A US woman who survived a serious hiking accident has shared her account of a near-death experience, saying it changed how she views humanity and life itself.
Erica Tait, now a psychotherapist, said she was 22 years old when she fell while hiking on The Palisades, a cliff area along the Hudson River, in September 2015.
According to Ms Tait, she slipped on a moss-covered rock while attempting to climb down a dried-up waterfall. She fell about 60 feet, suffering severe injuries including a broken spinal cord, pelvis, arms and ribs, as well as punctured lungs.
She said she was trapped on the rocks for several hours and drifted in and out of consciousness while waiting for rescue. Emergency services eventually reached her after about seven hours, and she was later airlifted to hospital.
Ms Tait has said that during this time she experienced what she describes as a separation from her physical body. Speaking to a near-death experience YouTube channel, she said she believed she was observing herself from outside her body.
She said the experience led her to believe that consciousness continues beyond physical death, a view shared by some people who report near-death experiences, though such accounts are subjective and not scientifically verified.
Ms Tait said she also experienced what she described as a life review, during which she reflected on her actions and relationships.
“The biggest realisation was what I call oneness,” she said, adding that she felt humanity was deeply connected and that harm done to others was, in her view, harm done to oneself.
Following months of recovery, including six months in a wheelchair, Ms Tait said the experience marked a spiritual awakening. She later trained as a psychotherapist and says her work is now shaped by the beliefs she formed after the accident.
Near-death experiences have been reported by people across cultures, often during moments of extreme physical trauma. Scientists say such experiences may be linked to brain activity under stress, while others interpret them through spiritual or philosophical frameworks.
Ms Tait says her focus since the accident has been on living with compassion and awareness, based on what she believes she learned during the experience.
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