OREWORD BY {^^1^1 MY ESCENT INTO DEATH A Second Chance at J^ife Howard Storm us.$14.95 Canada$21.00 Not since Betty Eadie's Embraced hy theLight has a personal account of a Near-Death Experience (NDE) been so utterly different from most others—or nearly as compelling. In the thirty years since Raymond Moody's LifeAfterLife appeared, a famiHar pattern of NDEs has emerged: suddenly floating over one's own body usually in a hospital setting, then a sudden hurtling through a tunnel oflight toward a presence oflove. Notso in Howard Storm's case. Storm, an avowedatheist, was awaitingemergency surgerywhen he realized that he was at death's door. Storm found himselfout ofhis own body, looking down on the hospital room scene below. Next, rather than going"toward the light," he found himselfbeing torturously dragged to excruciating realms ofdark- ness and death, where he was physically assaulted by monstrous beings ofevil. His description ofhis pure terror and torture is unnerving in its utter originality and convincingdetail. Finally, drawnawayfromdeathand transportedto the realm ofheaven. Storm met angelic beings as well as the God ofCreation. In this fascinatingaccount. (continued on backflap) L MY DESCENT INTO DEATH vl DOUBLEDAY NewYork London Toronto Sydney Auckland — PUBLISHEDBYDOUBLEDAY adivisionofRandomHouse, Inc. DOUBLEDAYandthe portrayalofananchorwithadolphinare registered trademarksofRandomHouse, Inc. Copyright © 2005 byHoward Storm BookdesignhyMichaelCollica LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Storm, Howard. Mydescentintodeath : asecondchanceatlife/HowardStorm. 1stU.S. ed. p. cm. Rev. ed. of: Mydescentintodeathandthemessage oflove thatbroughtmebac—k. — 1. Storm, Howard. 2. Near-deathexperiences R—eligiousa—spects United ChurchofChrist. 3. UnitedChurchofChrist Clergy Biography. I. Storm, Howard. Mydescentintodeathandthemessageoflove that broughtmeback. 11. Title. BX9886.Z8S762005 133.9'0r3092—dc22 [B] 2004058257 ISBN 0-385-51376-3 AllRightsReserved PRINTEDINTHEUNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA March2005 FirstU.S. Edition FirstpublishedinGreat BritainbyClairviewin 2000 13579 8642 10 CONTENTS Forev^ord by Anne Rice vii 1.. Paris 1 2. The Descent 10 3. Alone 19 4. The Light 24 5. Life Review 30 6. The Past and the Future 38 7. What Happens When We Die 49 8. Why We Are the Way We Are 60 9. ReaUty 68 10. The Argument 77 Waking Up 85 I 1 I Lisa and Clarence 96 I 13 Sent Back 101 14. Next to Heaven 109 15. Limbo 117 16. Telling the Story 125 CONTENTS 17 A Second Chance at Life 130 18 Angels 135 '^' Pilgrim 142 Afterword 147 Acknowledgments 149