Cherie Aimée

Cherie Aimée has had multiple health issues in her life. She is a near-death survivor, and lived five years with a bionic heart (LVAD) before being eligible for a heart transplant. Cherie is now a member of the board of directors of the Transplant Forum at Columbia University Medical Center, a Forbes-featured brand influencer, a motivational speaker, and a bestselling author. I had the privilege of speaking with this truly inspiring woman about the near-death experience that changed her life forever and how it feels like to cross over into the afterlife.

By Victoria Adelaide | Sept 3. 2018

cherieaimee.com

Victoria Adelaide: What was happening in your life during the time you had your cardiac arrest?
Cherie Aimée: I was in remission from cancer, so I was happy to be cancer free. I felt I had just been given a whole new perspective on life and I was excited to begin a whole new chapter of my existence. I was always very much into healthy food, yoga, and spending time out in nature. A lot of my time was spent rebuilding my body and I was really enjoying getting to know who I was with this tragedy behind me. I was enthusiastic to just explore my new life. 

VA: You were considered dead for 90 minutes. Is that correct?
CA: Ninety minutes—yes. The doctors were ready to call my time of death after the first five or ten minutes. Despite that, they continued with CPR for over 90 minutes. However, my heart would never restart; so that’s when I was hooked up to life support.

VA: During those 90 minutes, what happened?
CA: I experienced what I call “crossing over” or “a journey into the after realm.” It was a whole other form of consciousness, where I experienced my body in another realm that was not the one in which I was living here on earth.

VA: What do you mean? 
CA: It was more like I was taken to another place. Sometimes, people refer to it as heaven or the afterlife; I don’t really give it a name other than I was in another realm. It was during that time that I got to experience a sense of freedom that I had never experienced on such a deep level before. It was so beautiful that there were no words. I remember instantly feeling like I wanted to stay. I didn’t want to go back into my body, into my previous life. I felt free of all the burdens of everyday life, free of the burden of having cancer, and that feeling that my health issues had disturbed the lives of those around me. I felt free from the pressure of conforming to everyday societal expectations. I felt this level of unconditional love for my soul and my soul’s existence.

VA: Among the few people who have had a near-death experience, many have reported seeing a white light and having an out-of-body experience. Did you experience those things?
CA: I did experience some of that to a certain extent but most of my experience in the after realm was outside of the confines of time and space. It really was in a whole other world, another dimension. I experienced all the typical things: I experienced the white light and I definitely saw loved ones who had crossed over—I saw my grandmother. I experienced lifetime reviews, which weren’t just about my current life but they were lifetime reviews of multiple lifetimes. What was really interesting is that in the lifetime reviews, some of the lifetimes I experienced were happening very quickly and some were happening very slowly. Some lifetimes were happening simultaneously.

VA: When you said you experienced lifetime reviews, was it images of your life or thoughts about things you needed to improve?
CA: Through the lifetime reviews, I went into each of the lifetimes and experienced them as real as this lifetime is—just like me talking to you right now.

VA: Do you think there was a purpose and what was it?
CA: Yes, I do. I learned in each of those lifetimes that there was a common issue at the core of my soul that kept reoccurring. But the way it would physically play out in each lifetime was completely different. For example, in this lifetime, that core issue may have played out as troubling relationships for myself, which may be manifested in different ways. One of the ways I believe that manifested was in cancer. In other lifetimes, that same core issue would play out in a completely different way. What I learned was that I needed to find out the root cause of what was blocking my soul from truly expanding. The major issue was there was something blocking my soul in every lifetime that was preventing me from expanding as a being contributing to the universe. And if I did not figure out and learn how to clear that issue, it would continue to follow me whether in this lifetime or in another lifetime. At the beginning, when I first crossed over, I told you how beautiful it was and that I didn’t want to leave. However, after I experienced these lifetime reviews, I realized what the core issue was, and that I had to clear that issue, because that issue was constantly attaching to my soul, and I did not know how it would play out in another lifetime. So, I chose to come back into my body, this lifetime, with the same people I’m already having issues with, the same circumstances. But then I knew how to clear it. So, going back into my body, I could do everything differently, clear it, and expand my soul faster than I could have ever possibly imagined. That is what you’re witnessing me do. 

VA: You said if you didn’t figure out the root cause of your issues, it could follow you into another lifetime. Are you suggesting that we reincarnate?
CA: Well, before I answer your question, I want to make it clear that what I’m going to say is solely from my own personal experience and what is true in my heart. I do not believe the soul dies. I believe we experience different realities and dimensions. What I cannot say is the order in which that comes. Because what I experienced in the afterlife was more multi-dimensional than sequential; it wasn’t linear. We like to think of time and space in the form of calculations that we know of; time is linear. But what I experienced in the afterlife was not linear at all. So, when people think of reincarnation, they tend to think of this timeline. And they start to say, “Oh, did I also live in the year 1870 and was I reborn in 1980?” What I’m saying is that you might be experiencing a lifetime in 2025 and you might be experiencing another lifetime in 2018, simultaneously. I think it’s important for people to understand that there’s so much to learn about life and living now through what I particularly experienced in the afterlife. That’s why I share it.

VA: Is it specifically the near-death experience that made you understand that?
CA: Yes—absolutely, because that’s what I experienced.

VA: When you came back to life, what changed in your relationships with people?
CA: Well, I would say it’s relationships with myself and others. First, I learned the power of forgiveness and what forgiveness really is used for. I believe forgiveness is solely used to free your soul. Second, I learned the power of keeping the heart open no matter the circumstances. I used to be somebody who could hold onto resentment for years. I learned what needed to be done to keep my heart open. Then third, I learned how to take my power back. It’s okay to set boundaries with people in order for your soul to thrive, because when your soul can thrive that’s when you can create a massive impact on others. Sometimes, we want to be good people but by being good people we occasionally neglect ourselves. And that’s when our surroundings start to fall apart because what is going on in your internal world is experienced in your external world. So, my priority became to determine how to take my power back. And these three things I mention are all inter-related because I cannot take my power back without forgiveness and without keeping my heart open. Forgiveness, keeping my heart open, and taking my power back is how I’ve been able to expand my soul into freedom consistently every single day. It’s a daily practice, and if you’re willing to put that time in, you will live a life of heaven on earth.    

VA: What would you say to a person who cannot recover from the death of a loved one?
CA: Regarding grieving—again I’m speaking from experience. During my afterlife experience, I saw my own funeral. The biggest thing that stood out for me when I witnessed my own funeral was that it was painful. Because we are all connected, when I was in that state, I felt everything. I felt people that were still alive, I felt my family, and I felt all of their emotions. It was painful to feel their grief. It was the worst feeling I have ever experienced. All I wanted was for it to stop. One of my messages, when I came back, was: I don’t believe in funerals anymore the way they are normally held. I don’t believe that everybody should be all dressed in black, in tears and in sorrow, because it was painful for me to experience that. I don’t want any other soul that transition on to experience that—ever. Then, I tell people how they can move through their grief and start living again. I let them know loved ones do not want them to suffer because they will be able to feel it and they will not be able to move on. I know that to be true because when I met my grandmother in the afterlife, she was unable to move on and I knew exactly why. I was there to help her; it was not the other way around. That’s why I saw her in the afterlife—to help her. Our souls need to be able to move on peacefully. In the end, it’s not the loved ones you’re grieving, what you’re really grieving is the loss of who you were with that person in your life. You’re not grieving that soul. So, the question is: who are you now without that loved one physically in your life? Because they’re still sitting right by you, they’re just in another dimension; and you can tap into them and feel their presence if you  open up your heart and lessen that feeling of grief.  Grief is heavy and, to a soul, it’s unbearable; they can’t move on. So, I tell people how to actually get through that grief. I also ask them, “Who are you now?” Because now it’s time for you to do the work; it’s no longer the responsibility of your loved ones. It’s about all of us taking a hard look at ourselves. We come into this world born as babies with souls and we die the same way. Your grief is yours to own; it’s nobody else’s—it’s yours. So, what are you going to do about it?