After a Near-Death Experience (NDE) or a profound spiritual awakening, the world you return to can feel unrecognizable. Things that once brought joy now seem meaningless. Relationships that once made sense feel strained or hollow. The life you worked so hard to build no longer fits—and neither does the person you used to be.
If this resonates with you, you’re not alone. In her powerful book Integrating the Light: A Guide to Life After a Near-Death Experience, Susan E. Galvan names and validates this disorientation—and offers a compassionate path forward.
When you experience the boundless love and unity of the afterlife, returning to a world of bills, emails, small talk, and emotional distance can feel jarring, even unbearable. It’s not that the world has changed—it’s you who have been fundamentally transformed. You’ve glimpsed the infinite. Now, “normal” feels flat, shallow, and disconnected.
Galvan calls this phase “walking between worlds.” You live among others, but something inside you still belongs to the Light. It’s not a malfunction—it’s the beginning of a new reality. The key isn’t to force yourself back into the old mold, but to build a new life that honors who you’ve become.
So, what can you do when “normal” no longer makes sense?
Start small. Galvan recommends grounding practices that help you feel anchored in the body—walking in nature, tending a garden, practicing breathwork. These simple acts can stabilize your heightened energy and calm the inner storm.
Next, re-evaluate your relationships and roles. Let go of old expectations and seek out those who can meet you with authenticity and spiritual openness. You’re not here to shrink back—you’re here to shine.
And finally, reclaim your life as a sacred mission. You returned for a reason. That reason may not be a grand gesture—it might be in your quiet presence, your deeper listening, your compassionate choices.
In Integrating the Light, Susan E. Galvan reminds us that you are not broken because the old life no longer fits. You are evolving into something more true. And while the journey may be lonely at times, it’s also filled with beauty, meaning, and the quiet guidance of the Light you now carry within.
The old normal may be gone—but your new path is just beginning.