One lady, Susan, told me of a weird occurrence she and her daughter had while driving home late one night. Susan lives in a small Shropshire village surrounded by farmland and country lanes. At weekends her daughter works in a pub about three miles away. Susan would drive to pick her up at about midnight. It was a journey she had made numerous times without anything unusual happening and it was very rare to see another living soul on the dark country roads at that time of night.

Susan was driving very slowly just a couple of yards behind the bike but still the cyclist made no attempt to move. He seemed to be completely oblivious to their presence. She gave him a couple of beeps of the horn without any effect at all. After what seemed like an eternity they came to a wider stretch of road which enabled Susan to overtake him. As they passed, Susan and her daughter both turned their heads to get a look at this strange man on his strange bike and they saw......... nothing! He had vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared.
Susan and her daughter are convinced they saw a ghost that night and ever since they keep a camera at the ready whenever they drive down that particular stretch of road.

Another email I received concerns a young girl in a Victorian dress. A lady from Birmingham called Mary wrote to me about a regular ghostly sighting she had as a small child back in the 1960's.

Until she was about seven Mary lived in a Victorian terraced house. Her bedroom was at the back of the house and had a large window overlooking the garden. On many occasions she would wake up very early in the morning to see another girl in her bedroom, looking out of the window. She remembers this girl as being a little bit older than herself and wearing a blue dress with a large bow tied at the back. Mary thinks that this was the type of dress that a girl would have worn in Victorian times.

Sometimes the girl would be brushing her long hair. At other times she would be doing needlework. Mostly she would be sitting quietly looking out of the window. Mary would often ask her who she was and what was she looking at. The girl would turn to look at her and smile and Mary would quickly fall back to sleep.

Mary realises that the obvious explanation is that she simply dreamed this Victorian girl. However, she says that she saw the girl at least a hundred times and she always thought she was 'real'. The experience of seeing the girl was not a bit like a dream. Her family remember that she was always talking about the strange girl in her bedroom.

I think the mysterious vanishing cyclist is a good example of a ghostly 'recording'. For some inexplicable reason we sometimes see an image from the past which has somehow appeared or replayed in the present. The Victorian girl is a bit different. She seemed to be aware of herself and would respond to Mary by looking at her and smiling.

I love to collect these ghostly anecdotes so if you, or somebody you know, has had a strange experience I would love to hear it.

I am now more than a little bit delighted to say that Joanne is back with us and will be continuing the blog from now on.

We did have some interest in the blog especially in recent weeks so apologies to those who got in touch and showed an interest, this is very much Joanne's very own personal blog though so we are very pleased she has returned.

I know she has some great stuff lined up for you so on behalf of the readers and the Sunday Mercury crew - welcome back!

We would like to put on record our thanks to Joanne for generating some great discussion and providing us all with a fantastic set of blogs to read over the last 18 months.

We would like to wish Joanne all the very best for the future...

And the future is where we are now. We would like to continue the great work Joanne started.

If anyone on here would like to take over the mantle as the Sunday mercury's Haunted blogger then please get in touch with me at steve.wollaston@sundaymercury.net

This ship was said to be carrying a valuable cargo and its captain was looking forward to making a vast profit on his return to Holland in 1641. Unfortunately his crew was struck down by disease. As if that wasn't bad enough the ship ran into a terrible and deadly storm. As the ship was about to be smashed to pieces, the captain cursed the Devil who he blamed for this disaster. The Devil, rather amused by this, put his own curse on the captain and his ship. 'The Flying Dutchman' would sail the world's oceans, never to see land again, until the end of time.

This strange, spectral vessel has been seen many times since, looming out of the mist, its ragged sails flapping in the wind and its masts creaking. Sailors have always known that if 'The Flying Dutchman' is sighted, something terrible is bound to happen.

The last known sighting was in 1942 when a German submarine surfaced in the Atlantic. As some members of the crew climbed onto the deck they were astonished to see an old fashioned wooden sailing ship in the distance. Some of them reckoned it was the Flying Dutchman and they were surely doomed. We don't know exactly what happened to this submarine but some of the crew must have survived to tell of their strange encounter.

When it was launched in 1936 the Queen Mary was the most luxurious liner in the world. It carried royalty, millionaires and movie stars between Europe and the East Coast of America. When World War 2 broke out it became a troop ship and was nicknamed the Grey Ghost. The ship was so valuable to the Allied war effort that Hitler promised a small fortune and an Iron Cross to the U-Boat crew that could destroy it.

In December 1942 the Queen Mary was responsible for a terrible accident which some believe was the catalyst for the ships haunted reputation.

As she steamed across the Atlantic the Queen Mary rammed into a British destroyer causing it to quickly sink. Because of the U-boat threat she was forbidden to stop and pick up survivors and 338 men drowned in the freezing sea. Ever since that tragic night many people claim to have heard screams and pounding noises along the side of the ship. Is this the sound of desperate sailors pleading for rescue?

After the war the Queen Mary continued to be associated with tragedy. Many people have died on board - some of natural causes but more than a few in tragic accidents. In 1966 a young crew man died in the Engine Room when a watertight door crushed his chest - the number on the door was 13. The ghost of this young man has been witnessed in the Engine Room sometimes accompanied by an older man with a beard.

In the First Class Lounge many people have seen a beautiful young woman dressed in a white evening gown. She is often seen with a sad expression, dancing alone in the shadows. Sometimes piano music is heard when there is nobody sitting at the piano.

The ghost of another woman has been seen in the cabin where she was found dead one morning. It was thought that this woman was murdered but no culprit was ever found. The man she boarded the ship with vanished without a trace. Even his luggage was never found.

The swimming pool of the Queen Mary seems to be a very active area for hauntings. Several people are known to have died here. A woman dressed in a 1930's style bathing costume has been seen lying at the bottom of the pool. A well dressed man often peers down from a balcony. A particularly frightening apparition is that of a very young girl walking along the side of the pool. It is known that this poor girl was killed as the ship steamed through a rough sea. She lost her balance and slipped over, breaking her neck.
The Queen Mary is now permanently berthed in California and is one of America's premier haunted locations.
Perhaps the most famous ghost ship of all is the Mary Celeste - despite the fact that no ghosts were ever seen on it (as far as we know). The ship itself seemed to have a strange, unearthly personality of its own. She had a habit of causing death and misery to all those who encountered her.

The Mary Celeste was launched in 1861 from Nova Scotia but it seemed that this was a ship that did not want to sail anywhere. A few miles out to sea the captain suddenly died and the crew were forced to return to port. A new captain was appointed but he promptly sailed right into a fishing boat. Whilst in the shipyard the Mary Celeste managed to catch fire. It was repaired and sold at a loss to its owners.

These misadventures continued. There were more collisions, more deaths, and more financial ruin.

The most famous incident happened near Gibraltar in 1872. The Mary Celeste was found floating aimlessly in a calm sea - apparently abandoned by its captain and crew.

Everything on board seemed perfectly normal. There was no damage or signs of violence. The galley was stacked with food and fresh water. The crews personal possessions and clothes were found neatly stowed in the living quarters.

Charts and documents were spread over the captain's desk, as if he were studying them moments before.

The fate of the Mary Celeste crew is one of the great maritime mysteries. Did they see something so terrifying that they abandoned ship without a seconds thought?

Even after this famous incident the ship continued to bring misfortune to its owners and crews.

The last owner tried to set fire to it but she stubbornly refused to burn. The owner was accused of insurance fraud and died in prison in Haiti.

The authorities, wisely, decided to scuttle the Mary Celeste and now she lies peacefully at the bottom of the Caribbean.

Shiver me timbers, I think I'll remain a landlubber!

Derby Gaol was built in the 1750's on a traditional, and very busy, execution site. Death and suffering were associated with the building right from the start.
England at this time was experiencing a massive crimewave caused by terrible poverty and cheap gin which large numbers of the population were addicted to.

The gap between rich and poor was immense and the ruling classes were not about to let the peasants get their grubby hands on the family silver. If you were poor and committed a crime you could definitely expect brutal punishment.

One particular scary figure has been encountered lurking in a doorway of Derby Gaol. He has been described as an evil looking bald man wearing a kind of leather garment or apron. I remember reading that when prisoners were flogged, the jailer would wear a leather apron because it was easier to wipe off blood and bits of flesh. This leather clad bald man has also been seen to walk through a wall.

Another strangely dressed figure, a woman in a large fancy hat, was seen to walk down a corridor and through a door to the outside. The witnesses followed her outside to be confronted by freshly fallen snow - and no footprints!

Derby Gaol seems to be full of strange ghostly people. A man in a long scarlet coat is sometimes seen acting as if he is looking for someone or something. A "terrified looking" blonde woman was witnessed lying on a bed, a dark, shadowy figure seemed to be menacing her. People have commented on black shapes congregating around the fireplace in the Day Room.

Many people have commented on a strong tobacco smell. This is something that I and other investigators have increasingly begun to notice in haunted locations. The smell of strong tobacco smoke (mainly pipes and cigars) has become very noticeable since the smoking ban was introduced.

Derby Gaol also has more than its fair share of poltergeist activity. Cups, glasses and various ornaments have all moved by themselves - sometimes flying past the heads of shocked visitors and staff. A pair of antique spectacles seem to be able to move themselves around the building whenever they feel like it.

Other prisons, some still in use, also appear to be haunted.

For over a hundred years Wandsworth Prison in London has been the home of a well known ghost called 'Wandsworth Annie'. Many prisoners and staff have described her as middle aged and wearing a long grey woollen dress and black boots. She appears for a few seconds at various points in the prison and as soon as she is noticed she quickly vanishes. 'Wandsworth Annie' is thought to be a woman who worked at the prison, probably as a cook, in the mid nineteenth century.

Dartmoor prison also has a ghost with a name and, back in the 1930's, was even recognised as a former inmate called David Davies. He spent most of his life, over fifty years, incarcerated at Dartmoor Prison. For much of that time he looked after the prison sheep and was so devoted to them he gave them names and was able to tell them apart. He died in 1929 but a year later the prison governor was shocked to see him walking among his beloved sheep. Some prisoners also saw this figure and recognised him as their old mate David Davies.

A much more disturbing experience has been had by inmates at Durham Prison. In 1947 a brutal murder took place in one of the cells. One prisoner killed another with a knife stolen from the Dining Hall. The killer was eventually hanged but his malevolent presence lingered in the cell of his horrific crime. One prisoner who was locked up in this cell emerged screaming one morning. He claimed to have seen the murder re-enacted before his very eyes. Other convicts refused to enter this cell and begged to be put into solitary confinement instead.

The ghost of the infamous Dr Hawley Crippen has been seen at Pentonville Prison where he was hanged in 1910 for the murder of his wife. His bespectacled, sorrowful figure has apparently been witnessed standing over his unmarked grave, complete with a bent, crooked neck.

Many of our old Victorian prisons must still have their execution chambers and condemned cells and I would love to hear of any strange experience in these places.

Hauntings often occur in locations that have seen great trauma and suffering. Negative emotions - anger, hate, violence, fear, despair - have always been prevalent in prisons throughout history. These emotions tend to linger in the atmosphere, providing energy for spirits to manifest.

Birmingham Ghosts and Hauntings have conducted several investigations at the Station Hotel in Dudley. The building dates from 1936, but there was a hotel here for many years before that.

A particularly strong presence in the hotel is that of a spirit called George who seems happy to respond to "yes or no" questions by occasionally tapping on the walls and ceilings. He is most active in room 214. Be warned though, George is not a friendly chap and has been known to slap and push people, especially women.
It is thought that George is the ghost of a former manager of the hotel. He was having an affair with a maid called Elizabeth. When she threatened to tell his wife he flew into a rage and murdered her. It could be that George's guilt and anger has kept his spirit imprisoned at the Station Hotel where he takes great pleasure in giving the guests a good fright.

If you decide to visit the Station Hotel remember to pay a visit to Dudley Castle just over the road - you never know who or what you might encounter!

The monk is thought to be the ghost of Abbott Geoffrey who was murdered in 1345. There are many accounts, stretching back through the centuries, of people being scared witless by a cowled figure that seems to float around the grounds. Poltergeist activity is associated with this ghostly monk. Objects are often flung around the rooms when his apparition is witnessed. It could be that the spirit of Abbott Geoffrey is venting his anger at being murdered.

Back in the 19th Century, the abbey was owned by the wealthy Craven family. A young Romany girl called Matilda was ill treated by one of the men of the house. She died in childbirth after putting a curse on the family. This curse may have worked. The Craven family were to suffer bad luck over the years and many of them were to die young.
A young girl, dressed in rags, has often been seen near the stables. It is thought that this is the ghost of the unfortunate and vengeful gypsy girl Matilda.

There are other ghosts at Coombe Abbey. A mysterious horseman has been seen to gallop through the grounds and a Victorian lady has often been witnessed on the road outside the abbey.

Many people have reported a strange, eerie feeling in some of the rooms as if they are being watched. Doors slam themselves shut and shadows have been seen in the corridors. Some people have been so frightened they have run out of their rooms.

Scary monks and scared guests are also a regular feature of Madeley Court Hotel in Telford. This place was built in 1553 during the reign of "Bloody Mary", a particularly gruesome time in British History. Like Coombe Abbey, a hooded monk is sometimes seen to float (rather than walk) around the grounds.

There is even a scarier monkly presence in the great hall. Several of these hooded figures have been witnessed sitting in a row on the wooden roof beams and staring at the guests and staff. Even an experienced ghost hunter like me would find that terrifying.

These monks seem to be aware of their surroundings, which suggests that they possess some kind of intelligence and have a desire to be among the living.
There is another type of haunting which can be witnessed at Madeley Court. This is where the ghost or ghosts do not realise the situation they are in and simply carry on as if they are still living in their own time. Victorian maids have been seen carrying out their duties in the rooms and corridors. These apparitions are said to be so real that they are mistaken for hotel employees in fancy dress.

This sort of ghost may be some sort of "recording" from the past that can manifest in the right conditions. Another example is a row of cottages in the grounds of Madeley Court. These were demolished complete with a smiling old lady in front of them.

These are just three local examples of Britain's many haunted hotels and this is a subject I'll return to in the future. (Hopefully I'll get to visit a few more of these places.)

What better way to experience a haunting than from the comfort of a king sized bed with a handy mini-bar within easy reach?

Some witnesses were quite frightened by what they had seen. Hospital managers were so concerned that they apparently contacted the Church of England to ask if an exorcism could be carried out.

As a paranormal investigator I believe that spirits are all around us. For the most part they remain invisible, but there are certain places (and certain people) that give off extremely strong energies and emotions. Spirits are able to use these energies to make themselves known to us.

Hospitals, with their daily human dramas, are ideal places for a ghost to manifest his / her / its self. Britain is full of old hospitals, many of them dating back to Victorian times. For decade after decade these places have soaked up the intense feelings of sadness, fear and joy of the countless people that have passed through their doors. The ghostly sightings at Derby City General are by no means unusual and there are some haunted hospitals in and around Birmingham.

The new hospital was actually an extension of an older building which had been a workhouse. A Victorian workhouse was a cruel place and people experienced an oppressive atmosphere in this part of the hospital. These buildings were still standing in the 1990's when demolition workers had quite a fright inside one of them. A group of workers heard what sounded like a child crying in a derelict old room. When they went to investigate they found nothing. Strangely, an old wooden door closed behind them trapping them inside for several minutes. When they finally got out they were quite relieved to see the demolition ball do its work.

The City Hospital has had several ghost sightings over the years and two spirits seem to have a romantic connection.
The story goes that many years ago a pretty, blonde nurse was having an affair with a surgeon. The nurse, who has been named Mary, died in mysterious circumstances. Her ghost has been seen watching over patients at night.

The ghost of a middle aged man in a long white coat has also been seen wandering the wards at night. Is this the surgeon looking for his pretty young nurse?

Another ghostly doctor has been spotted in the hospital corridors. Dressed in an old suit and a white coat, this spirit is said to look so real that he is often mistaken for a real doctor. People are rather surprised when he suddenly disappears!

At the nearby Birmingham Eye Hospital, CCTV cameras have caught an eerie grey figure wandering around.

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital can boast an extra member of staff in the form of a kindly old nurse in an old fashioned uniform complete with a frilly bonnet. She is thought to be the ghost of a nurse who spent most of her life working at the hospital. She was so devoted to her patients that she couldn't bring herself to leave, even after she had died.

Like Derby City General, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has a connection with Roman Britain. Nearly 2,000 years ago a Roman legion camped here for many years while they tried to subdue the unruly locals (I wonder how they would cope today?). Over the years people have been astonished to see ghostly Roman soldiers in and around the hospital. At the moment the Q.E site is undergoing a massive building project, so this could be an excellent time for disturbed spirits to manifest themselves.

People often send me emails telling me of their paranormal experiences and some of these have involved hospitals.

One gentleman told me of a strange encounter he had while recovering from a motorcycle accident. Next to his ward was a T.V room where he would go to relieve the boredom. One afternoon he hobbled into the room and saw a strange, dishevelled man staring intently at the T.V. He asked the man if he was alright but received no reply. Thinking that the man was a bit disturbed he decided to leave, but when he turned around the room was empty. The gentleman asked a porter if he had noticed anybody in the room. The porter said no "but sometimes people see funny things around here".

A woman wrote to me to say that during a week long stay on a hospital ward she had been saddened by the death of a middle aged lady in a nearby bed. On leaving hospital she saw this lady sitting on a bench, smiling at her. "She didn't look real, I knew I was looking at a ghost".

Hospital staff have more paranormal experiences than anybody else. A common encounter is a bluish / white light floating around wards at night. These are often thought to be long, dead nurses still looking after their patients.

Columns of white light have often been witnessed around desperately ill patients and there are many, many stories of dying patients smiling and whispering to unseen people.

In a hospital, life meets death on a daily basis. Physical bodies give way to spiritual souls. Strong human emotions are irresistible to our friends from the otherworld.

No wonder these places are haunted!

These are placed at various points at a haunted location in the hope that a spirit can utilise the electrical energy of the device to implant a message.

There has been interest in EVP ever since the first telephones and gramophones hit the Edwardian high street. It is thought the great American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (pictured) was convinced that the voices of the dead could be picked up on a particularly sensitive recording instrument. He was rumoured to be working on such a device when he passed over to the world of spirit himself.

A great many people since then have claimed to have heard or recorded unearthly, discarnate voices on different types of electronic gadgets. The phenomenon seems to have grown along with the technology.

Radio transmissions and the amount of people listening increased greatly during World War II. Some people reported hearing weird voices imparting strange messages. It was assumed, of course, that this was enemy code, but radio operators and code breakers remained baffled.

In 1952, in Milan, two highly respected catholic priests were engaged in a project to record Gregorian chant. One of them, Father Gemelli, was not happy with the sound he was hearing. In a moment of exasperation he implored his dead father for help. When they replayed the recording they were astonished to hear a voice saying "I am always with you and help you". The voice belonged to the priest's dead father.

The Pope was fascinated by this discovery and it is thought that the Vatican has become expert in EVP techniques. Hopefully, one day they will make their secrets known.

One of Britain's leading EVP investigators is Judith Chisholm who founded The EVP and Transcommunication Society in 1996.

Judith had suffered a terrible tragedy - her eldest son had died suddenly and unexpectedly. Like many others in similar circumstances she was desperate to contact her dead son. She joined a psychic group and got into the habit of tape recording the sessions. One evening she played the tape back and heard a woman whispering her name. The voice did not belong to anybody else in the group and sounded unnatural - a sort of flat, monotone.She was convinced a deceased person was trying to make contact with her.

Judith began to make recordings in her own house in the hope that her late son might leave a message. However, nothing happened for several months and, thoroughly disheartened, she was about to give up. Then, on playing back one of the tapes, she was amazed to hear the voice of a man saying clearly "I've been every week".

It was as if the spirits, sensing she was about to give up, decided to make an effort at contact.

The tapes began to pick up voices on a regular basis. At first they were very faint and difficult to understand. Gradually these disembodied voices became stronger and more meaningful and Judith's son did seem to make contact from the spirit world.

Strangely, he kept uttering the word "reason" over and over again. Judith was confused at first but later realised that her son was trying to tell her that he had died for a reason and that everything, in fact, happened for a reason.

Other voices were captured, some from other deceased relatives. One of them commented on the quality of Judith's tea. A voice she recognised as her dead mother-in-law informed her that it wasn't cold enough to snow. One spirit left a message that said "I'm praying".

In 1999 Judith bought a new-fangled digital voice recorder to replace her cassette tapes. She wasn't too sure about digital recording and wondered aloud if the spirits would like it. She was amazed at the response.

A mans voice, clear and happy, was caught on the recorder, "we like it" he said. This man was then heard to issue an order, seemingly to another spirit, "go and find Hallam".

Jack Hallam was a close friend of Judith Chisholm who had died a few years previously. A short while later the deceased Mr Hallam left a message on the digital recorder and has been leaving messages ever since.

I find this story intriguing, not simply because a dead person' voice can be recorded, but because it suggests that spirits form themselves into friends and groups just as we do in the physical world.

BGAH haven't been quite as successful as Judith Chisholm in the field of EVP, but we have managed to record the odd unexplained scream, moan, and whisper.

Some friends of ours set up recording equipment in some empty stables in South Birmingham. These stables were situated in a field where Cromwell and his army once camped. When they played back the recording they could hear horses even though the stables were completely empty. They could also hear metal bashing sounds as if a blacksmith was at work.

EVP is a fascinating subject and is pretty easy for anybody to experiment with. There are plenty of websites that give advice on how to get the best results, but all you really need to do is leave a digital voice recorder in an empty room. Obviously you will need a bit of patience when listening to the play back.

I believe that some people act as "beacons" where spirits are concerned. Spirits are attracted to some people and maybe you are one of them.

Who knows? You could get a message from your great grandmother telling you to wash behind your ears!

A few years ago I was unfortunate enough to find myself lying on a hospital bed, in great pain, surrounded by doctors and nurses (I will spare you the graphic details).

As I slipped into unconsciousness I began to experience something very strange indeed. The pain simply melted away and my mind became sharper and clearer than it had ever been before.

I suddenly realised I was moving at great speed as if the race against time had begun. My body was hurtling through dark, twisting tunnels but I wasn't in the least bit frightened. In fact I felt immense happiness, excitement and an overwhelming feeling of love. There was a distinct feeling that something incredible was about to happen to me.

A soft female voice whispered to me, "Don't worry, everything will be alright". The next thing I remember was waking up in intensive care with a tube down my throat helping me to breathe.

The doctor told me that my heart had stopped but they had "jump started" me back to life. I was in fact lucky to have survived my ordeal.

I believe I had a near death experience. Though uncommon, an NDE is not rare. There are many, many accounts throughout human history and in all cultures. It is an amazing experience which is becoming more prevalent because, as in my case, medical technology is capable of bringing people back - even when they have "flatlined".

My experience is quite similar to the majority of others. Some people embark on profoundly spiritual and timeless journeys which takes them right up to the point of no return.

The classic NDE differs from person to person, but a pattern seems to be evident. As the body and brain begin the dying process, a person seems to have an out - of - body - experience.

A well known American musician called Pam Reynolds "died" during brain surgery. She felt herself "pop" outside her head and found herself looking down on her lifeless body. Pam later astonished doctors by describing complex surgical instruments being used and recalling the actions and conversations the surgeons had while working on her body.

The next stage seems to be floating or travelling at great speed down a long, dark tunnel (s) towards a pin prick of light which gradually grows bigger and brighter. As they travel along the tunnel some people report undergoing a "life review". They watch their whole lives pass before them in incredible detail. (Time does not exist in an NDE, at least not as we understand it). Every pleasure and every pain is re-experienced in vivid Technicolor. Every action and every decision is re-examined. People feel as if they are being made to pass judgement on themselves.

As a person moves closer to the light an overwhelming sense of love envelopes them. At this point people become aware that they are not alone.

Spiritual / religious beings are encountered and the presence of a god - like entity shines through everything.

However, for those who will return, the near death experience is about to end. The final stage is some sort of impassable boundary which can take many forms. In the case of Pam Reynolds she was stopped by several deceased relatives led by her grandmother. She was told it was not her time and that she had to go back. Reluctantly, she allowed a favourite uncle to escort her back down the tunnel. Re-entering her body was like "diving into a pool of icy water".

Other barriers are encountered such as fast flowing rivers that have no bridges to be found, or beautiful gardens cut off by never ending fences.

People are always reluctant to return to their physical bodies but, once back, they find that their lives have greatly improved.

Appreciation of life is massively increased and so is compassion for others. There is a heightened sense of self esteem and a voracious appetite for learning and knowledge. Problems become easy to solve.

After my experience I became much more spiritually aware than I ever was before.

Not all near death experiences are positive. Some people report having travelled to a frightening place of utter blackness. They felt as if they were in a massive crowd of tormented souls, but were unable to see, feel or speak to anybody else. Sometimes the presence of a demonic entity is felt to hover nearby.

However, even with such "hellish" experiences, people who return to life also seem to develop a more positive attitude to their lives.

One woman had a negative NDE after attempting suicide. She reported that she had been trapped in a cold, dark room. Black, hooded figures circled around her and she felt an overwhelming sense of fear and loneliness.

After returning to her body she decided to work hard at improving her life which had been beset by drug problems. She eventually found love and happiness.

One particularly interesting NDE I remember reading about concerned a young man involved in a terrible accident. He suddenly found himself walking through a baking, red desert. He eventually came across an uncle who had died a few years previously. The uncle was a picture of abject misery, sitting crossed - legged on the hot sand, head in hands, sobbing. Yet nearby was a beautiful oasis full of cool water and delicious fruit.

The young man was about to help his uncle when suddenly he felt himself being pulled back into his body. He later realised that this strange experience was some sort of lesson or, perhaps, a warning.

He remembered that his uncle had been an unpleasant and selfish man. He took no pleasure in life and was often the cause of distress and misery in others. He had taken these horrible characteristics with him to the afterlife and was now suffering as a consequence.

Like the woman who attempted suicide, the young man, not wishing to end up like his uncle, developed a more positive attitude to life.

Now, some scientists and sceptics will say that the NDE is nothing more than a hallucination brought about by chemicals flooding the dying brain. The afterlife, they say, does not exist...how can they be so certain?

For those who have experienced near death, it is all too real. We should never dismiss the possibility that when the brain begins to die that we embark on a different kind of journey.

Life is much more mysterious and complex than we are able to imagine and I think the NDE could be proof that our consciousness (or soul?) can exist outside of our physical selves.

There is no more compelling question than "what happens when we die?"

Every single one of us will eventually find the answer.