Materialization Account by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

In her renowned 1991 book, On Life After Death, Dr. Kübler-Ross described a visitation in a physical form by someone who had passed away two years earlier. Kübler-Ross was a highly respected psychiatrist who showed no sign of hallucinations and was mentally competent at the time of her experience. Kübler-Ross saw Mrs. Schwartz clearly as a physical body and touched her. Mrs. Schwartz referred to things that had happened to her, and referred to events in Kübler-Ross’s current life. She was articulate and showed no signs of defect from her body’s death. The spontaneous materialization of Mrs. Schwartz, whose body had died two years before, is evidence that consciousness survives bodily death.

You can listen to a narration of this excerpt by clicking on the sound bar below.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Describing Her Materialization

I was at a crossroad. I felt I needed to give up my work with dying patients. That day, I was determined to give notice and leave the hospital and the University of Chicago. It wasn’t an easy decision because I really loved my patients.

I walked out of my last seminar on death and dying towards the elevator. At that moment, a woman walked towards me. She had an incredible smile on her face, like she knew every thought I had.

She said, “Dr. Ross, I’m only going to take two minutes of your time. If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you down to your office.” It was the longest walk I have ever taken in my life. One part of me knew this was Mrs. Schwartz, a patient of mine who had died and been buried almost a year ago. But I’m a scientist, and I don’t believe in ghosts and spooks!

I did the most incredible reality testing I’ve ever done. I tried to touch her because she looked kind of transparent in a waxy way. Not that you could see furniture behind her, but not quite real either. I know I touched her, and she had feeling to her.

We came to my office, and she opened the door. We went inside, and she said, “I had to come back for two reasons. Number one, I wanted to thank you and Reverend Smith once more for what you have done for me. But the real reason why I had to come back is to tell you not to give up your work on death and dying. Not yet.”

I realized consciously that maybe indeed this was Mrs. Schwartz. But I thought nobody would ever believe me if I told this to anybody. They really would think I had flipped!

So my scientist in me very shrewdly looked at her and said, “You know, Reverend Smith would be thrilled if he would have a note from you. Would you terribly mind?” You understand that the scientist in me needed proof. I needed a sheet of paper with anything written in her handwriting, and hopefully, her signature.

This woman knew my thoughts and knew I had no intention to ever give her note to Reverend Smith. However, she took a piece of paper and wrote a message and signed it with her full name. Then, with the biggest smile of love and compassion and understanding, she said to me, “Are you satisfied now?”

Once more, she said, “You cannot give up your work on death and dying. Not yet. The time is not right. We will help you. You will know when the time is right. Do you promise?” The last thing I said to her was “I promise.” And with that, she walked out.

No sooner was the door closed, I had to go and see if she was real. I opened the door, and there was not a soul in that long hallway![i]

[i] Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, On Life after Death (Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 2008).