Ah, us humans are so skeptical, we always need proof - so I was curious, what got YOU to believe in the afterlife.

At one time all of us have had our doubts, yet how did you yourself disover what you saw/felt/concluded as the truth? Was it a book? Maybe a personal encounter? Maybe a website? Think itd be great for to share.

Much love,
Sam

I am always curious as well in how people awaken. As for me, I had many spiritual experiences as a child but I didn't know what was happening with me. At age 25 I saw an article about Dr. George Ritchie's near death experience and I knew it was truth. From there on I read everything I could get my hands on about spiritual growth.

It is this knowing feeling inside that is my guide.

Popping out of the body a few times helped to convince me too that this body is not all there is to existence.

LightSeeker

I seem to have always believed there was more than physical life.  It was not from any teaching or training I recieved, beyond what I witnessed in my parents.  That is, they did not express thoughts or ideas on the subject.
When I was quite young, in the early 60's, my father was in Viet Nam.  I remember trying to communicate with him.  I never got the chance to ask if he "heard" me.  By the time I knew that's what I had been doing, he had passed and I had forsaken all such notions as "evil".  That was as a young adult.
For several years, I denied that side of who I was, though there were times when such things would come through, usually at the passing of a loved one.  I spent many years convinced that anything outside of fundamental Christianity was inherently evil and of "satan".
It was only recently that I realized how bizarre that notion is, that is more to it than is proscribed by the mainline churches.
It has been freeing, indeed.  And this I say as I prepare to go to a fundamental-type church..but..it is for my son, who seems to need just that path at this time..and there is truth there..its just a bit convoluted in the "rules" and "regulations"..
Peace, love and blessings,
Shirley

Hello Sam,
You are sure to receive multiple replies to your quiry. In my life my mother was somewhat psychic and as a  child I recall she often dreamed of the future and would relate what would happen. She also had the ability to know where I was and what I was doing, which was a bit disconcerting!  My father was very much into science fiection, so I had a lot of that literature to help stretch my mind so to speak.
In my teens I had out of the body experiences, mostly flying around and enjoying myself.  But then it all gradually pretty much went away as I grew older- so I was left with mostly good recall of my dreams.  The event that brought back some of my psychic abililty was the death of my first wife.  With her passage I was suddenly able to have vivid color visions of her almost any  time any place but most often during meditation. I often saw her hold up and show me various cats that we had had in our life together.  She would gather groups of people to show to me as if lined up for a photo, or she would dance a gig and otherwise show off. She could show me her surroundings, what it looked like where she happened to be.  But, for all the visions there was no sound, only seeing her mouth the words. Anyway  after about six years I gradually lost the ability so that these visions only occurred a few times a year.
Nowadays I am working on learning to do retrievals
using Bruce's Guidebook and Tapes & CDs. I have made some progress and just need more time and experience. Sam I hope this helps you in your search for psychic knowledge.
Happy New Year,   Harry

My mom, who passed away almost a year ago, saw visions of spirits a few times throughout her life, so I've always felt there was something beyond this world.  

I have had some precognitive dreams and they are VERY disconcerting.

I'm very skeptical of OBEs.  To me, it just seems like a deep form of meditation and nothing more.  So far, I've never read or heard anything from any OBE experiencers that convinces me they are really traveling out of body.

September 11, 2001 was what shook my world.  I'd venture to guess that after seeing the disaster on TV, I started becomming concerned about the future of our planet, and about finding a permanent solution to war.  

Then, early in 2003, I heards about a speak on the Art Bell show.  This speaker claimed that we can explore the afterlife without even dying.  I missed the show, but I felt magnetised to Bruce's website.  One I arrived at his site, I felt like I had discovered a new continent.  I read through all of the articles on the site and shortly after picked up the first two books.

For a certain span of time, I had felt detached from Christianity and started becomming upset.  During this time, I frequented an Ex-Xian site.  However, I decided the Christianity itself was not the problem, it was doctrine so I from here I started picking up the pieces of my life and rebuilding.

Love to all
Stephen Updegraff

I have found the following sites to be very evidential in the scientific validation of ongoing life beyond the physical level. They both follow the premise that survival of death is a natural phenomenon, and has nothing whatever to do with religion or other "supernatural" beliefs.

http://www.cfpf.org.uk/

http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/home.htm

Growing up, my parents went through a phase where they kind of shoved religion down us.  Of course, being teenagers, we rebelled against it.   It seemed so hypocritical.  Then I completely rejected all religion.  When I read the Shirley McClaine novels, I couldn't ignore the nagging truth I was understanding.  Since then, I do believe in the afterlife, but still reject structured Christianity.  That form of religion seems very un"Christ"like.  Bruce's books draw me like a magnet as I totally relate to being seen as a "heretic", especially here in the Bible belt.  And his skeptism and continual doubt make me laugh as that's exactly where I'm at, but it just makes so much sense.  Everyone who has experienced alternate realities in various books I read speaks of coming to the same "truths".  It is all so consistent it can't be disregarded.

I came to the afterlife beliefs through an ouiji board. I asked for a sign and my physical body sat up in bed by itself, but actually it started before that and I'm writing a book about everything that's happened that make me believe as I do. It's called Roadsigns. I hope to get it published this year sometime. deeper than just knowing about ourselves as spirit beings; I read Bruce's article about how spirit was curious and related to that wholeheartedly, as every time I've been curious enough to explore something, I always had an experience in some measure to blow my socks off. without "becoming" we are merely dying. we are marvelous beings, both believers and skeptics. ;D