Benino NDE

Experience Description

I was four years old and had the flu. Because of the severity of my coughing fits, the pediatrician had prescribed a discontinued medication: Tussifargan.

Shortly after lunch, my mother gave me this cough medicine and put me to bed where I whiled away the time looking at comic strips. Then I felt as though I was suffocating, because my tongue had swelled up and was blocking my airway. My nasal passages were also closed up due to the flu. I fainted on the bed.

After an indefinable moment of time, I found myself outside of my body, and I saw my body lying on the bed. I rose in the air always keeping my eye on my body. Then everything turned black.

I found myself in a tunnel. The sides of the tunnel were brown, grey and black and the colors were all mixed up together. I didn't perceive sound, heat, hunger, feelings, weight, memories, anxiety, and emotions. I was all sight. The time I remained in the tunnel is hard to say, but it seemed like several weeks.

At the end of the tunnel, there was a small light. Suddenly I was outside the tunnel, in blackness, maybe (I don't remember this detail exactly) there was a kind of brown pavement. In front of the light was a streak of black.

I arrived in front of the light and the streak became the shape of a man, it didn't have any depth, it seemed to be two dimensional, looking like a black and white comic strip character.

I wasn't even a half a meter away when the figure lifted its hand and reached for my left shoulder. I watched the black hand that approached and saw my shoulder (it was the only time that I glimpsed a portion of my body during the whole experience). The hand wasn't able to touch me because I was suddenly pulled from behind and whisked away. The great light became a point; I went back through the tunnel and then darkness. In reality, I had remained unconscious for about ten minutes, during which time they brought me to the hospital where I vomited up my lunch. The peristaltic movement brought down the swelling of my tongue and massaged my heart.

I stayed in the hospital for a few days and they said I didn't have any brain damage. I forgot the experience but I dreamt about it often.

When I was thirteen years old, I watched a TV documentary about near death experiences and remembered the whole event. I felt such strong emotion that I fainted and then was traumatized for weeks. I continually dreamt about the experience, which was different from what I had watched on TV, but still there were similarities.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Allergic reaction 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening'

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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? Less consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Only when I was outside my body looking my body in the bed.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Dilated time, I perceived ten minutes as several weeks.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes

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 A black silhouette of a man, a brown floor outside the tunnel.

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Light

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 A big bright light, bigger than an adult man.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? No feeling, absolute serenity.

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal age 4 Christian

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No Now I am atheist, but this is not linked with my experience (I think).

What is your religion now? Liberal I am atheist

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No Now I am atheist, but this is not linked with my experience (I think).

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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 the experience was like a dream, I don't remember exactly if I was able to understand where I was and what was happening.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Some friends.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No I was only age four.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I can't answer, because I didn't remember the experience until I was age thirteen or fourteen.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definately not real Now I think this is a cultural, experience linked to a hallucination of our brains.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Many dreams.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I remember the experience as not a good experience, when I remember it I feel an uneasiness feeling.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Questions about dreams and nightmare after the experience.