These days, it is possible to fast track through the process. Instead of leaving this body to go through transition to the next phase of your personal soul journey you can consciously determine to move through and up from the present experience, provided you have got all you 'need' from it, and work to embody a transformed self.
Some people have found that decision is made for them, by their higher selves, and they are put into situations which require them to go through extremes rites of passage and which feel like death, in which they 'die', either emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually.
Operating tables seem to be the place where most of the physical 'deaths' or 'near deaths' are recorded. Such reports seem to me to describe the type of transition tailor made for those individuals.
Other 'deaths' are that which occur while still in the body but the individual hits a whole new arena of emotional death or spiritual death. It is probably harder to go this route because hitting rock bottom and transforming through this involves navigation through some pretty scary inner landscapes.
http://well.org/mindset/dying-to-wake-up/
DYING TO WAKE UP
to watch the interview with Dr Parti. https://youtu.be/_vdOq-AheHs
We’re talking Near Death Experiences
Not something we usually talk about on the Heath Bridge. But when you have a cardiac anesthesiologist who’s written about his own personal experience, you gotta dive in. Dr. Rajiv Parti is a world renowned specialist in pain management and had heard about these “near death experiences” before , even from his own cardiac patients, but never really paid attention to it because it was too far out. But when he had to have an emergency surgery himself back in 2008, everything changed.
He describes his out-of-body experience as going through different realms where at one point, he was floating above himself and heard the anesthesiologist tell a joke, and then he repeated the joke to him in the recovery room. His first realm was in India where his mother and sister were sitting having a conversation. He later called his mother and sister and told him about this, where he described what they were wearing and the conversation they were having…and it was the same. Dr. Parti then went into a hellish realm where he was in pain and his father, who he described as having a love hate relationship with, came to his rescue. He told him “My son, if you keep your consciousness clear and you’re truthful to your own self, the universe, the divine, will take care of you.” Hi father had died 30 years ago and had told him this same thing.
And then he said he was greeted by two angelic beings, Michael and Rapheal. You don’t really see these angels in Hindu, the way Dr. Parti was raised. He later found out that Michael is the angel for strength and truth, and Raphael is the angel, the patron saint for healers. Then they guided him towards a light.
Changing The Path
All of this would have made for a good story in itself, but Dr. Parti really used this experience to change his life. He took a good look at all of it, his spirituality, his relationships with his wife and children and his work. He says he was always angry and short tempered and very strict in the past. He feels like he was told that his life was spared but it was going to look totally different. And now it does. The Hummer got traded in for a Hybrid, he started studying with Deepak Chopra and now he is much kinder and let so much of his anger go because of the experience that he had. It was a spiritual death for the person he was and he reawakened to the person he is today.
He also took his own addiction to pills after his surgery and uses that for the greater good in helping people with recovery now. He believes he suffered these things so that he could help people now. It’s about altering your conscience and focusing life on 3 things…kindness, forgiveness and compassion. We covered a whole lot more in this in depth conversation about past life regression and forgiving your past. Really intriguing stuff here.
Notes from the show:
Pedram:
Welcome back to The Health Bridge, Dr. Pedram here talking about something we typically don’t talk about on The Health Bridge; near-death experiences. Most of us are fascinated by stories of these, and tales that touch the afterlife. I always wonder, who are these people and what are their backgrounds? My guest today has written a book about having this experience. His background is in the world of science and medicine, hence we’re here on The Health Bridge. The book is Dying to Wake Up: A Doctor’s Voyage into the Afterlife. It’s written by Dr. Rajiv Parti, world-renowned specialist in pain management over thirty years as a cardiac anesthesiologist.
Welcome back to The Health Bridge, Dr. Pedram here talking about something we typically don’t talk about on The Health Bridge; near-death experiences. Most of us are fascinated by stories of these, and tales that touch the afterlife. I always wonder, who are these people and what are their backgrounds? My guest today has written a book about having this experience. His background is in the world of science and medicine, hence we’re here on The Health Bridge. The book is Dying to Wake Up: A Doctor’s Voyage into the Afterlife. It’s written by Dr. Rajiv Parti, world-renowned specialist in pain management over thirty years as a cardiac anesthesiologist.
In addition to being chief of anesthesiology at Bakersfield Heart Hospital for more than a decade, Dr. Parti’s a founder of a pain management institute in California, and his study of complimentary and alternative medicine has led him to formulate an integrative approach to total wellness, especially pain management, stress, and depression. Welcome to the show, Doc.
Dr. Parti:
Thank you. I’m excited to be here.
Thank you. I’m excited to be here.
Pedram:
This is great. This is such a fascinating topic for me. There are some early books like Brian Weiss, some interesting literature that’s come out. A lot of the time this is something that people don’t want to touch, right? It’s too out there and it’s too weird. You’re a scientist, you’re a medical doctor, you have looked at anecdotal evidence and you’ve looked at the scientific method your whole life, so when you talk about an experience that has created a certain data set, this is something that you can no loner deny. I’d love to get into the story about how this happened, and then we’ll get into who you were before this and what it meant after.
This is great. This is such a fascinating topic for me. There are some early books like Brian Weiss, some interesting literature that’s come out. A lot of the time this is something that people don’t want to touch, right? It’s too out there and it’s too weird. You’re a scientist, you’re a medical doctor, you have looked at anecdotal evidence and you’ve looked at the scientific method your whole life, so when you talk about an experience that has created a certain data set, this is something that you can no loner deny. I’d love to get into the story about how this happened, and then we’ll get into who you were before this and what it meant after.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, sure. I was chief of anesthesia at Bakersfield Heart Hospital, and as a fourth generation immigrant physician from India, my life was going pretty good. I was achieving success whichever way the modern society defines success, and I had a patient, actually it is my introduction in my book, the frozen patient, who had a out-of-body experience and described things which happened in the operating room. It was a special kind of surgery which we call it, hypothermic cardiac arrest where no blood is flowing through the patient for about forty-five minutes, especially done for a special procedure where the root of the aorta, the main vessel from the heart, the artery, had aneurysm. Surgeon has to operate fast, within forty-five minutes, or the patient will suffer some brain damage. That patient described me what happened in the operating room. I thought, “Oh, nothing is going through his brain, some air went in or something,” and I was shocked. He was able to describe what I said and where the instruments were, what was happening, but I just didn’t pay attention to it.
Yeah, sure. I was chief of anesthesia at Bakersfield Heart Hospital, and as a fourth generation immigrant physician from India, my life was going pretty good. I was achieving success whichever way the modern society defines success, and I had a patient, actually it is my introduction in my book, the frozen patient, who had a out-of-body experience and described things which happened in the operating room. It was a special kind of surgery which we call it, hypothermic cardiac arrest where no blood is flowing through the patient for about forty-five minutes, especially done for a special procedure where the root of the aorta, the main vessel from the heart, the artery, had aneurysm. Surgeon has to operate fast, within forty-five minutes, or the patient will suffer some brain damage. That patient described me what happened in the operating room. I thought, “Oh, nothing is going through his brain, some air went in or something,” and I was shocked. He was able to describe what I said and where the instruments were, what was happening, but I just didn’t pay attention to it.
Then few years later, it happened to me. My life totally changed after that. My circumstances were that in August of 2008, I had diagnosis for prostate cancer. It was a radical prostatectomy where they take the whole cancer out. I had got it done from a very renowned surgeon in Florida, and it was done laparoscopically. What I mean is by small holes in the belly. Two years after that surgery even, I did not get my continence back or I did not get my potency back, and I was having chronic pelvic pain. Then I saw a doctor at UCLA and he thought the best way is to implant a artificial device to help me control my bladder.
In the early part of December 2010, I had the surgery done where he implanted a device known as artificial urethral sphincter on my right side in the scrotal area and the right groin area. Unfortunately, that got infected, and it became a severe infection. I had high fevers, and they had tried IV antibiotics, very heavy-duty antibiotics like gentamicin and vancomycin, but it was not touching. Until or unless the source of infection’s taken out, the health does not improve.
Then, during the emergency surgery, around Christmas of 2010, I saw myself about ten, twelve feet up in the air looking at myself. I was shocked, and I was wondering, “What’s happening?” So much so, I thought maybe anesthesiologist gave me a drug like ketamine, which is a disassociative anesthesia and is usually not used in adults. Usually we use it in children for burn dressing changes or if somebody is very, very sick.
During my out-of-body experience, I went through different realms. You want me to describe the whole journey?
Pedram:
Yeah. Just to frame this, you went into emergency surgery, things didn’t go right, all the sudden you’re floating over your body. At this moment, are you cognizant of what’s happening? Are you listening to the conversations? Is it very much the experience your patient was telling you?
Yeah. Just to frame this, you went into emergency surgery, things didn’t go right, all the sudden you’re floating over your body. At this moment, are you cognizant of what’s happening? Are you listening to the conversations? Is it very much the experience your patient was telling you?
Dr. Parti:
Yup, so much so the anesthesiologist told a joke, and I repeated the joke to him in the recovery room. Part of anesthesiologist’s job is kind of to keep your room cool and entertain the surgeons if anything stressful is going on. During my out-of-body experience, I went through different realms. The first realm was that I went to India, where my mother and sister were sitting and having a conversation. From there, my consciousness went to a realm which was, fire was raging, people were crying, and I could hear the noises. It was like a hellish realm.
Yup, so much so the anesthesiologist told a joke, and I repeated the joke to him in the recovery room. Part of anesthesiologist’s job is kind of to keep your room cool and entertain the surgeons if anything stressful is going on. During my out-of-body experience, I went through different realms. The first realm was that I went to India, where my mother and sister were sitting and having a conversation. From there, my consciousness went to a realm which was, fire was raging, people were crying, and I could hear the noises. It was like a hellish realm.
I was crying and was in pain and asking for help, and the person who came to my rescue was my father, who had died about thirty years ago at that time. I had a very, very difficult relationship with my father. I loved him and I hated him. Growing up he was very strict, and he used to beat me a lot, sometimes for no reason. Then he led me towards a tunnel, and there he gave me some words of advice where he told me, “My son, if you keep your consciousness clear and you’re truthful to your own self, the universe, the divine, will take care of you.1” Those are the words that I try to live by. Actually, these are the same words he had told me when he was dying after bypass surgery in Fresno about thirty years ago.
From that tunnel, I went to the other side. I was greeted by two angelic beings, Michael who introduced me as … Everything was telepathically, it just came to the consciousness. Michael and Raphael.
Pedram:
You knew it was Michael and Raphael by …
You knew it was Michael and Raphael by …
Dr. Parti:
They told me.
They told me.
Pedram:
They told you who they were?
They told you who they were?
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. I am raised as a Hindu, and I have heard about angels, but I had never done a study about them. When I told my wife about this, she said, “What happened to the thousands of Indian god and goddesses?”
Yeah. I am raised as a Hindu, and I have heard about angels, but I had never done a study about them. When I told my wife about this, she said, “What happened to the thousands of Indian god and goddesses?”
Pedram:
“What about our guys?”
“What about our guys?”
Dr. Parti:
I know, I said, “I’ve got to tell you the way it happened.”
I know, I said, “I’ve got to tell you the way it happened.”
Pedram:
Yeah. They introduced themselves.
Yeah. They introduced themselves.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah, and then later on I read and I got the knowledge that made sense. Michael is the angel for strength and truth, and Raphael is the angel, the patron saint for healers. He helps in healing. That’s why a lot of these people who are New Age people, they like Raphael a lot for healing. Then they guided me towards a light. The light was like thousand suns at the same time, and it was shining so bright, but it was not hurting the eye. Later on, I was reading my Hindu book Bhagavad Gita and there Lord Krishna shows Arjuna the same view exactly, and I was shocked to read it.
Yeah, and then later on I read and I got the knowledge that made sense. Michael is the angel for strength and truth, and Raphael is the angel, the patron saint for healers. He helps in healing. That’s why a lot of these people who are New Age people, they like Raphael a lot for healing. Then they guided me towards a light. The light was like thousand suns at the same time, and it was shining so bright, but it was not hurting the eye. Later on, I was reading my Hindu book Bhagavad Gita and there Lord Krishna shows Arjuna the same view exactly, and I was shocked to read it.
Pedram:
It’s very common. Most out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, if guided to the light, have a very similar story and pattern. Usually have some angelic beings, a grandfather, a father. There’s so many commonalities in this that it makes it amazing and intriguing that there’s so much data that supports the same type of narrative.
It’s very common. Most out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, if guided to the light, have a very similar story and pattern. Usually have some angelic beings, a grandfather, a father. There’s so many commonalities in this that it makes it amazing and intriguing that there’s so much data that supports the same type of narrative.
Dr. Parti:
Exactly. It is described in Gita, the Indian book Gita where Arjuna asks Krishna to, “Show me your universal view,” and then Arjuna got scared when the Lord Krishna showed him that view. Then he said, “Now come back to your regular human form.” Then I was told, basically, that my life will be spared, but my life going forward will be totally different. I sold my house after this incident, I changed my cars. I used to have a Hummer and a sports BMW, and now I drive a hybrid Camry. I [kid 00:10:31] with my friends, “My life literally went from Hummer to hybrid.” I started pursuing spiritual healing matters like energy medicine, Ayurveda, and meditation, and I got training at a Deepak Chopra Institute in a university in San Diego. That’s the path I have been following.
Exactly. It is described in Gita, the Indian book Gita where Arjuna asks Krishna to, “Show me your universal view,” and then Arjuna got scared when the Lord Krishna showed him that view. Then he said, “Now come back to your regular human form.” Then I was told, basically, that my life will be spared, but my life going forward will be totally different. I sold my house after this incident, I changed my cars. I used to have a Hummer and a sports BMW, and now I drive a hybrid Camry. I [kid 00:10:31] with my friends, “My life literally went from Hummer to hybrid.” I started pursuing spiritual healing matters like energy medicine, Ayurveda, and meditation, and I got training at a Deepak Chopra Institute in a university in San Diego. That’s the path I have been following.
Pedram:
Let’s go back real quick. You hover over a table, you notice that you’re in the OR, you recall something from the OR, then your consciousness phase shifts into a room with your mom and sister. Did they say anything in there that you remembered, that you were able to recall, that you were able to bring back?
Let’s go back real quick. You hover over a table, you notice that you’re in the OR, you recall something from the OR, then your consciousness phase shifts into a room with your mom and sister. Did they say anything in there that you remembered, that you were able to recall, that you were able to bring back?
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. I was able to talk to them after two, three days, the dress they were wearing. It was evening time in India, because my surgery was seven o’clock, six or seven, in the morning in UCLA. That was evening time in India.
Yeah. I was able to talk to them after two, three days, the dress they were wearing. It was evening time in India, because my surgery was seven o’clock, six or seven, in the morning in UCLA. That was evening time in India.
Pedram:
You said, “Hey, you guys were sitting here at this table, wearing this in the evening,” and they were able to corroborate that they were indeed wearing that attire?
You said, “Hey, you guys were sitting here at this table, wearing this in the evening,” and they were able to corroborate that they were indeed wearing that attire?
Dr. Parti:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Pedram:
Amazing. Amazing. One thing could be like, okay, so your consciousness was partly there in the operating room, so you were able to hear the joke because you were partially checked out but a part of you, your brain was able to hear it, but to know what Mom and Sister were wearing on the other side of the planet suddenly starts to open this up to the other math.
Amazing. Amazing. One thing could be like, okay, so your consciousness was partly there in the operating room, so you were able to hear the joke because you were partially checked out but a part of you, your brain was able to hear it, but to know what Mom and Sister were wearing on the other side of the planet suddenly starts to open this up to the other math.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah, I was actually discussing this with a doctor who coined the word “near-death experience”, and he said, “Because there is no literal time and space in the other dimension.” That’s what Deepak Chopra talks all the time too.
Yeah, I was actually discussing this with a doctor who coined the word “near-death experience”, and he said, “Because there is no literal time and space in the other dimension.” That’s what Deepak Chopra talks all the time too.
Pedram:
Yup. Then you go to a hell realm, Dad comes out and says, “Hey, you’ve got to go find spirituality and I was wrong,” pulls you back, hands you over to Raphael and Michael, who take you towards the light, and then your eyes open? I love the play-by-play.
Yup. Then you go to a hell realm, Dad comes out and says, “Hey, you’ve got to go find spirituality and I was wrong,” pulls you back, hands you over to Raphael and Michael, who take you towards the light, and then your eyes open? I love the play-by-play.
Dr. Parti:
No, actually during the tunnel I had a review of my life, my present life, and incidentally, I had a review of two past lives also. The two past lives made a lot of sense to me, because one of them, I was a cruel prince. As a prince, I was whipping the poor farmer, then the soldiers where whipping too. I used to have pain in my right hand where I had surgery. Here, I have a big scar here. I asked for forgiveness from the farmers, and my pain went away. It was amazing, how can you go back and ask for forgiveness?
No, actually during the tunnel I had a review of my life, my present life, and incidentally, I had a review of two past lives also. The two past lives made a lot of sense to me, because one of them, I was a cruel prince. As a prince, I was whipping the poor farmer, then the soldiers where whipping too. I used to have pain in my right hand where I had surgery. Here, I have a big scar here. I asked for forgiveness from the farmers, and my pain went away. It was amazing, how can you go back and ask for forgiveness?
Yesterday only I was reading some article in the CNN site or something, “Can future affect the past?” They were talking about quantum physics. Mathematically, it is possible that time does not necessarily go forward only. It can curve, it can go backwards.
Pedram:
You went backwards, you were kind of a jerk as a prince, not being cool to the commoners, and you were whipping them, and then you asked for forgiveness in that space?
You went backwards, you were kind of a jerk as a prince, not being cool to the commoners, and you were whipping them, and then you asked for forgiveness in that space?
Dr. Parti:
Yup.
Yup.
Pedram:
Then it also showed you your own life currently, right? You were able to get a good look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of who you were prior to lying down on that operating table.
Then it also showed you your own life currently, right? You were able to get a good look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of who you were prior to lying down on that operating table.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah, exactly. I could not just see, but the main thing was I could feel what the other person, my patients, my family, or my kids, were feeling, especially my eldest son, where I was repeating the same behavior my father repeated towards me; being very strict, very hard. My grandfather was same way to my father, so it was a generational thing, to break that cycle. That got broken.
Yeah, exactly. I could not just see, but the main thing was I could feel what the other person, my patients, my family, or my kids, were feeling, especially my eldest son, where I was repeating the same behavior my father repeated towards me; being very strict, very hard. My grandfather was same way to my father, so it was a generational thing, to break that cycle. That got broken.
Pedram:
Oh, thank God, thank Krishna, thank Raphael, and thank Michael, whoever else was there along that path. Isn’t that amazing? It goes unquestioned, and by the time you know it’s happened, you’ve already done it to your kid.
Oh, thank God, thank Krishna, thank Raphael, and thank Michael, whoever else was there along that path. Isn’t that amazing? It goes unquestioned, and by the time you know it’s happened, you’ve already done it to your kid.
Dr. Parti:
Yup.
Yup.
Pedram:
You saw this, you felt this, and then … I want to stay on the play-by-play given the nature of this. I just want to see, now you’re feeling your life, you’re seeing your life, you’re going through your karma. Just give me the play-by- This other realm to me is fascinating.
You saw this, you felt this, and then … I want to stay on the play-by-play given the nature of this. I just want to see, now you’re feeling your life, you’re seeing your life, you’re going through your karma. Just give me the play-by- This other realm to me is fascinating.
Dr. Parti:
Oh yeah. Other life I remember was, I was a poppy farmer in Afghanistan with henna-colored hair, and I started tasting the sap and gradually I became addicted to the opium sap. That manifested in my present life as addiction to pain medicines, because when I had pelvic pain and hand pain, I was prescribed opiates. Being a pain management doctor, it was not difficult to get hold of them.
Oh yeah. Other life I remember was, I was a poppy farmer in Afghanistan with henna-colored hair, and I started tasting the sap and gradually I became addicted to the opium sap. That manifested in my present life as addiction to pain medicines, because when I had pelvic pain and hand pain, I was prescribed opiates. Being a pain management doctor, it was not difficult to get hold of them.
Pedram:
Yeah. That’s interesting, and it’s not arbitrary that you subconsciously/unconsciously chose to be a pain management doctor in this life either, right?
Yeah. That’s interesting, and it’s not arbitrary that you subconsciously/unconsciously chose to be a pain management doctor in this life either, right?
Dr. Parti:
Yup.
Yup.
Pedram:
It’s amazing how all these things line up.
It’s amazing how all these things line up.
Dr. Parti:
I honestly believe we carry tendencies from the past lives. Some of my friends, we get into an argument, like you mentioned Brian Weiss. I had actually gone to a Brian Weiss workshop. He does past life regression. What I view, let’s assume the person who goes in past life regression is describing his struggles, his issues, or what he has. Actually in the book, his first books, Many Lives, Many Masters, he talks about somebody with anxiety attacks. At least it is coming from the person’s subconscious, even if it is not from the past life.
I honestly believe we carry tendencies from the past lives. Some of my friends, we get into an argument, like you mentioned Brian Weiss. I had actually gone to a Brian Weiss workshop. He does past life regression. What I view, let’s assume the person who goes in past life regression is describing his struggles, his issues, or what he has. Actually in the book, his first books, Many Lives, Many Masters, he talks about somebody with anxiety attacks. At least it is coming from the person’s subconscious, even if it is not from the past life.
Pedram:
There’s a lot of really interesting literature around this. I’m a big fan of Robert Monroe and his early work where he started having out-of-body experiences and mapping the brain states and all that, and even some of these ayahuasqueros can do that, a lot of these ancient spiritual masters. There’s a doorway to that timeless place, and countless people have had access to this over the years, and it’s radically transformed them.
There’s a lot of really interesting literature around this. I’m a big fan of Robert Monroe and his early work where he started having out-of-body experiences and mapping the brain states and all that, and even some of these ayahuasqueros can do that, a lot of these ancient spiritual masters. There’s a doorway to that timeless place, and countless people have had access to this over the years, and it’s radically transformed them.
Here you are, you’re a, I want to say “regular guy”, but you’re a highly accomplished physician who’s kind of being a jerk to his son and running his life and doing what doctors do, and living that life, and then bam. I think that the subject matter that we’re talking about is so far-reaching, because you’re not a guy that would make this up. You aren’t some hippie-dippy woo-woo person going into this, and then you have an experience that was undeniable and you have data from that experience that actually is hard to refute in some ways, right? When you look at that and what it implies, it really makes you have to rethink who you are and what the hell’s going on here.
Dr. Parti:
Exactly. My life totally changed, you know? I saw my wife and my … I have two boys and a daughter. My boys were very skeptical, [inaudible 00:18:10] young adults, and my daughter was more accepting. Then when they saw a new dad … My nature changed, that’s the main thing. I used to be short-tempered, angry. Every aspect of my life changed. [Correct all 00:18:29] my relationship with God, with my wife, with my children, especially the eldest son. Like my eldest son drop out of medical school after five, seven years, and I lost three hundred thousand dollars. I used to be so mad, so mad, but then after my experience I was accepting it, and he wanted to go in computers. Now he’s doing computers in University of San Francisco.
Exactly. My life totally changed, you know? I saw my wife and my … I have two boys and a daughter. My boys were very skeptical, [inaudible 00:18:10] young adults, and my daughter was more accepting. Then when they saw a new dad … My nature changed, that’s the main thing. I used to be short-tempered, angry. Every aspect of my life changed. [Correct all 00:18:29] my relationship with God, with my wife, with my children, especially the eldest son. Like my eldest son drop out of medical school after five, seven years, and I lost three hundred thousand dollars. I used to be so mad, so mad, but then after my experience I was accepting it, and he wanted to go in computers. Now he’s doing computers in University of San Francisco.
Pedram:
Which is arguably going to make him more money and keep him happier.
Which is arguably going to make him more money and keep him happier.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. I know, with all the changes in the healthcare nowadays.
Yeah. I know, with all the changes in the healthcare nowadays.
Pedram:
Yeah. Most doctors I know don’t recommend healthcare to their kids, which is a whole other show, but that’s a sad state of affairs.
Yeah. Most doctors I know don’t recommend healthcare to their kids, which is a whole other show, but that’s a sad state of affairs.
How prepared were you for this? You have your personal life where you’re reading the Bhagavad Gita and you go to the festivals, you do the religious stuff because it’s cultural, but how much of this was in your fabric? You certainly didn’t learn about spiritual matters in medical school, did you?
Dr. Parti.
No. Actually, when I was a teen I had become spiritual that time. I was reading the spiritual books that time. I even went from my house to the Himalayas to become a monk of Vivekananda, but then they told me to go back and finish my American school. Then I came to America when I was twenty-two, twenty-three, something like that, in 1982, and the American dream bug caught me. I forgot about the spirituality. I would do things culturally, but not from my heart or from my spirit, like the, the Indian festivals, come around, we get together and have fun.
No. Actually, when I was a teen I had become spiritual that time. I was reading the spiritual books that time. I even went from my house to the Himalayas to become a monk of Vivekananda, but then they told me to go back and finish my American school. Then I came to America when I was twenty-two, twenty-three, something like that, in 1982, and the American dream bug caught me. I forgot about the spirituality. I would do things culturally, but not from my heart or from my spirit, like the, the Indian festivals, come around, we get together and have fun.
Pedram:
Yeah, eat some sweets, see some family. You say you studied with Vivekananda? You went to Vivekananda’s ashram?
Yeah, eat some sweets, see some family. You say you studied with Vivekananda? You went to Vivekananda’s ashram?
Dr. Parti:
Ashram, yeah.
Ashram, yeah.
Pedram:
Actually I spent some time there. I was in Rishikesh and then Lakshman Dula. I spent a fair amount of time in those hills.
Actually I spent some time there. I was in Rishikesh and then Lakshman Dula. I spent a fair amount of time in those hills.
Dr. Parti:
They have a big hospital there.
They have a big hospital there.
Pedram:
Yeah. Amazing. There’s this university of consciousness that they have held for hundreds if not thousands of years, that have been studying things that matter, spiritual matters that matter, and it’s very easy to come over here and get comfortable in a Hummer.
Yeah. Amazing. There’s this university of consciousness that they have held for hundreds if not thousands of years, that have been studying things that matter, spiritual matters that matter, and it’s very easy to come over here and get comfortable in a Hummer.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. I used to feel like the king of the road. I still remember if any little car, like a Mazda 3 which my kids have, would cross me, I would go after them.
Yeah. I used to feel like the king of the road. I still remember if any little car, like a Mazda 3 which my kids have, would cross me, I would go after them.
Pedram:
Yeah. It’s how the pervasive consciousness of materialism is really working its way into all of us. You actually had the good fortune of having an infection and a surgery that almost killed you, to snap you out if it, right?
Yeah. It’s how the pervasive consciousness of materialism is really working its way into all of us. You actually had the good fortune of having an infection and a surgery that almost killed you, to snap you out if it, right?
Dr. Parti:
I’m very grateful for this experience. It changed my life. I became a more caring person, living from the heart. As I said, I was addicted prior to this incident. Addiction is always, my belief, has underlying trauma or stress behind it. Addiction is a symptom of a underlying cause. That’s why I call it as a disease of the soul. If you change your consciousness … I have read a lot about Buddhist and Hindu philosophy and other religious philosophies, more spiritual than religious, that can change everything.
I’m very grateful for this experience. It changed my life. I became a more caring person, living from the heart. As I said, I was addicted prior to this incident. Addiction is always, my belief, has underlying trauma or stress behind it. Addiction is a symptom of a underlying cause. That’s why I call it as a disease of the soul. If you change your consciousness … I have read a lot about Buddhist and Hindu philosophy and other religious philosophies, more spiritual than religious, that can change everything.
Pedram:
Yeah. Unfortunately most people come to that after11 hitting rock bottom, after getting into a lot of trouble, destroying interpersonal relationships, destroying their health. Being addicted, we had someone from the CDC on the show not too long ago. Opioids, they’re trending, man. It’s not good.
Yeah. Unfortunately most people come to that after11 hitting rock bottom, after getting into a lot of trouble, destroying interpersonal relationships, destroying their health. Being addicted, we had someone from the CDC on the show not too long ago. Opioids, they’re trending, man. It’s not good.
Dr. Parti:
No. There are actually more people addicted to prescription drugs than illegal drugs.
No. There are actually more people addicted to prescription drugs than illegal drugs.
Pedram:
Yeah, but we have a war on drugs.
Yeah, but we have a war on drugs.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. We always have war on things, you know?
Yeah. We always have war on things, you know?
Pedram:
Yeah, and that is also a reflection of our consciousness. You had a war on little Mazdas before this, right?
Yeah, and that is also a reflection of our consciousness. You had a war on little Mazdas before this, right?
Dr. Parti
Yup.
Yup.
Pedram:
It’s how our consciousness gets aligned; us versus them, I’ve now risen to the top, I’m the doctor, they’re the patient, I’m big, they’re small. You had that kind of smacked out of you, right? That’s not an easy experience to go through. What was it like?
It’s how our consciousness gets aligned; us versus them, I’ve now risen to the top, I’m the doctor, they’re the patient, I’m big, they’re small. You had that kind of smacked out of you, right? That’s not an easy experience to go through. What was it like?
Dr. Parti:
The big thing for me was, I started developing, later on through my stories I would say, my heart chakra, the heart energy, that opened up. I started having empathy and caring for my patients. Technically I was very good before also, before my incident. That’s why I became the chief. In a difficult case, I would be the [inaudible 00:23:28] do it, but I didn’t have that heart-to-heart connection with my patients. One lady I describe in my book, in my pain management practice she came to me, she wanted to talk to me because her husband was dying of cancer, but she had arthritis. I just ordered her a prescription and walked away. They have shown studies, if doctors sit down and talk the same amount of time or put their hand on their hand or the shoulder, it makes a big difference to the patient that they got treated like a human being, not a object.
The big thing for me was, I started developing, later on through my stories I would say, my heart chakra, the heart energy, that opened up. I started having empathy and caring for my patients. Technically I was very good before also, before my incident. That’s why I became the chief. In a difficult case, I would be the [inaudible 00:23:28] do it, but I didn’t have that heart-to-heart connection with my patients. One lady I describe in my book, in my pain management practice she came to me, she wanted to talk to me because her husband was dying of cancer, but she had arthritis. I just ordered her a prescription and walked away. They have shown studies, if doctors sit down and talk the same amount of time or put their hand on their hand or the shoulder, it makes a big difference to the patient that they got treated like a human being, not a object.
Pedram:
Which is the number one criticism of our medical system going in is it’s so dehumanizing and unpersonal in ways that make people go off and do all kinds of other things because they’re not getting what they need on a humanistic level within the existing system.
Which is the number one criticism of our medical system going in is it’s so dehumanizing and unpersonal in ways that make people go off and do all kinds of other things because they’re not getting what they need on a humanistic level within the existing system.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Pedram:
Before we get too far out of this realm, you had these experiences, you had your karmic reconciliation, and then what? Your eyes open? I just want to come back to the surgery room.
Before we get too far out of this realm, you had these experiences, you had your karmic reconciliation, and then what? Your eyes open? I just want to come back to the surgery room.
Dr. Parti:
I opened with a jolt. My first recollection after the incident was in the recovery room, not in the operating room.
I opened with a jolt. My first recollection after the incident was in the recovery room, not in the operating room.
Pedram:
Your heart didn’t stop, there weren’t any weird alarm bells going off with the anesthesiologist on duty, you were just knocked out. You come back, everyone thinks, “Okay great, successful surgery.” You’re a different guy.
Your heart didn’t stop, there weren’t any weird alarm bells going off with the anesthesiologist on duty, you were just knocked out. You come back, everyone thinks, “Okay great, successful surgery.” You’re a different guy.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah, exactly. That’s what my book says, Dying to Wake Up. It was not necessarily a total physical death, it was more a spiritual death.
Yeah, exactly. That’s what my book says, Dying to Wake Up. It was not necessarily a total physical death, it was more a spiritual death.
Pedram:
Yeah. You died, the old person who went onto that table died, and then you came back someone … Based on a decision you made, a commitment you made, new terms negotiated, what did that feel like, being a new person?
Yeah. You died, the old person who went onto that table died, and then you came back someone … Based on a decision you made, a commitment you made, new terms negotiated, what did that feel like, being a new person?
Dr. Parti:
It feel like having touched the light, and that transformed everything.
It feel like having touched the light, and that transformed everything.
Pedram:
You were transformed.
You were transformed.
Dr. Parti:
I was transformed. Actually in my book I talk about it, a few days later I even did a self-funeral because I remembered from my days when I was trying to become a monk, when somebody goes into a new life he gets a new name and they do the self-funeral. I threw my stock. I used to be big in stock market. I had made millions, lost millions in stock market doing the internet [inaudible 00:25:50], and stock market books, pain medications, and my [scrubs 00:25:56], I threw it in the fire as if that chapter is closed for me.
I was transformed. Actually in my book I talk about it, a few days later I even did a self-funeral because I remembered from my days when I was trying to become a monk, when somebody goes into a new life he gets a new name and they do the self-funeral. I threw my stock. I used to be big in stock market. I had made millions, lost millions in stock market doing the internet [inaudible 00:25:50], and stock market books, pain medications, and my [scrubs 00:25:56], I threw it in the fire as if that chapter is closed for me.
Pedram:
Did your kids and your wife think that you’d absolutely lost it?
Did your kids and your wife think that you’d absolutely lost it?
Dr. Parti:
My boys especially thought that.
My boys especially thought that.
Pedram:
Yeah. “Dad came back and he’s cuckoo.” They’re like, “We can’t wait for you to come back to your senses.”
Yeah. “Dad came back and he’s cuckoo.” They’re like, “We can’t wait for you to come back to your senses.”
Dr. Parti:
Yeah, especially my eldest son. They all liked the new Dad.
Yeah, especially my eldest son. They all liked the new Dad.
Pedram:
Yeah. Well, Dad wasn’t being a jerk to him either. He probably had the same resentment harbored that you had for your father, given the circumstances. How did you go about healing that?
Yeah. Well, Dad wasn’t being a jerk to him either. He probably had the same resentment harbored that you had for your father, given the circumstances. How did you go about healing that?
Dr. Parti:
Through love. My mantra, the one which I talk about, is “Forgive, love, and heal.” Forgiveness is a big thing. Forgiveness is not just a thing you say, “I forgive you.” It’s not condoning the action, but it’s kind of a letting go. I had to forgive myself for getting addicted to the pain medication. I had to forgive God. I used to be mad at “God” [inaudible 00:27:01] why my life had changed so much when it was going pretty good. I had to forgive my father, and I wrote letters to them, to God, to Father, and to myself, and then I burned those letters in the fire. The ashes, the smoke, takes it to the devas.
Through love. My mantra, the one which I talk about, is “Forgive, love, and heal.” Forgiveness is a big thing. Forgiveness is not just a thing you say, “I forgive you.” It’s not condoning the action, but it’s kind of a letting go. I had to forgive myself for getting addicted to the pain medication. I had to forgive God. I used to be mad at “God” [inaudible 00:27:01] why my life had changed so much when it was going pretty good. I had to forgive my father, and I wrote letters to them, to God, to Father, and to myself, and then I burned those letters in the fire. The ashes, the smoke, takes it to the devas.
Pedram:
There’s a piece to this. You came back, you’re a transformed guy, but I want to get clear on this; you didn’t come back as a transformed guy walking on water. You came back with new resolution to burn that which was not useful to transform the way you were operating. There was work on the other side when you came back. It’s not like you came back like a saint, healing people.
There’s a piece to this. You came back, you’re a transformed guy, but I want to get clear on this; you didn’t come back as a transformed guy walking on water. You came back with new resolution to burn that which was not useful to transform the way you were operating. There was work on the other side when you came back. It’s not like you came back like a saint, healing people.
Dr. Parti:
No. You’re right. I did not came back like I could heal people with my energy. I did study energy medicine and those things, but I did not come back as a saint they describe in the literature.
No. You’re right. I did not came back like I could heal people with my energy. I did study energy medicine and those things, but I did not come back as a saint they describe in the literature.
Pedram:
Right. You had a transformative glimpse of what life could be life, what life truly is, and then you had to reconcile your new vision of it with the life you were living down on earth like the rest of us have to do.
Right. You had a transformative glimpse of what life could be life, what life truly is, and then you had to reconcile your new vision of it with the life you were living down on earth like the rest of us have to do.
Dr. Parti:
Exactly. That’s why my goal is to help people wake up. Actually my corporation name is Wake Up Now, and that you don’t need to have a near-death experience to wake up. I talk about three things; prayer, meditation, and service, which I call “Seva”.
Exactly. That’s why my goal is to help people wake up. Actually my corporation name is Wake Up Now, and that you don’t need to have a near-death experience to wake up. I talk about three things; prayer, meditation, and service, which I call “Seva”.
Pedram:
That becomes a vehicle for transformation by stepping out of the kind of narcissism and self-righteousness, and really getting into the good stuff.
That becomes a vehicle for transformation by stepping out of the kind of narcissism and self-righteousness, and really getting into the good stuff.
Dr. Parti:
You know actually, modern science, so many positive psychology, modern science is going to psychology, is going towards positive psychology. I think it’s Dr. Seligman and other people have shown that if you have gratitude and you have positive thoughts, you can really rewire, reconnect your brain.
You know actually, modern science, so many positive psychology, modern science is going to psychology, is going towards positive psychology. I think it’s Dr. Seligman and other people have shown that if you have gratitude and you have positive thoughts, you can really rewire, reconnect your brain.
Pedram:
Yeah. It’s just beginning. Marty Seligman’s work is fantastic. There’s a lot of pioneers in this space. Deepak talked about this twenty years ago, but that kind of reconciliation of science and spirit, and breaking the ranks. Yours didn’t happen because you went to self-help classes; yours happened reluctantly. You didn’t want to be this guy. It was your turn.
Yeah. It’s just beginning. Marty Seligman’s work is fantastic. There’s a lot of pioneers in this space. Deepak talked about this twenty years ago, but that kind of reconciliation of science and spirit, and breaking the ranks. Yours didn’t happen because you went to self-help classes; yours happened reluctantly. You didn’t want to be this guy. It was your turn.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. Nobody can really answer the question why some people get near-death experience and why some people don’t get it. There’s so many things one can’t explain.
Yeah. Nobody can really answer the question why some people get near-death experience and why some people don’t get it. There’s so many things one can’t explain.
Pedram:
To your point, I don’t think people listening to this show should say, “Okay, well I can’t wait to have my near-death experience so that I can have my “aha”.” It’s pretty damn gestalt.
To your point, I don’t think people listening to this show should say, “Okay, well I can’t wait to have my near-death experience so that I can have my “aha”.” It’s pretty damn gestalt.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Pedram:
What you’re talking about is prayer, meditation, and service.
Dr. Parti:
Service is a big part.
Service is a big part.
Pedram:
Service is a big part, because it makes things bigger than you. You are doing things that are bigger than you, and you’re out of that self-serving consciousness which is all about me and my Hummer.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. That gives this contribution to the society, to the universe, of connecting to something higher than you. Actually I say, you don’t even have to believe in God for this sense of fulfillment at your heart level. For example, I talk about people who don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian view of God as a white guy with a beard sitting in the sky on a throne. It could be some higher values, like for me it is preventing the child pornography. My blood boils when I hear about pornography. Innocent children, no thought of them. You hear about them in Cambodia, Thailand, or even in US.
Yeah. That gives this contribution to the society, to the universe, of connecting to something higher than you. Actually I say, you don’t even have to believe in God for this sense of fulfillment at your heart level. For example, I talk about people who don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian view of God as a white guy with a beard sitting in the sky on a throne. It could be some higher values, like for me it is preventing the child pornography. My blood boils when I hear about pornography. Innocent children, no thought of them. You hear about them in Cambodia, Thailand, or even in US.
Pedram:
Oh yeah. Oakland is a big hub for sex trafficking right here under our noses in the US. So is Atlanta. There’s plenty of things that you can get charged about and have moral conviction for that have nothing to do with ancient books.
Oh yeah. Oakland is a big hub for sex trafficking right here under our noses in the US. So is Atlanta. There’s plenty of things that you can get charged about and have moral conviction for that have nothing to do with ancient books.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah. It could be preventing abuse to the earth.
Yeah. It could be preventing abuse to the earth.
Pedram:
Yeah, absolutely. Just out of curiosity, what did Michael look like?
Yeah, absolutely. Just out of curiosity, what did Michael look like?
Dr. Parti:
Michael had, wearing blue-colored clothes and he had a sword in his hand. One thing I remembered is the sword.
Michael had, wearing blue-colored clothes and he had a sword in his hand. One thing I remembered is the sword.
Pedram:
Was he a white guy? Was he a brown guy?
Was he a white guy? Was he a brown guy?
Dr. Parti:
He was a brown guy to me, Middle-Eastern.
He was a brown guy to me, Middle-Eastern.
Pedram:
Interesting. That’s also it, right? You have the accounts of people who go through, and you see what you see, but there are undeniable feelings and associative memories that come from some of these NDEs that are … Really they’re life-changing. They’re earthquake caliber stuff. It shakes the foundation of who you are and you can no longer go back to being that person. You are now teaching consciousness-based healing.
Interesting. That’s also it, right? You have the accounts of people who go through, and you see what you see, but there are undeniable feelings and associative memories that come from some of these NDEs that are … Really they’re life-changing. They’re earthquake caliber stuff. It shakes the foundation of who you are and you can no longer go back to being that person. You are now teaching consciousness-based healing.
Dr. Parti:
Basically more [inaudible 00:32:12]. I’m concentrating developing a protocol especially for addiction. Addiction and depression and pain. I was given understanding that I was … I suffered from these things so I can help other people. I’m working with some few people who believe that basically altering the consciousness in your life, practicing loving kindness and forgiveness and compassion. Like Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness.”
Basically more [inaudible 00:32:12]. I’m concentrating developing a protocol especially for addiction. Addiction and depression and pain. I was given understanding that I was … I suffered from these things so I can help other people. I’m working with some few people who believe that basically altering the consciousness in your life, practicing loving kindness and forgiveness and compassion. Like Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness.”
Pedram:
Now you’re kind to your son, you’re kind to your patients, you’re kind to the people around you. Now your new dharma is spreading that kindness. You mentioned something called a “light shout”?
Now you’re kind to your son, you’re kind to your patients, you’re kind to the people around you. Now your new dharma is spreading that kindness. You mentioned something called a “light shout”?
Dr. Parti:Yeah, light shout is a kind of meditation where I take people through my near-death experience as if they’re going through it and experience the light. About fifty percent people experience a light. I keep them connected to their body by, like I say, a silver cord. This considered to have the connection with the body.
Pedram:
There’s all sorts of conversations around quantum entanglement and all the things that we can postulate in quantum, but the ancients have been talking about this for a very long time. You can connect with their consciousness and take them on that journey, and the fact that they’re able to go there and have these experiences, that’s pretty profound.
There’s all sorts of conversations around quantum entanglement and all the things that we can postulate in quantum, but the ancients have been talking about this for a very long time. You can connect with their consciousness and take them on that journey, and the fact that they’re able to go there and have these experiences, that’s pretty profound.
Dr. Parti:
It is profound. Actually in my book I talk about the experience I had when I was doing a Buddhist retreat, where I actually went beyond the light. It was total, absolute darkness. When i talked to my Buddhist teacher, he said that is the Buddhist concept of emptiness, “Sunyata”, “zero-ness”.
It is profound. Actually in my book I talk about the experience I had when I was doing a Buddhist retreat, where I actually went beyond the light. It was total, absolute darkness. When i talked to my Buddhist teacher, he said that is the Buddhist concept of emptiness, “Sunyata”, “zero-ness”.
Pedram:
Yeah. The Daoists call that as well, the primordial … Well before there was light and dark, there was nothing, and nothing-nothing. These are people who dedicated their lives for thousands of years, generation upon generation of the exploration of the inner realms to look at consciousness.
Yeah. The Daoists call that as well, the primordial … Well before there was light and dark, there was nothing, and nothing-nothing. These are people who dedicated their lives for thousands of years, generation upon generation of the exploration of the inner realms to look at consciousness.
Dr. Parti:
This is valuable to me and you and everybody, by practicing Buddhist meditations or regular [inaudible 00:34:37] meditations, or even Kabbalah. They are ancient techniques.
This is valuable to me and you and everybody, by practicing Buddhist meditations or regular [inaudible 00:34:37] meditations, or even Kabbalah. They are ancient techniques.
Pedram:
Yeah, and they’re right there. They’ve always been there, yet-
Yeah, and they’re right there. They’ve always been there, yet-
Dr. Parti:
It’s not just for Hindus, every religion has that.
It’s not just for Hindus, every religion has that.
Pedram:
Look at you, you’re a Hindu guy who gets accosted by Michael and Raphael. What does that say about the ubiquitous nature of all of this and how these dividing lines are really arbitrary and down here, not up there.
Look at you, you’re a Hindu guy who gets accosted by Michael and Raphael. What does that say about the ubiquitous nature of all of this and how these dividing lines are really arbitrary and down here, not up there.
Dr. Parti:
Exactly.
Exactly.
Pedram:
Yeah, I love it. The book, I find this fascinating. I’m a big fan of this, and you were thrust upon this obviously. Now you are doing the honorable thing by doing … I don’t know if you have a choice, really. You, now, this is your life. This is what you do, so you’re teaching, you’re writing, and you’re sharing this. What’s the name of the book, and where can our listeners [inaudible 00:35:28]?
Yeah, I love it. The book, I find this fascinating. I’m a big fan of this, and you were thrust upon this obviously. Now you are doing the honorable thing by doing … I don’t know if you have a choice, really. You, now, this is your life. This is what you do, so you’re teaching, you’re writing, and you’re sharing this. What’s the name of the book, and where can our listeners [inaudible 00:35:28]?
Dr. Parti:
My book is available, actually it’s going to be pre-order on Amazon. It’s Dying to Wake Up, and if people were to do Amazon search under my last name, which is Parti, Parti like “party” instead of Y it is I for India. It’s very easy to remember; P-A-R-T-I, and my first name Rajiv, R-A-J-I-V.
My book is available, actually it’s going to be pre-order on Amazon. It’s Dying to Wake Up, and if people were to do Amazon search under my last name, which is Parti, Parti like “party” instead of Y it is I for India. It’s very easy to remember; P-A-R-T-I, and my first name Rajiv, R-A-J-I-V.
Pedram:
Great
Great
Dr. Parti:
They’ll be able to find it.
They’ll be able to find it.
Pedram:
Great, great. This is wonderful, and for what it’s worth, your experience has become all of our experience. I thank you for going through that dark night of the soul and coming out the other side, and frankly, doing the work. You could’ve come out the other side and not done the work and we wouldn’t be here talking about this.
Great, great. This is wonderful, and for what it’s worth, your experience has become all of our experience. I thank you for going through that dark night of the soul and coming out the other side, and frankly, doing the work. You could’ve come out the other side and not done the work and we wouldn’t be here talking about this.
Dr. Parti:
Exactly.
Exactly.
Pedram:
You did your part.
You did your part.
Dr. Parti:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Pedram:
Yeah. Doc, thank you so much for your contribution, and you have really added to the show. Thanks again.
Yeah. Doc, thank you so much for your contribution, and you have really added to the show. Thanks again.
Dr. Parti:
Thank you very much. It was my honor to be here.
Thank you very much. It was my honor to be here.
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