Anthony M NDE

Experience Description

I was knocked off a sailboat and drowned. Later, I learned that I was brought back on the boat, was clinically dead for at least several minutes, and then revived.

I remember my experience while clinically dead as longer than a few minutes. I immediately went through a long tunnel with a light at the other side. I felt like I was walking through the tunnel without feeling my feet on the ground, walking quickly, and there were others walking with me. They mostly walked single file, but at least two other people walked together side by side.

When I emerged on the other side of the light, it reminded me of a warm summer day that was very sunny; after a day where the colors of the sky, earth, trees, and flowers were very vivid. They were radiating with the moisture that came off the ground, only more vividly than I ever remembered before. It was an open field with flowers as bright as poppies where everything was painted because all was so vivid. There were other people running through the field with me. We exchanged glances as we ran forward. Almost all of these people were elderly but were walking like they were much younger. Some people looked quite sickly, but revived. There was one very young African American girl with braids in her hair who looked very sickly. She was the only younger person, other than myself, who looked lost. An older lady took the girl's hand and led her forward. I felt I heard music and felt that as I moved forward that I'd be moving forward toward more people. Some other older guy had a dog run toward him. That was the only animal I saw. It seemed like they knew each other.

Then the light suddenly faded as the colors faded wjem I felt like I was moving backward through the tunnel.

Thinking about it later, I realized this was more than a dream because I remembered very specifically the features of the faces of the people I saw, especially that elderly lady with the little girl. These were faces that I had never seen before and have never seen again.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 7/1/1982

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes. Drowning. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal. I felt very conscious and alert and remembered everything very clearly afterward.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I felt very alert during the whole experience until it ended.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning. My experience was much longer than the time that I was clinically dead

Were your senses More vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. As noted above, it felt like the ground and sky were radiating warmth and the colors were more vivid, like pastels in a painting.

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

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 I felt I moved quickly through a tunnel at the beginning of the experience toward the bright light and then backward out of it

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I saw other people around me, most of them elderly.

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 The light was radiating from all around me

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I felt like I was in a place like earth, but only more vivid and it was radiating all around me

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Very at peace and expectant.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe. I felt very self conscious

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? Christian- Protestant

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I now attend church every week and actively contribute my time to charitable acts

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant

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 felt I was at peace

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes This renewed my faith in God.

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

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

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? Yes I felt like I was moving toward a place and I would be continuing to live another life in unison with others under the guidance of a supreme being

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 felt like I was moving toward a destination where I would be united with other deceased people living in another world as everyone was moving in the same direction at different speeds

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? Large changes in my life. I feel I can read people's souls after this experience to see if they will be in heaven with me after their time on earth. I feel this very vividly. It is the first thing I recognize when I see someone, even people on the street. Most people I see are not going to heaven sadly. Most of them will end up in a netherworld.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes This renewed my faith in God in his watching over us. I was not as faithful before this experience.

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. I remember everything like it happened yesterday, more vividly than any past memories

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I feel I can identify when people are headed in the direction of heaven or not

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? That I saw those faces of people I didn't recognize and will see them again.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared it immediately following my recuperation from the accident

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 am certain I was in heaven as I remembered a landscape and faces of people that I had never seen before or since. Except for this experience, when I dream. I only dream of places and faces I already know.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I remembered a landscape and faces of people that I had never seen before or since.

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? I think people have the opportunity to change the direction they are heading in their lifetimes. I've seen individual people change it

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No suggestions to improve.