In the first half, CEO of the Monroe Institute of Canada Paul Elder joined Connie Willis (info) to discuss his multiple near-death experiences, exploring consciousness, remote viewing, and more. Elder elaborated on the five NDEs he claims to have had, which began at age twelve, when he drowned in a local pond before being revived. Then at fourteen, he fell from the top of a 60-foot tree he had climbed, which caused an out-of-body experience wherein he watched himself plummet to Earth. A few years later, Elder and some friends were involved in a high-speed car accident in the dead of winter. Although his skull was cracked and his kidney was ruptured, he said, something kept him calm—and more remarkably in the Canadian winter, warm— allowing him to flag down a passing car.

It was not until he was in his early forties that Elder experienced death again. After playing hockey one night, he collapsed with a heart attack, he recounted. While in the emergency room, he felt himself streaking toward a light; it was a beautiful experience that made him feel like he was traveling home. Finally, in 2006, he had another major heart event that led to his fifth brush with death. While recovering in the hospital, he again had an out-of-body experience, where, he claimed, spirit guides met him as he fell like a drop of water into an ocean of consciousness. The sensation of interconnectedness with billions of other souls eventually faded away, and he awoke back in the realm of the living.

Despite coming so close to death so many times, however, Elder maintained that the experiences were those that he's come to value most in his life. In addition to the amazing experiences involved with briefly dying (or coming close), he went on, the long-term insights he gleaned have led to remarkable changes in his life. He became interested in reaching out to others who have undergone NDEs, which led to his researching a phenomenon called hemispheric synchronization. Through this work, Elder continued, he also discovered his ability in remote viewing, which led to a career at the Monroe Institute of Canada.

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In the latter half, Neil in California wondered whether Elder had remotely viewed the dark side of the moon. Elder replied that he had, which led him to understand that information about ETs by "official sources" is only selectively disseminated to the public. Calling from Northern Ireland, Richard expressed his appreciation for his collection of Monroe Institute home series CDs. Elder noted that the program is very powerful, and recommended Luigi Sciambarella's program on lucid dreaming for a similarly effective experience.

And David in New Mexico shared his story of trick-or-treating in Wyoming many years ago. Dressed as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, he and his girlfriend happened to knock on the door of screenwriter Melissa Mathison—who just happened to be married to Harrison Ford. Ford wasn't home, and Mathison wasn't expecting visitors, David said, so she gave the youngsters the only thing she had on hand: wine.