There are a few common threads. The vast majority describe a far richer feeling of unconditional love; a far richer experience of the earthly senses, sight and sound most often, than can be experienced here on earth. One major thread common to NDE’s is that communication is full, clear..and almost always unspoken. Communication in the NDE state apparently happens when you think your thought and that thought is immediately understood fully without speech. This is described quite often. What is also common is how much the NDE is a reflection of the life each person has lived - that's why it appears to be that no one reports to going to the same place, or seeing the same people, or entities, or anything else. Their NDE account is as unique as their own living experience. Colton Burpo’s father Todd is a Christian Minister. That his son knew of Jesus within his 4 year life span before his own NDE is a given. So his account of meeting Jesus would also be consistent with many other accounts reflecting experiences & information already held in a person's consciousness pre-NDE. But there are large numbers of reported NDE’s who make no mention of any earthly religious figures. Others have written book accounts of their own NDE’s, such as Eben Alexander (”Proof of Heaven”); and Anita Moorjani (”Dying to be Me”). Both are astounding accounts of an NDE afterlife-type experience, yet each vastly different from one another. And each vastly different from Colton Burpo’s.
But as you say, it is too easy to write these off as the natural psychological byproduct of a death-like physical experience. Which is why I don't look to such things for assurance of the reality of the afterlife as the Bible describes it. Even Peter, who had been eyewitness to the transfiguration of Jesus on the mount, regarded that as secondary to the certainty of God's own word:
2Peter 1:16-19 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
But I do pay attention to reports of supernatural activity that were conscious experiences shared by multiple individuals, like this question I answered about Christian martyrs about 6 years ago (I was "Lynchburger"):
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080121160341AArGmLl
Nate Saint, husband of Rachel Saint, missionary to the Auca Indians.
May I tell you my favorite "angel story" in this con[n]ection? It seems Rachel's husband Nate went to a tribal people called the Auca to share the Gospel. Amazon area I think. Anyway, the men of the tribe killed her husband and the other men who were with him. Later, Rachel came to the Auca herself, to bring the message of Jesus. Surprisingly, they were very welcoming of her, and when she told them of Jesus, many believed. Many years later, in casual conversation with one of the converted women of the tribe, it came out that on the day of the murder of her husband there had been a strange event. The women never told Rachel about it because they mistakenly assumed she knew, as she was the messenger of God. So Rachel, curious as anything, drew it out of them, and this is how it went. When Rachel's husband and his friends arrived at waters edge, near the place of the Aucas, the men of the village came down to confront them. The women were watching from a hill in the distance. The male Aucas attacked the five missionaries and killed them all. Then it happened. There was a manifestation in the sky. The women saw it, just as did the men. Looking up, they saw, as they described it, a hundred flashlights in the sky. Looking closer, they had faces, and carried all the musical instruments known to the Aucas. And they were singing. The men were terrified, especially the leader. They felt as though they had done something terrible, and lived in fear of their error, until Rachel Saint came to them with the message of the God who forgives. That is why they were so ready to accept the words of the missionary when she came. God Himself had prepared them. Can these be anything but true angels? At the time I heard the story, several years ago now, the leader who had committed the murders had been transformed by the love of Jesus, and was so empowered by the Spirit of God that his face was said to be full of the light of joy. He had become a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, unto Whom be praise forevermore. Amen!
Source(s):
Radio station WMBI carried the story of the angelic visitation close to the time when Rachel found out about it. That is where I first heard it. It is also recounted here:
(original link went dead, but this one works) http://itecusa.org/document_angels.html
Peace,
SR