Andrew Y NDE

Experience Description

I tripped at the top of a flight of stairs and fell down to the bottom of the stairs - all the way on my back. I got up at the bottom. I could not breathe in, only out. I knew I was dying. I was totally calm and accepting of it, since I knew there was nothing I could do to change the fact that I was dying. I thought for a second how strange it was that I was so calm, because I always expected to be panicked if I would be in a life-threatening situation. I gasped to my wife to call an ambulance and then collapsed.

I blacked out for a second or two and then found myself floating above my body. It was face down and lying on the floor. I didn't really think about the fact that I was out of my body. To me, it was just someone's body lying on the floor. I kind of knew it was mine, but it did not alarm me because I felt totally fine.

The whole atmosphere around me was bathed in a purplish light. It was like I was floating in an illuminated purple cloud but I could see everything in the house as usual, but through the cloud. I had no more pain and thought that I had dreamed about falling down the stairs and hurting my back. But now, I had woken up from that horrible dream, and I was fine and had absolutely no pain anywhere. I was completely conscious and aware and felt fine.

Then I started moving into a dark tunnel that seemed to just open up behind me. All I saw were hundreds of people along the sides of the tunnel. They were staring at me with shocked expressions on their faces. Then some people started shouting at me to go back. Then other people were shouting at me that it was not my time and that I had to go back. I did not recognize anyone I saw there. I was very shocked and scared at their expressions and the way they were shouting at me. So I backed away from them and felt myself moving backwards out of the tunnel.

The next thing I knew was that I heard/felt a loud POP and I was back in my body. Pain flooded back into my awareness. I jumped up and ran outside to get into the cold air to try alleviate the pain in my back. I was taken to the hospital where I was told after X-rays that my back was badly bruised but nothing was broken. It took me a few months to recover and get back to normal.



Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: Jan. 1988

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function) I fell down a flight of stairs on my back and could not breathe. I tried to breathe in but could not. I gasped out to my wife to call an ambulance and then collapsed.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? No I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness. None, other than being aware of feeling no more pain and seeing a purple light filling the whole atmosphere around me. It was like the air itself was purple.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? As soon as I was out of my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I did not notice any difference, except I didn't need my glasses.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Same

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes As described above. It was a dark tunnel but there were hundreds of people along the sides shouting at me to go back and that it was not my time and I had to go back. So I backed out of the tunnel and fell back into my body.

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes Hundreds of people along the sides of the tunnel who were screaming and shouting at me to go back, that it was not my time, and I had to go back.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Purple light was filling the whole area around me, like the air was a purple cloud.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. A purple light was all around me and I was pulled into a tunnel that opened up behind me. I knew this was not normally ever in the room. I saw hundreds of people that I knew were not in this world. They seemed to know me even though I did not recognize anyone there. They all shouted at me to go back and it was not my time.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? At first relieved that I had no more pain, but then I was very shocked and scared when I saw all the hundreds of people shouting to me to go back.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Jewish. I did believe in the afterlife, but had no specific images or ideas about what it would be like, other than we get to be with God.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I believe in God and study the Bible. I practice acts of kindness with more conviction than before, as I know the afterlife is real.

What is your religion now? Jewish. I have come to believe in Jesus and the veracity of the New Testament.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. I believed that there was a nonphysical realm of existence and we will go there when we die. I did not have any idea of what it would be like, other than we will be with God.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. I knew that I had crossed into a nonphysical realm while clearly conscious and aware. I was not inside my physical body. I knew also that the people there did not want me there and were ordering me to go back to this world.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? No changes in my life. What I used to believe was true. I now know is definitely true.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience. It was more vivid and stayed with me in more clarity and detail than other events that happened that day. I hardly remember going to the hospital or going back home or anything else that happened that day other than falling down the stairs being in terrible pain, not being able to breathe, feeling totally calm knowing I was dying, collapsing, and then being out of my body in the purple light, seeing the people in the tunnel shouting to me to go back, being very scared at them and popping back into my body and having all the pain flooding back into me.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? All those hundreds of people seemed to know me when I didn't recognize any of them, and they seemed to know that my time was not up.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Right afterwards, I shared it with my parents and wife; either that night or the next day. They believed me as thy also believed in the afterlife. I don't know if they were influenced by my experience in any way.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. I knew that I had seen and heard what I had seen and heard andthat it was not my imagination or dream. I was completely conscious, aware, and cognizant of everything. I remembered every detail and I never remember any of my dreams so this was highly unusual.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I now know that thousands of people have had similar experiences, so I know my experience was also real.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? nope

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? The longer questions about current and past experiences or thoughts or feelings could be better phrased, so they are clearer and more concise.