P. M. H. Atwater
Encyclopedia
P. M. H. Atwater is an American writer and researcher on subjects related to Idaho promotions, life and death issues, and spirituality
from a New Thought
point of view.
and was later adopted by Kenneth L. Johnston. She married John Bernard Huffman in 1956 (divorced in 1976) and had three children: Kelly, Natalie, and Pauline. She became a secretary, and a prize-winning cook at the Twin Falls County Fair.
It was because of a hand-writing analysis in the mid-sixties that Atwater ever became a writer. She was hired as Staff Writer for the Idaho Department of Commerce and Development (1969–1971), free-lance assignments for Sunset Magazine, staff writer for Incredible Idaho Magazine. She was awarded "Most Influential Newspaper Columnist in the State of Idaho" by the Idaho Statesman, and given the Governor's Meritorious Wage Increase for Outstanding Service to Idaho. She developed the statewide program for Boy Scout
s and Girl Scouts
to give tours of the Idaho Capitol Building and Supreme Court as points for badge awards, and wrote their scripts. As President of the Boise Chapter of the Idaho Writers League, and later as First Vice-President and then President of the Idaho Writers League, she was named "Prose Writer of the Year." A member of Idaho Press Women, she won numerous awards and commendations. She later excelled in Shopping Center Promotions and won "Most Outstanding Low-Budget Shopping Center Promotion in the Nation" award. She has worked as Director, Legislative Public Information Center, for the House of Representatives, Idaho Capitol Building. She has been a Forms Analyst for the Idaho First National Bank (central management), later as their Technical Manuals Writer.
She created and incorporated Inner Forum, Idaho's first metaphysical non-profit, edited the Inner Forum Magazine, and launched the Northwest's first speaker's bureau on metaphysical topics. She helped to initiate and produce Idaho's first conference on The Arts and Governor's Bi-Annual Awards for the Arts. Since 1966, she has been an active investigator and researcher of psychic phenomena and altered states of consciousness, was a hypnotist for six years, taught practical numerology for several decades, and became a member of the American Federation of Astrologers. She is also a long-time professional member of the Authors Guild and the Authors League of America.
Because of extreme health reversals, Atwater left Idaho and moved to Virginia. Atwater married Terry Young Atwater in 1980.
, having begun her work in 1978 (shortly after moving to Virgnia), and is a pioneer in subjects like near-death experiences, the aftereffects of spiritual experiences, transformations of consciousness, reality shifts, future memory, and modern generations of children and how they differ from previous generations. Atwater did free-lance assignments for many periodicals nationwide including Sunset Magazine. She wrote the column "Coming Back" for the Vital Signs magazine 1981 - 1985. She earned her Letters of the Humanities (L.H.D.) doctorate from the International College of Spiritual and Psychic Studies in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 19, 1992; and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Therapeutic Counseling in March 2005, from Medicina Alternativa Institute, The Open International University for Complementary Medicines, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Also in 2005, the International Association for Near-death Studies
(IANDS) presented her with an Outstanding Service Award and the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a Prayer Chaplain since 2004.
Atwater retired as an active fieldworker in near-death studies in 2010, calling for the entire field to recognize near-death states as part of the larger genre of transformations of consciousness and how they change people. Her last book on this subject, which gives her summation, is Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story (Hampton/Red Wheel, March, 2011). For the first time, she wrote the entire story her own three near-death experiences (I Died Three Times in 1977 - The Complete Story) published as an e-book
in August, 2010.
. As a result of her writings, she has been invited to speak around the world.
In Future Memory (1999), Atwater proposed a new theory of reality that describes the way in which we are able to envision the future in a way that is like a memory
, where people can live life in advance. Atwater described how these rehearsals for future events differ from other modes of futuristic awareness such as clairvoyance
, precognition
, and déjà vu
. In this book, Atwater was the first to use the term reality shift.
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
from a New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
point of view.
Life
Atwater was born in Twin Falls, IdahoTwin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
and was later adopted by Kenneth L. Johnston. She married John Bernard Huffman in 1956 (divorced in 1976) and had three children: Kelly, Natalie, and Pauline. She became a secretary, and a prize-winning cook at the Twin Falls County Fair.
It was because of a hand-writing analysis in the mid-sixties that Atwater ever became a writer. She was hired as Staff Writer for the Idaho Department of Commerce and Development (1969–1971), free-lance assignments for Sunset Magazine, staff writer for Incredible Idaho Magazine. She was awarded "Most Influential Newspaper Columnist in the State of Idaho" by the Idaho Statesman, and given the Governor's Meritorious Wage Increase for Outstanding Service to Idaho. She developed the statewide program for Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s and Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
to give tours of the Idaho Capitol Building and Supreme Court as points for badge awards, and wrote their scripts. As President of the Boise Chapter of the Idaho Writers League, and later as First Vice-President and then President of the Idaho Writers League, she was named "Prose Writer of the Year." A member of Idaho Press Women, she won numerous awards and commendations. She later excelled in Shopping Center Promotions and won "Most Outstanding Low-Budget Shopping Center Promotion in the Nation" award. She has worked as Director, Legislative Public Information Center, for the House of Representatives, Idaho Capitol Building. She has been a Forms Analyst for the Idaho First National Bank (central management), later as their Technical Manuals Writer.
She created and incorporated Inner Forum, Idaho's first metaphysical non-profit, edited the Inner Forum Magazine, and launched the Northwest's first speaker's bureau on metaphysical topics. She helped to initiate and produce Idaho's first conference on The Arts and Governor's Bi-Annual Awards for the Arts. Since 1966, she has been an active investigator and researcher of psychic phenomena and altered states of consciousness, was a hypnotist for six years, taught practical numerology for several decades, and became a member of the American Federation of Astrologers. She is also a long-time professional member of the Authors Guild and the Authors League of America.
Because of extreme health reversals, Atwater left Idaho and moved to Virginia. Atwater married Terry Young Atwater in 1980.
Career
Atwater is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studiesNear-death studies
Near-death studies is a school of psychology and psychiatry that studies the phenomenology and after-effects of a Near-death experience .-NDE :...
, having begun her work in 1978 (shortly after moving to Virgnia), and is a pioneer in subjects like near-death experiences, the aftereffects of spiritual experiences, transformations of consciousness, reality shifts, future memory, and modern generations of children and how they differ from previous generations. Atwater did free-lance assignments for many periodicals nationwide including Sunset Magazine. She wrote the column "Coming Back" for the Vital Signs magazine 1981 - 1985. She earned her Letters of the Humanities (L.H.D.) doctorate from the International College of Spiritual and Psychic Studies in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 19, 1992; and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Therapeutic Counseling in March 2005, from Medicina Alternativa Institute, The Open International University for Complementary Medicines, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Also in 2005, the International Association for Near-death Studies
IANDS
The International Association for Near-Death Studies is an organization for studying and disseminating information on the phenomena of the near death experience . IANDS was founded in the USA in 1981. Today it has grown into an international organization, which includes a network of more than 50...
(IANDS) presented her with an Outstanding Service Award and the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a Prayer Chaplain since 2004.
Atwater retired as an active fieldworker in near-death studies in 2010, calling for the entire field to recognize near-death states as part of the larger genre of transformations of consciousness and how they change people. Her last book on this subject, which gives her summation, is Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story (Hampton/Red Wheel, March, 2011). For the first time, she wrote the entire story her own three near-death experiences (I Died Three Times in 1977 - The Complete Story) published as an e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
in August, 2010.
Writing
Atwater is a noted authority on near-death experiences (NDEs), especially on the after-effects of NDEs, on NDEs in children and on hellish NDEs. She experienced three NDEs herself and has interviewed over 4,000 adult and child near-death experiencers. In 2001, her work on NDE after-effects was cited in The LancetThe Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. As a result of her writings, she has been invited to speak around the world.
In Future Memory (1999), Atwater proposed a new theory of reality that describes the way in which we are able to envision the future in a way that is like a memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
, where people can live life in advance. Atwater described how these rehearsals for future events differ from other modes of futuristic awareness such as clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
, and déjà vu
Déjà vu
Déjà vu is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the prior encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined...
. In this book, Atwater was the first to use the term reality shift.
External links
- PMH Atwater Near-Death Researcher, Visionary Author
- Excerpts from PMH Atwater's 3 NDEs, published at the IANDSIANDSThe International Association for Near-Death Studies is an organization for studying and disseminating information on the phenomena of the near death experience . IANDS was founded in the USA in 1981. Today it has grown into an international organization, which includes a network of more than 50...
web site. Accessed 2011-02-07. - Interview of PMH Atwater by Mel Van Dusen. Accessed 2008-04-14.