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Saved by the Light: The True Story of a Man Who Died Twice and the Profound Revelations He Received

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On September 17,1975,after being electrocuted by a bolt of lightning,Dannion Brinkley died. When he revived twenty-eight minutes later in a morgue, he had the story of a lifetime to tell- a profoundly moving account of what happened to him during his near-death experience. It is a tale of a dark tunnel, a crystal city, and a "cathedral of knowledge" where thirteen angels shared with him 117 revelations about the future-95 of which have already come true. Even he now possessed the ability to read minds, no one believed his story of the spiritual transformation that changed his life- except others who had died and come back.A second near-death experience reunited him with with his angelic instructors.This time,they revealed that he was to use his new psychic gifts to help the dying.Since then, he has dedicated his life to working with the sick and elderly, and sharing his fantastic story with people everywhere. Dramatic and inspiring, Saved By the Light is an exciting look at the fascinating mysteries of life and death.

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 8, 1994

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About the author

Dannion Brinkley

25 books41 followers
Dannion Brinkley is an American author who described two near death experiences (NDEs) in his 1994 book Saved by the Light. He is also a hospice volunteer, speaker, and prominent figure in the New Age and New Thought Movement.

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5 stars
1,475 (44%)
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943 (28%)
3 stars
656 (19%)
2 stars
162 (4%)
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56 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
Profile Image for James.
301 reviews66 followers
September 2, 2009
THIS BOOK IS A LITERARY FRAUD.

See STOLEN VALOR pp 385-387

The author of Stolen Valor filed a freedom of information request for the military records of Dannion Brinkley.
Not only was Brinkley not a "marine corps assassin" in Vietnam,

HE NEVER LEFT THE UNITED STATES DURING HIS 18 MONTHS OF SERVICE.

He spent his time in a Transportation Battalion at Atlanta Georgia.
Trucking supplies like toilet paper & blankets to other Marine facilities in the US.

He attended NO schools for specialized combat operations,
and Received NO medals related to the war.

The entire book is FICTION.
Profile Image for Matt.
943 reviews
April 7, 2018
An interesting book. Author makes some wild claims about being able to see into the future. He worked with Raymond Moody so there may be some truth to his claims. Overall it was thought provoking and inspiring to read. I did a little research on the author and saw a few youtube videos of his interviews on different talk shows. Although he my be sincere, he comes across as a used car or snake oil salesman.

At the end of the day, you either will believe his claims or call him a liar. In the words of Fox Mulder, "I want to believe."
January 8, 2016
I find NDE's fascinating and I've read my share of books on the topic. I've found that it's hit or miss with these books, as of course it's an entirely subjective experience related by the author. Personally, I can only go on my intuition when evaluating the merits of each account. After finishing 'Saved by the Light' by Dannion Brinkley, I felt that I had been scammed. While I do believe in the NDE phenomenon (the evidence is overwhelming), inevitably there will be a few hucksters preying on those of us who seek out legitimate accounts of highly unique spiritual experiences. Yes I believe that Brinkley got struck by lightning. That's about all I believe from him. He has used this false narrative to create a very lucrative career for himself. His website is all about making money - it's so materialistic, tacky and superficial; it's really no different than what we've all seen with shady televangelists. Not what you would expect from someone claiming a "life-chaging spiritual experience." Paraphrasing scripture, "Judge a tree by the fruit it produces."
BTW: Google 'Dannion Brinkley' and you'll find many accounts from credible sources that refute his claims.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,189 reviews28 followers
May 30, 2013
This book was EXACTLY what I expected- complete and utter bullshit. This guy claims he had a near death experience where "beings of light" showed him the future. Only problem is, most of the things they showed him didn't happen. In 1993, when he wrote the book, he claimed that they showed him Chernobyl, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the gulf war.But all his predictions that weren't made "after the fact" were wrong. He said there would be a nuclear disaster in 1995. that early in the 21st century the US would be destroyed by earthquakes, that the US would fall apart and be bankrupt in 2000, that a religion would rise based on environmentalism, and become powerful enough to take over the world, etc. He also says that these beings of light commanded him to build centers where people would be healed by energy. It's crazy. The man is either a certifiable lunatic, or, more likely, a fraud.

I also lost all respect for David Moody (who is the guru of Near Death Experience) because he believed in and promoted this guy. It was so obvious that everything this guy said was baloney. I just can;t believe that people actually believe this garbage!
Profile Image for Louise.
1,548 reviews87 followers
April 10, 2009
An interesting account of Dannion Brinkley's near-death experience. Well-written and profoundly thought provoking.

From back cover:

"On September 17, 1975, after being electrocuted by a bolt of lightning, Dannion Brinkley died. When he revived twenty eight minutes later in a morgue, he had the story of a lifetime to tell-a profoundly moving account of what happened to him during his near-death experience.

It is a tale of a dark tunnel, a crystal city and a cathedral of knowledge where thirteen angels shared with him 117 revelations about the future-95 of which have already come true. Even though he now possessed the ability to read minds, no one believed his story of the spiritual transformation that changed his life-except others who had died and come back. A second near-death experience reunited him with his angelic instructors. This time, they revealed that he was to use his new psychic gifts to help the dying. Since then, he has dedicated his life to working with the sick and elderly and sharing his fantastic story with people everywhere."

Profile Image for Cherene.
365 reviews
September 4, 2012
This book about the author's near death experience definitely puts life into perspective. Brinkley's experience was similar to a lot of other accounts I have read, but also different in that he saw the future of the world, and became able to read others' thoughts...interesting, no? But the thing that struck me about this book is that he was given a mission to complete when he was sent back to Earth, and it is to reduce stress in the lives of others so that they can become more spiritual, less fearful, and more loving. I found this very interesting, and it made me view counseling in a more spiritual light. I believe strongly in relaxation, but have never really thought about the spiritual component or importance of learning to relax. This book gave me a lot of food for thought!
Profile Image for David.
46 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2010
I found some subtle inaccuracies of place (I have lived in SC for the past 40 years). I also found links on the Internet questioning the author's alleged service in Viet Nam. All-in-all, not a very convincing read. It only takes two sittings, though.
Profile Image for Tim Malone.
108 reviews12 followers
July 30, 2013
This is one of the more controversial NDE books because it’s full of predictions about the future that failed to materialize. When I read how the visions of these future events were presented to him I had to put the book down for some time before I could finish it. In his NDE, beings of light came to him with little TV sets in their chests that showed future world events. He claimed to have seen in his 1975 NDE numerous major world events that happened prior to the publication of the book in 1994. Of course, I was immediately suspicious, especially because he also claimed to have seen events such as a 1995 nuclear accident in Norway that didn’t happen and the economic collapse of the United States prior to the year 2000. I had a hard time with this book when I read it and I still do. I don’t doubt he had an NDE, or three as he has claimed but I’m not too sure about his interpretations. Either he didn’t remember very well or he embellished them for some reason.

Source: http://latterdaycommentary.com/2013/0...
Profile Image for Jackie.
150 reviews6 followers
May 30, 2009
Dannion Brinkley was struck and killed by lightning. He awoke twenty-eight minutes later in a morgue, and discovered that he allegedly had visited the afterlife and was psychic to boot. As I read this book I quickly realized that I am just too cynical to appreciate it. I suspect it is time to return to historical fiction or maybe a good serial killer book.
Profile Image for Christopher.
61 reviews315 followers
September 11, 2007
it isn't that this book is so great or well written, i am just so fascinated by near death experiences.
Profile Image for Ietrio.
6,823 reviews24 followers
May 28, 2021
...who died twice. That makes 100% better than Jesus. Isn't it a bit too much?
16 reviews
May 16, 2019
Saved By the Light is written by Dannion Brinkley. He puts specific parts of his book. All of the chapters are about one specific subject. He starts off the book by describing what the day was like when he died the first time. After he had reached the hospital after being electrocuted, he decribes what it felt like when he could feel his heart shutting down and him basically dying. He talks about being able to see himself on the stretcher and suddenly heading towards a bright light. He then goes into detail about what he sees and the things he does there. He mentions things like “Beings” who were glowing and looking over his life in a life review. He then recalls when he woke up being pulled on a stretcher going to the morgue. After this, he ends up staying in the hospital for a couple weeks, and then writes about how he was after he left the hospital. Thinking that there weren’t many people who have the same experiences, he decided to go to a meeting for people like him, where he learned that there were plenty of other people with the same experiences. He later writes about how he almost died a second time. He describes not just the trials he had, but also the things that he was able to do that he was thankful for.
I liked this book because it had an interesting story and it had a lot of details. I feel like even if one didn’t believe in an afterlife, it’d still be an interesting story.
Profile Image for Jackie St Hilaire.
126 reviews11 followers
January 9, 2016
Ask and you shall perceive.

In 1974 I had a near death experience and like the author who experienced his NDE in 1975, I went searching for answers. There were not many books on this subject. I also came across Dr. Raymond Moody's book: "Life after Life", the first that I read. Eventually I would read anything and everything that I could get my hands on, just like Dannion Brinkley and Eben Alexander who wrote: "Proof of Heaven" in 2012.

Dannion had an extraordinary experience and the event that lead to his death was extraordinary. He was electrocuted and the medical staff sent him home with his wife to live out his last days. Because of the dreams and visions that followed his NDE Dannion was able to find a purpose for his life. He struggled both physically and mentally but the knowledge that was inside of him kept him going but not without many setbacks.

Despite his horribly flawed life that he had lived, the "Being of Love" came to forgive and granted him peace and inner joy. An unconditional love that no one can earn.

After accepting the gift of unconditional love, Dannion was given a series of 13 prophecies. Prophecies are given so that one can warn the people to change or catastrophes will happen. We all can make changes in our lives to change our destiny and the destiny of the world.

Dannion was also given assignments to be fulfilled before 1992. One specific assignment was to help build "centers" These centers would change the future. Their focus was to reduce stress and fear, which cause many of the world's problems.

Dannion met Dr. Raymond Moody when Dr. Moody came to South Carolina to give a lecture on near death experiences. This meeting changed Dannion's whole perspective on his experience. The two men became very fond of each other and were able to bring to many people comfort and wisdom through the NDE experience.

During his recovery period Dannion didn't sit around and feel sorry for himself. He started many businesses that would result in producing many of the assignments that were given to him in 1975. He was a contributing factor in helping the US government in anti-bugging devices.

Even though Dannion was busy with his business, aiding Dr. Moody, giving lectures, he found time to do Hospice volunteer work. This had also been directed by the visions. Dannion loved this part of his life. Besides attending to the patients, he also offered respite for the caregivers.

This aspect of Dannion really connected with me because I also am a Hospice volunteer and received Dannion's book from a lady who is also a Hospice volunteer. I do book reviews for our Hospice and she suggested that I might do a review on your book. Since the channel has been opened, I believe it's time to tell my own story. This book will be an introduction.

Like Dannion I would like to share my NDE with the patients but I have been leery of doing so, I will thread lightly and if the right situation arises I will go forward. I remember one gentleman a few months back. He was in a nursing home, not able to get out of bed, all his food was pureed. I asked him: "Are you tired of being in bed and not able to do anything, don't you want to move on and have your body transformed?" He answers me: "I'm perfectly fine with this body." Goes to show you that for some people illness is better than death, at least they know what they have to face everyday. Death is such a taboo subject that it's hard to talk about.

Another gentleman with Alzheimer's, also in a nursing home, he was 97, I was doing a life legacy for the family. His daughter didn't want me to tell him I was from Hospice. Making it hard for us to talk about his approaching death. Personally, I think it was the daughter who was having a hard time with death, so because of her hang up, this gentleman was not able to talk about it, let go and move on.

Both gentlemen passed away in July 2015.

At the conclusion of his book, Dannion is building a center for Hospice in South Carolina. Again, the "Being of Light" told him to build this center.

Dannion leaves us with a quote from:
1 Corinthians 14
Modern English Version (MEV)

Tongues and Prophecy Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to men, but to God. For no one understands him, although in the spirit, he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification and exhortation and comfort. He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I desire that you all speak in tongues, but even more that you prophesy. For greater is he who prophesies than he who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edification.
Profile Image for Debby.
399 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2013
An interesting book I was so determined not to like at all. I have never read books soley focused on NDE's (Near Death Experience), so I was skeptical. But like most things I am weary of, I end up liking them in the end. I didn't love the book. I would have given it a 3.5 if that was possible. I loved the parts that mentioned the LDS point of view of the afterlife and their NDE accounts. For once, the LDS people were not put down in any way. Shocking!

Dannion's account of the room that the beings told him to build sounds a lot like L. Ron Hubbard's book, or Scientology. Some of the NDE account also sounded like Scientology to me as well. Dannion is a very likeable person. I can see why he and his wife divorced. He was entirely set on his NDE and other's NDE's too. I recommend reading the introduction and forward after the book, as they give much of the story away!
Profile Image for Valerie Carpenter parzyck.
47 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2021
For some reason the main thing that stuck out for me is why is this man left alone just days after he was released from the hospital. He talks several times about how he was left on the lawn for 3 hours, or fell and left on the floor for six hours until someone came home. Next he was falling into a bowl of soup and soon after managed to make his way to hear a talk about near death experiences.

I find it comforting that there are several people who make the claim that they saw lights and felt peace. I did feel uncomfortable about it being unnecessary to do things such as confession because as long as you are nice to people you’ll get to Heaven (I’m paraphrasing). That’s not something that sounds like it’s from God it sounds like it’s from satan and made me wonder if this man was in a state of purgatory rather than heaven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jer El.
8 reviews2 followers
April 7, 2008

Dannion's story captivated me. I read this story years ago and then had the opportunity to hear him speak and to meet him personally.

Picture a rough and tough sob, from the South. Someone you might imagine would as soon kick your ass if you crossed them, with the air of one of those fire & brimstone southern preachers. It was easy to imagine the type of person that he was before his experiences detailed in this book, and a delight to imagine how he combined it with the part of himself that he explored afterward.
12 reviews
March 17, 2014
Meh. I am a fan of NDE books in general, and while I realize this is one of the "Grand-dads" of the genre, it didn't ring true to me. I believe it's possible something happened to Mr. Brinkley, but his description of the afterlife and the predictions he was given feel a bit off to me and, after researching the man, I am suspicious. Without trust in the subject, a book like this carries little weight.
Profile Image for John Maurer.
166 reviews3 followers
August 5, 2024
What an extremely interesting read. This true story of Dannion Brinkley life is most definitely profound especially the experience and revelations he received when he “died” twice. It puts life into perspective and comforts the reader of the topic of death and what happens after. That being said, however, I found I wasn’t as attached to the writing as I thought I would.
Profile Image for Eden Silverfox.
1,168 reviews95 followers
July 28, 2014
In 1975 at 25 years old, Dannion Brinkley was talking on the phone and struck by lightning. He died, went through a life review, seen crystal cities and was told to build centers. He was also given prophecies of things to come.

He was dead for 28 minutes and when he came back, he couldn't move. All he could do was blow on the sheet to show he was still alive.

It took Dannion a long time to recover, but he was a changed man. And in 1989 Dannion had a second near death experience. His heart was so damaged from the lightning strike that it was going to give out if they didn't do surgery.

After having a talk with Raymond Moody, Dannion agreed to the sign the papers so they could do surgery. During the surgery he died again and had his second near death experience.

I think I first found out about Dannion Brinkley when I was in my early teens. I had watched a documentary about near death experience. Dannion was one of the people on there talking about his near death experiences and I have liked him ever since and have wanted to meet him.

This is the first time I've read his book, but I already know a lot about him. I've read a lot about him online, even the reports of his supposed fraud.

I've been into paranormal things for years and when it comes to psychics, people who have near death experiences, etc, I know there are those that will always try to discredit people with such abilities and experiences.

I'm sure there are people who have lied about near death experiences and I know there are people who have faked psychic abilities. Does this mean all psychics are fake? No, it doesn't. Does this mean all people who claim who had have near death experiences are lying? No, it doesn't. And All that I have read about Dannion Brinkley, even those trying to discredit him, I do not believe he is a liar.

I feel that he is an honest person. A person that really cares about people and I'm happy to say that I will be meeting him in July.

This is an amazing book. It's well-written and besides his own story, Dannion shares stories of others who have had near death experiences. Some are really touching and all are just amazing.

This is just a great book that gives you a lot to think about. And it definitely makes you want to careful on how you treat people. I always try to treat everyone with kindness, but this is a nice reminder that everything you do affects people. If you're nice, kind and caring, it is good feelings. But if you're mean and hateful, It's feelings of sadness, anger and others.

This really is a life changing book and I'm glad to have read it.
Profile Image for Heidi.
1,397 reviews1,540 followers
April 8, 2016
Dannion Brinkley records two near death experiences in Saved by the Light and, I did some research, since the publication of this book in the early 90's, he's experienced another one. I don't think that Dannion ever thought that he'd be the guy to die (and die and die) and then come back and tell everybody about it. He suffers from very serious heart problems since he was struck by lightning and his recovery period has been extensive. He's endures severe physical pain and lost his first wife because of his NDE.

Dannion seems very sincere but I thought that the NDE recorded by the Malarkey kid seemed sincere too (which he (Kevin Malarkey) has since retracted as a fabrication). Raymond Moody, the first major NDE researcher, writes the intro to this book and shows up in different parts of the narration. I feel that that lends it some authority on the subject but I suppose, to know for sure, that I'll just have to wait and find out for myself. Someday.

In the meantime, Saved by the Light is an interesting look into the near death experience for those of us who haven't been there. If you liked it, you may also want to read Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani or Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, both of which are excellent examples of near death experiences and the life changing effect that it has on the person who survives them.
Profile Image for Trey Nowell.
234 reviews9 followers
February 17, 2014
I liked this account as it spanned more of his life. Whether or not this experience is legit or not, I am uncertain. I try to take these authors at face value for what they self-report. I read his other book with the similar title first, and now looks like this book had more information in it elaborated on, which the other book seemed to summarize a lot of this one (as it was written years later). I find the NDE very fascinating and am doing a lot of research myself in the field now with clients and acquaintances of my own reporting some of the same things, but far less detailed. I wonder how so many can remember such detailed accounts versus others not recalling hardly anything? Hopefully this mystery can be unlocked someday.
Profile Image for Frances.
17 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2010
simply amazing, and who wouldn't ask "why me" to be the single person to experience so much in a relatively short time frame!I I will have to research and see where and how Dannion is at this time in life, all I can say is wow!

from the opening page: "The Secret"

"Humans are powerful spiritual beings meant to create good on the earth. This good isn't usually accomplished in bold actions, but in singular acts of kindness between people. It's the little things that count, because they are more spontaneous and show who you truly are."
1 review1 follower
July 25, 2015
I love reading on "NDE'S".

I enjoyed it. I believe his story but I do have a question about something that seems a bit contradictory, but all in all I enjoyed and would love the opportunity to just visit his center before I HAVE to visit his Center.
I would give this 4 stars.

****
Profile Image for Richard Stuart.
169 reviews15 followers
December 20, 2008
Hit by lightning multiple times, near death experiences, visions of possible Earth futures, esp, this book has it all! haha But, ultimately, it isn't that good. Sorry folks, i'm gunna have to tell you to pass on this one.
Profile Image for Merrill.
298 reviews
February 21, 2010
One man's account of the afterlife after being struck by lightning. His main point -- there is a life review where you relive all the wrongs you've done to others during your lifetime, but from their point of view so you can see how your actions made them feel.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
22 reviews
June 1, 2010
Non-fiction. Kinda interesting about a guy who had near-death experiences after he was struck by lightning, then later became psychic...
I also read "Life Before Life" by Jim B. Tucker about children who talk about their past lives.
Profile Image for Valerie.
10 reviews3 followers
January 3, 2011
ehhh this book was ok. i guess i would reccomend it to people that really like short book that have pracktickly no suspense or emotion...
19 reviews
October 14, 2016
I chose not to read this book because the author's military service is reportedly untrue. It makes me doubt the authenticity of this book. I'm very disappointed.
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