EHENET: A Proposed Database of Exceptional Human Experiences

The Exceptional Human Experience Network is collecting published and unpublished accounts of exceptional human experiences, or EHEs. EHEs take many forms. We have classified them into five broad categories, each with many specific examples. (A list of nearly 100 is available upon request.) The categories are: Psychic experiences, such as dreaming of a future event (precognition) or telepathy; Mystical experiences, such as cosmic unity or glossolalia/tongue-speaking; Death-related Experiences, such as deathbed experiences or mediumistic communications; Encounter Experiences, such as apparitions or UFOs; and experiences at the outer limits of the "normal" range of experience, such as creativity or an irrational sense of kinship with another life species.

We are especially interested in accounts that relate these experiences to the rest of the experiencer's life: we want to know the antecedents or triggers of the experience, the concomitants of the experience: physiological, psychological, physical, spiritual; and the aftereffects, if any. Ideally, we are collecting what we term "EHE autobiographies," or telling one's life story primarily in terms of one's exceptional human experiences, not only providing as many details as possible concerning each one but also trying to relate them to each other.

We think these experiences are very important. Possibly at a collective level they are preparing the ground for the recognition of a whole new paradigm about the nature of the universe and the role of human beings not only in it, but as an aspect of it. Several groups of people should be interested in obtaining accounts: researchers, therapists, writers, the media, and perhaps most importantly, experiencers themselves. Because our society tends to scoff at such experiences, dismiss them as delusions, fabrications, or as evidence of an unsound mind, and ridicule and sometimes even ostracize those who have them, many experiencers discount their own experiences. Having an opportunity to read accounts of others who have had similar experiences can be both validating and instructive.

In order to facilitate the study and dissemination of exceptional human experiences, the EHE Network is attempting to create a database of experiential accounts. We also publish accounts in our journal, Exceptional Human Experience, and our newsletter, EHE News. We solicit accounts of experiences and EHE autobiographies.

They can be sent online to Compuserve 76460.633;
by mail, to the EHE Network, 414 Rockledge Road
New Bern, NC 28562
1-919-636-8734

When you send in your experience please indicate whether or not we have your permission to publish it and/or include it in our database, EHENET. Also indicate whether or not you want us to use your real name, a pseudonym, your initials, or simply a code. Thank you very much for your participation.

--Rhea A. White, Director, EHE Network.

email EHE Website at: webmedia@ehe.org

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