In Saved by the Light, Brinkley said he was struck by lightning on September 17, 1975, while using a telephone at home. He said he was clinically dead for 28 minutes, had a sheet over his head and was in the hospital morgue when he re-entered his body, blew on the sheet to be seen and was revived. However, a local newspaper article published right after the incident quoted Brinkley saying he was "out for a few minutes" until his wife revived him by pounding on his chest. And Brinkley's doctor told a British documentary crew that Brinkley's story about being dead in the hospital morgue was "not true."

Brinkley described many characteristic details of a near-death experience (NDE) as well as certain unique ones. His account includes an out-of-body experience with extensive observations of physical surroundings, passing through a tunnel, meeting with a Being of Light, a high-speed and detailed life review, discussion of his life mission, and a strong reluctance to return. In addition, he described a flight to a place with a church-like structure and revelations regarding future events.

Saved by the Light was a New York Times and international bestseller.

Brinkley said he received visions of future events during his NDE. At least one was reported to Raymond Moody within 7 months, that there would be a breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1990 and subsequent food riots. Moody later said Brinkley's forecast struck him as "silly and absurd" at the time but later proved accurate. Brinkley's visions also reportedly included the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, but there was no written account of these visions prior to his 1994 book. Brinkley forecast a 1995 nuclear accident in Norway and a pre-2000 economic collapse in the U.S. that never happened. And, according to Moody, other prophetic visions Brinkley made after his first NDE never materialized the way Brinkley said they would.

In Saved by the Light, Brinkley said his actions as a CIA sniper in Laos during the Vietnam War were part of his NDE life review. Brinkley's account of serving as a CIA sniper in Laos was challenged by the Los Angeles Times and by the book Stolen Valor by B. G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley. Both accounts said military records show that Brinkley never went overseas during the war, but was stationed in Georgia as a truck driver.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Brinkley said the government was covering up his CIA mission because it was classified. But the newspaper cited several sources, including former Marines involved in similar covert operations, who said Brinkley's story was "full of holes" and that the supposedly classified files were all public.

Brinkley is co-founder and Board Chairman of the Twilight Brigade (formerly called Compassion in Action), a non-profit international organization that supports bedside volunteers who provide companionship to those who are dying, especially veterans, during the last months of life. Brinkley's work with dying veterans and AIDS patients began in 1984 and he has logged many thousands of volunteer hospice hours. The Twilight Brigade now has offices in 16 states and over 5,000 volunteers, including a number of active duty military personnel and veterans.

Veterans wonder if anyone will appreciate what they did. They were there for us when we needed them. We need to be there for them....Dannion Brinkley

In 2001, the Twilight Brigade was nominated for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association's Heart of Hospice Award.

Brinkley is also the co-founder of Veterans Care Plus, a health care advocacy program for U.S. veterans and their families that provides access to low-cost prescription medications. This program has been selected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for its members.

• Dannion Brinkley and Paul Perry, Saved by the Light: The true story of a man who died twice and the profound revelations he received. New York: Villard Books, 1994. ISBN 0679431764.
• Dannion Brinkley and Paul Perry, At Peace in the Light: A man who died twice reveals amazing insights into life, death and its mysteries. Piatkus, 1995. ISBN 0749915811.
• Dannion Brinkley and Kathryn Peters-Brinkley, The Secrets of the Light: Spiritual strategies to empower your life ... here and in the hereafter. Heart Light Productions, 2004. ISBN 0963849026.

The first book was adapted for a 1995 FOX TV movie of the same name starring Eric Roberts, and debuted as one of the highest rated television movies in that network's history. Since originally airing, it has been in regular circulation on the Lifetime television network.