Adria Sanders – On the Edge: A Soul-Stirring Memoir of Self-Discovery and Spiritual Awakening
What was the earliest moment you realized your life experience wasn’t just personal memory, but something you might one day need to write about?
In truth, I decided to publish my first book at the encouragement of a friend who told me that very few spiritual authors write about memories of past lives and that I might be able to support others who are walking a similar path.
When I published the first edition of On the Other Side, I did so with limited confidence in myself and in the value of what I had to share. It took me nearly a year to realize that I had no reason to be ashamed of my experiences and that I was ready to open my heart and speak about them more honestly and openly.
What had changed? I had changed.
The experiences I continued to have transformed my perspective. My exploration of past lives deepened, bringing forward memories and insights from other lifetimes, while astral projections became an increasingly significant part of my journey. Although I trusted the authenticity of what I was experiencing, I never accepted it blindly. I consistently examined each experience through the lens of logic, reflection, and the evidence available to me. Yet, despite everything I had already witnessed, I knew that I was only at the beginning of a much greater journey.
Describe yourself in concrete, everyday terms before the experiences detailed in your book changed how you saw things.
Before my first awakening experience — when memories of a past life emerged — I was a pragmatic person, grounded in everyday life and focused on adapting to the reality around me. Spirituality was not something I related to; I largely ignored it and had no desire to explore it.
However, since childhood, I have always been fascinated by space and paranormal phenomena. Even so, during the Communist era, access to such information was extremely limited, leaving me with very few opportunities to study or understand these subjects.
When you look back, what was the very first experience that made it hard to fully go back to believing in your previous definition of reality?
The experience that set everything in motion and led me to reshape my understanding of reality began with the spontaneous flashes of past life memories I had in the summer of 2018. They were incredibly vivid, accompanied by intense emotions that lingered for hours.
I would see a beach and a house by the shore, along with my African nanny, and I could hear myself calling her by name — Ama. At other times, I could see my father and deeply feel the emotions I had toward him.
Unable to find answers to what I was experiencing, I turned to hypnotherapy in search of clarity. My first attempt was an online session by Brian Weiss on YouTube. That moment marked a turning point in my life — my entire perception of reality, of who I am, and of what is expected of me, was profoundly transformed. That was the moment I realized it wasn’t imagination. It was a part of me awakening a part that had long been dormant.
While building a pragmatic business life, how did you internally reconcile—or compartmentalize—the parallel unfolding of your spiritual experiences?
I did my best to stay focused on the present and on the experiences unfolding in each moment, without going further. Since most of my out‑of‑body experiences and astral projections occurred in the evening and at night, I tried to keep them separate from my daily roles — as a business professional, a mother, and a daughter.
Living in the present left me little space to dwell on those other aspects. For a long time, this became a way of protecting myself and maintaining my balance. After some time, acceptance of these experiences came, along with an understanding of their dynamics. I gradually developed the ability to embrace spirituality as an integral part of who I am and of my life. From that point on, the transition from everyday routine to extraordinary experiences became natural and effortless.
Considering the internal pressures of doubt, fear, isolation, and the challenge of fully explaining your experiences, which one was the hardest for you to cope with during this time?
The hardest part was indeed sharing my experiences. Even for me many times were so incredible that I could hardly believe what I was experiencing. Talking feel like unappropriated and took a long time to open myself and share with the close ones. It was fear. It was isolation — until I accepted my experiences for what they were and stopped worrying about what others might think. I know there are people who have gone through similar experiences and are afraid to step forward and speak about them. And this kind of isolation can break you.
At what point did your dreams, déjà vu, and out-of-body experiences begin to feel like they were part of a connected pattern rather than isolated events?
After the memories of my past life in Cuba began to fade and appear less frequently, I thought that, at some point, they would stop altogether — that everything that needed to be discovered had already been revealed. However, without even realizing it, I transitioned into a new chapter, with memories from another past life. Then came astral journeys and encounters with various entities. That was when I understood that what I was experiencing had already become a part of my life.
When recounting events like astral travel or communicating with non-terrestrial beings, what proved to be the bigger hurdle–detailing the occurrences, or acknowledging that language would ultimately fall short of capturing the full essence of the experience?
I find it relatively easy to put the experience itself into words in terms of actions. However, when it comes to describing the emotions and perceptions that accompany an astral journey, it becomes much more challenging. The message can be so complex that any vocabulary feels insufficient to fully capture the depth and detail of the experience.
At the same time, the telepathic communication I had with non‑terrestrial entities was initially overwhelming. I would perceive not only their responses with clarity in my mind, but also receive images, symbols, and emotions all at once, which could be quite intense. After such experiences, trying to put everything into writing became a difficult task.
If “the edge” signifies a tangible experience rather than a mere figure of speech, can you pinpoint a specific moment in the book that best encapsulates the sensation of being in that state?
The words The Edge carry both a literal and a figurative meaning. There is not just one moment in the book that reflects this idea; rather, there are many occasions when I feel overwhelmed by intense sensations and by the challenge of maintaining a balance between my everyday life and my astral experiences. In those moments, I truly feel as though I am living on the edge.
However, if I were to identify a defining turning point in my journey, it would be the suspected diabetes diagnosis of my son, Denis. This event forced me to question everything once again. It confronted me with the difficult task of reconciling the insights and information I was receiving from the spiritual realm with the very real pressures and uncertainties of everyday life.
In many ways, it became one of the most profound examples of what living on the edge truly meant for me.
Now that this part of your journey has been written and shared, do you feel you are moving toward greater clarity, continued unfolding, or something still undefined?
I have found clarity, and in many ways, I continue to find it. Yet with every question that is answered, a thousand new questions seem to emerge. My curiosity and my desire to understand remain insatiable.
My connection with the astral realm is not static — it is a relationship that continues to evolve and deepen over time. Where this journey will ultimately lead, I cannot yet say. That remains part of the mystery still waiting to unfold.