner peace.
Favorite Quotes from Vincent Todd Tolman during In the Rising Podcast Conversation:
“The priorities for me are the relationships. The priorities for me are the relationships.”
“It’s important for us to make choices to allow ourselves to create a life.”
“It’s so funny because so many religions out there try to teach us that life is a courtroom, not a classroom, and it’s and it’s really not. “
“Because anytime you have a reaction, you’re giving the power within, you’re giving it away. to what’s happening around you. And you master that power. “
How do Near-Death Experiences Reveal What is Important?
As you delve into Tolman’s story, you’ll uncover the fundamental principles that have guided him toward living a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life. Some of these essential lessons include:
1. Embracing love as the driving force in your life: By fostering love for yourself and others, you create connections that bring happiness, inner peace, and true fulfillment.
2. Cultivating gratitude for each day: Learning to appreciate every moment of your life, no matter how ordinary or challenging it may be, helps build resilience and enhances personal growth.
3. Pursuing what truly matters: Aligning your actions with your values will lead to a sense of purpose in all that you do.
4. Embracing vulnerability: Sharing your authentic self with others creates stronger bonds and invites more meaningful connections.
5. Developing a growth mindset: See every challenge as an opportunity for growth, self-improvement, and deeper understanding.
The Light After Death: My Journey to Heaven and Back is a compelling exploration of the human spirit’s resilience, hope, and the transformative power of self-discovery. Vincent Todd Tolman’s vulnerability in sharing his journey will undoubtedly resonate with readers who are seeking deeper meaning and purpose in their own lives. So, if you’re ready to embark on your path to greater self-fulfillment and spiritual growth, let Tolman’s enlightening memoir guide you every step of the way.
Others who have reported a NDE
Near-death experiences are reported by people from various backgrounds and professions, from children to adults to medical personnel. These experiences also occur to people across many religions. Though each NDE has its characteristics, there are also common components of experiences, such as hearing and seeing events outside the body when the body no longer shows signs of life.
Some of the people who reported an NDE had brain damage, had a deep coma, or were on life support.
Dr. Jeffrey Long wrote about near-death experiences in the Missouri Medicine. He looked into the experiences of several NDErs and reviewed their story compared to the NDE scale. This scale has 16 questions regarding the lucid experience. He referenced the website Near Death Experience Research Foundation.
My take on the conversation:
After working with many clients who have gone through significant health traumas, such as cancer, and hearing people describe their death or near-death experience… there are some similarities in their current views of life.
- “Life is precious, and I am not going to waste any more time doing things that mean a lot to me.”
- “I am going after my dreams.”
- “I will go after things outside of my comfort zone.”
- “I am not going to be around certain people anymore.”
- “My perspectives are different.”
With these things in common, I wonder if we have to have such a traumatic experience to change our views and our perspectives. Can we choose better friendships and relationships earlier in life? Can we show grace and love rather than immediately react with anger and apathy?
I have heard that some feel that living the “safe” life isn’t really living. That it is existing. I do think we can all determine what our life, safe or not, needs to look like. None of us come out of life alive… why not take a risk and wring the time out of life for all the opportunities, joy, and excitement it offers?
Interested in learning more?
Listen to the conversation with Vincent Tolman on In the Rising Podcast
Read more from the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation
Learn more about other accounts of near-death experiences
Learn more about Dr. David R Hawkins and his books
Other In the Rising Podcast Episodes.
If you are interested in podcasts similar to this one, check out:
Transcription of Vincent’s Conversation with Bettina about his Near Death Experience
[00:00:00] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: Greetings and welcome to In The Rising Podcast. My name is Bettina Brown and I am so thankful and grateful for your time today. I created In the Rising Podcast while working with. Hundreds of women going through cancer and primarily breast cancer. The same conversations kept coming up. When I overcome this major event in life, I’m going to live a life like fill in the blank.
Whether it was their career, whether it was their relationships or their own belief and self-worth and the life they wanted to live. And so in The Rising Podcast came about and that is what I love to share. Aspects of the wheel of life. And so I am really happy that you’re here and that you’re also investing time into rising up into your best life.
As a physical therapist board certified in lymphedema and wound care, I’ve noticed there’s a gap in information out there, and so I created FitafterBreastcancer.com. In addition to the podcast in The Rising, so that people have an avenue to gain information and also know what resources they have available to them within their community or within their country.
And so I invite you to check out FitAfterBreastCancer.com. Read and gain and share. And so today, I am honored to have Vincent Todd Tolman on the podcast. He is the author of The Light After Death, my Journey to Heaven and Back. He was pronounced dead, pronounced dead to the point that he was in a body bag being transported to the morgue as opposed to the hospital because he was dead for at least an hour.
And you know, There was a feeling of a paramedic that said, you know, he is still here. And so Vincent is here today to share his experience on the other side and how that transformed his life going forward and what his mission is to help others transform their life right now. Well, Vincent, thank you so much for your time, and for spending it.
The listeners of In The Rising Podcast, you are the author, The Light After Death: My Journey to Heaven and Back. And I am very excited to speak with you after reading your book.
[00:02:29] Vincent Todd Tolman: Oh, awesome, . Thanks for, thanks for having me. And it’s very nice to be here with you today. and I’m just excited to talk to, to everybody about the book, about my experience and, and what we all have to, to really look forward to when it is our time to go.
And my time the second time.
[00:02:48] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: and sometimes we often use our language,” hindsight is, 2020″ if we had to do it all over again. And you have really been given that do it-all-over-again, opportunity because you, you did pass away for a substantial length of time, even a doctor called a miracle that your brain is working and that you’re not in a vegetative state.
So do it all over again. Do you feel that your mission in life is now different than I would say the first time?
[00:03:18] Vincent Todd Tolman: Definitely I feel that my mission in life, the first time around before my experience was very, egocentric and about my career and about the accomplishments I can make in my life and the experiences I could have.
And, so much of that has shifted and I still enjoy those things, but they’re not a priority for me. The priorities for me are the relationships. Because those are the only tangible things I get to take with me. They’re the only things I get to take- is the relationships I build, the choices I make… how that makes me.
And, so that’s what I focus on with how I live now, but very, very different than before my experience for sure.
[00:04:01] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: Iin your book you were also talking about principles that you learned and the 10 principles that you were given by your guide. before we go into that, I’d like to talk about guides.
Do you still feel a big connection with your guide or, now just kind of in that entire spirit? Like you, you feel your angels talking like your intuition.
[00:04:24] Vincent Todd Tolman: So I do feel that I have a very strong guidance team, but what makes it strong or weak for me is me. So the decisions I make, what I allow in my body, both biochemical meaning like what I eat, the medicines I take, that changes that turn up or turns down.
My connection to spirit, my connection to guides, and, even more important than , the biochemicals that I’m putting in my body- to what I allow myself to watch. What I allow myself to listen to these things are even more vital for me.
And, it’s so funny how, energetically, so many of us are spiritual Ferrari, but yet we pull up to the dump and we start shoving in garbage and we’re like, why do I feel bad? Why do I feel disconnected from God? And it’s because we’re allowing so much garbage within us. And, we’re not built for that.
We’re just not. But yet, our blessed media here that we get to have so much access to, That’s what the garbage is for us. It’s an energy garbage and we, we just have to be very aware of that and, and being cognizant of that, being aware of that makes a big difference. It really does. I choose to watch programs.
If I watch programs, I choose to watch programs that uplift me. That celebrate talent, that celebrate skills, that celebrate great beings, you know, documentaries, that kind of thing. Inspirational things. But I don’t just watch things for entertainment anymore. I, did before the experience. I don’t, I don’t do it near as much anymore.
I’m not perfect, but, definitely I strive to. To seek after things that lift me up. That’s, important for me as an energetic connection, and that raises my connection with spirit to, to answer that question, does it strengthens it depending on what I’m allowing myself to see.
[00:06:21] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: And I, what I liked in, in your book is you talk a lot about like the frequency of things.
And when you met your wife, you could just tell she was at a higher frequency, that you’re, you’re vibrating better together. and a lot of people have used that word in like, oh, well that’s just woo woo. But, there’s another author, Dr. David Hawkins, who really was talking about when we lie, we become physically weaker.
He’s able to break a resistance easier with someone. It is important to maintain your frequency and having emotions of higher frequency. , for example, puts you further than having despair and hate. Do you, when you’re talking about your, your spirit and your, your connection, do you feel like there’s. A different frequency for you?
Like physically you can feel that or is that just an energy?
[00:07:12] Vincent Todd Tolman: There is, there is definitely a different frequency. There’s different side effects I feel when I’m very connected to spirit, I have to really watch my electrolyte levels and watch my hydration levels. Cuz for some reason the body wants to flush fluids when you’re connected to spirit.
And, you know, that’s one little side effect that I’ve noticed over the years. But, as far as frequency goes, we’re all carbon-based lifeforms, every single one of us. We’re living here on this planet, we’re carbon-based lifeforms, and we’re made of atoms. And if you look at the actual atomic structure of an atom, you’ll notice that when you get down to that atomic layer, that really small layer of the.
You look at it, it’s just just vibrating and, and circulating energy. That’s what all of us are. And when you break us down to who we physically are here, that’s who we are. And when we’re talking about frequency, we’re not talking about Lulu stuff. This is the actual vibration of the physical body and the the hierarchy.
You can raise that, and I don’t mean raise it on a scale of low to high; I mean it from fear to. And when you go towards the love frequency, that’s the high frequency. That’s where Spirit talks to you and, and that’s where you get your messages. And it’s so hard when people lose somebody. It’s really hard for them, and they’re in this grief cycle and they say, how come, you know, my loved one is coming to.
To all my friends and family and their dreams, but they won’t come to me, the one who misses them the most. And it’s because you’re in this grieving cycle. You, you can’t get to that love frequency. And that’s where spirit talks, and that’s where we have, uh, dreams. That’s where we have real spirit connection, whether it’s conscious or subconscious.
That’s where we have that connection, which is essentially the communication structure of spirit. So we have to get to that love space and, and if we can’t, we, we can’t connect to spirit. It’s just a fact, myself included. If I get to a space where I’m not in a love frequency, I can’t get, the spirit can’t connect, even though I connect daily, there’s sometimes.
I don’t connect for a day or two, and then I’m back. You know, I feel I’m back alive as I, as I come back into love frequency. It’s amazing. Yeah. It’s a beautiful structure that, that God’s put for us, but it’s, it’s, very enlightening as you use this structure to connect and Yeah. And plug in and find your divination where you receive it.
Everybody receives it differently. Some of us receive it all over. And that’s a beautiful thing for us as you build that connection.
[00:09:52] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: Thank you for, explaining that way with, the frequency from low to high. Being from fear to love. and as a scientist, my background is in biochemistry, and I got to pull out DNA, all the stuff we see on CSI and the more science I learn, the more I believe there has to be a God
So I think it’s not one extreme to the other, it’s a combination. and you talked about your experience where our life on earth is really a classroom and a learning opportunity to, to grow spiritually. How would we be best to use that classroom every day?
[00:10:31] Vincent Todd Tolman: You know? It’s so funny because so many religions out there try to teach us that life is a courtroom, not a classroom, and it’s and it’s really not. Life is a classroom and, and the way that we learn here is by making decisions. So to not make a decision is to make a decision. It’s important for us to make choices to, to allow ourselves to create a life. We literally create the life that we. And it’s not just the environment that creates it, it’s us.
It’s our choices. Because no matter your environment, you can rise above that environment. No matter where you were raised, how you were raised, you can with your choices rise above that. And I can say that, being someone that has done that and, and is doing that, I. It’s, it’s very important for us to realize that we, we are the creators of our own reality here.
And that’s the, that’s the classroom it, and really this is the virtual reality. And, it’s, it’s amazing you get into some of these new, quantum experiments that help us understand it in the quantum realm. And, you know, GE get into quantum physics. Mm-hmm. , you can actually change the outcome of. The molecular structure with just your thoughts and intentions, and this is provable, triple-blind, provable that just your intention changes the outcome of the atomic structure.
So that means your thoughts have more power than you would ever give them, the, the ability to have. But they do. They’ve had, they’ve got it. So really, and the base layer of where we make the biggest difference in our own lives and the lives around us is what we allow in the holiest of temples. The temple’s right here.
What thoughts do we allow here that’s going to change completely, completely. The thoughts outside here, the reactions outside here. No matter what’s going on, we can fundamentally change things around us, our environment, the people around us, our relationships. We got to begin with the thoughts, master the thoughts, and you’re, you’re going to master the habits, master the habits, and you’re going to master the character, master that character, and you’re going to master your destiny.
You’re going to master where you go in this life.
[00:12:51] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: And sometimes, you know, people say, well, I didn’t choose this and this, but your perspective on a situation can be your choice even if it’s not the situation. Yeah,
[00:13:02] Vincent Todd Tolman: So we, we may not choose. And, you know, I can have a se separate discussion with this, you know, takes a couple hours to get into this.
But, you know, and if you step back and step away from your life and you look at the, the contract that brought you here, you’re gonna sign, you’re gonna see that your name signed the bottom and that you checked all the boxes that of what you received. Everything in this life is like a buffet. We step up and we, we choose the things we want.
And I know that’s very hard to accept from this perspective, from the perspective of living inside the virtual reality. That’s really hard to accept that I would choose, to be raised in abused family, to be raised, in a really hard environment. But you know what, did choose that. I know that now from my experience.
It makes me who I am today. That’s how I know I chose it. And what we can choose here though, is how we react to those things around us. How we allow ourselves to be. And that’s where the, the, the power lies for us is, is what we choose. To react to what we choose to not react to. And I would, I would venture to say, don’t react to anything.
Don’t let anything make you have a reaction. Because anytime you have a reaction, you’re giving the power within, you’re giving it away to what’s happening around you. And you master that power. You have that power. So maintain that power and keep that power. Don’t give that power to anybody. I don’t care if it’s somebody who cuts you off or says something really mean or, or fires you.
Don’t give that power away. Keep your dignity. Keep your love, and you keep your power. You always keep your power. You get to choose daily what goes on up here. No matter what’s going on out here, you get to choose what goes on up here. And you know the, the easiest way to not make a choice, what goes on up here is really dive into this.
Dive into this. This is the crutches for the psychosis. This is the crutches for the consciousness. By diving into technology, you are not making decisions. And then when it does come time to make decisions with your thoughts, you don’t, you don’t know how you just react. You’re constantly reacting, constantly handing your power to others.
And, and what would that be like? Driving a car and constantly grabbing someone, just saying, here, drive this car. It’s, it’s, you’re not going to get where you want to go and you’re going to be constantly in accidents. You’re gonna be constantly finding turmoil. Every time you hand your power away, you are allowing others to direct your life, not you.
So it’s really empowering to understand that simple principle, very simple principle.
[00:15:40] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: Thank you for sharing that. We have less than a minute left, and I have one question. I know that your death experience was on January 18th. We are in January right now talking. In what way do you celebrate or acknowledge that 18th.
[00:15:55] Vincent Todd Tolman: So, you know, I, celebrate a death day party. Okay. And, I just had my 20th death day, so I’m, I’m almost legal. . Yeah. But, uh, you know, it, I, I celebrate it because, it is the beginning of my second life. and officially that’s, that’s technically the 21st. Cuz that’s when I was, I came out of a three day, three-day brain dead coma.
But, you know, I do celebrate both days, the 18th and the 21st for the fact that, the day I died and the day I arose out of that, that brain-dead coma, is, is two. Very life-changing things for me and, and the fact that I was revived out of a body bag and, and dead for, for at least an hour, maybe two, they know for at least an hour, maybe two.
And, there, there’s all sorts of miracles around us daily. And one precious medic who listened to the intuition of God, he said that he felt, he. This presence that, that said, I wasn’t gone and I witnessed that myself for that. He felt that and he took some miraculous actions and, and, and went ahead and resuscitated a dead body.
When it all signs all science said that, that’s not possible. He did it anyway because he felt the prompting, he felt that inspiration. So, you know, I’m so grateful. People that listen to inspiration, listen to intuition, because that’s why I’m here, and that’s what is my goal, is to help people get a better connection with that, get a better connection with intuition, get a better connection with inspiration in their own lives.
Well, thank you so much for your time.
[00:17:40] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: It’s really been a pleasure speaking with you, the Author of Life, the Light After Death, my Journey to Heaven and Back. Best wishes to you and continue to inspire people cuz that is what you do.
[00:17:50] Vincent Todd Tolman: So thank you. Thank you, thank you Bettina. I really appreciate the opportunity to chat with you today.
And if, people wanna follow what I do.- I do have a website called living gods light.com. Again, that’s living gods light.com. It, it’s a place where we’re building kind of a community, kind of like your own, where it’s a, a community of, of, minds that are, like-minded, that want a better world for this planet and a better place.
and they want to help build that light upon the earth. SYou for the opportunity and I really appreciate the chance to talk with you. It’s been a pleasure.
[00:18:23] Bettina M Brown, In the Rising Podcast: Sometimes when we’ve gone through an event in life, we can call that event the changer. You know, there was the before, and then there’s the after.
And often in life there are many of those changer moments, and I would consider death like a final changer. But to be able to come back and share your experience and really. Pour your heart and you can tell that when you read his book and I could really feel it in the conversation. He is on a mission to help us live our best life now and to live a life of service into creating better.
Serving our community and our community is serving us. And so I really look forward to, your comments. Please email me at Bettina@intherising.com, or you can also go to intherisingpodcast.com website and read blogs, regarding other people, and you can listen to podcasts there as well. It would be my greatest honor if you would leave a five-star review for this podcast and help share the word you never knew.
What a message like this. Put in the hands and ears of those that it’ll make a change for, will do for them, and then the ripple or butterfly effect from then on. And until next time, let’s keep building one another up!
