Bernard J NDE

Experience Description

I remember feeling a sharp pain in my chest where the heart is located.

Suddenly I was in something similar to space. It was dark all around me and I could not see my hands, feet, or any part of my body. It was like I was just a presence. Then, a beautiful and indescribable light appeared. I felt complete peace and love. I had no worries or fear. Two angels appeared, one on either side of the light. They appeared to be just like the light, only they were in human form. They didn't have wings or anything like that. They were just beings that were made of the light. The light and the angels were so bright that it should have blinded me, but it did not hurt to look at them. Nor did I want to look away. It was the most beautiful, glorious sight I have ever seen. No words can accurately describe the beauty it held. One of the angels looked very similiar to my grandmother who passed away, but with a younger and more vibrant appearance. This angel that appeared to be my grandmother, motioned to me to come to her. I began to rapidly accelerate towards the angels and the light. It was pure bliss.

Then all of a sudden I regained consciousness. Being back in my body felt painful, disgusting and awkward. I just wanted to go back to where I was before. I begged for God to just take me back. I did not want to be alive on earth any more.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: November 2011

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Possible Heart Attack. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and went unconscious. I did not go to hospital until a couple weeks later so the doctors could not determine whether a heart attack had occurred or not.

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

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? More consciousness and alertness than normal. I felt like I knew what was happening. I didn't have any questions, fear, sadness or anything other than peace. I felt for the first time in my life that everything was perfect and I had no worries.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Physical consciousness, never. I was completely aware of what was happening through the whole ordeal though. I knew I had died and I was seeing heaven.

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. There was no sense of time. It was just an existence

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. Everything was clearer and there were many colors that I had never seen before.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There was no sound.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain I don't feel like it was a tunnel. It was just darkness. It was like being in outer space

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 My grandmother

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 I've already described in other portions of this questionnaire

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Already described

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Joy, peace, bliss and love

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 like I knew everything I needed to know and I had no questions about what was happening or why it was happening

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? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated. I was raised Catholic but was not an active believer.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Described in great detail in previous questions

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian

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

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am now a born again Christian who has a deep relationship with Christ. I am not the person I used to be.

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

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.)? Uncertain There were two Beings. One Being I felt as though she was my grandmother. The other one I did not see long enough to be able to tell who they were. I feel in my heart like it was Jesus, but I cannot say for certain.

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 feel that the Beings I saw were proof of an afterlife

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? Yes Just felt an overwhelming sense of love

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. After the experience I felt an immense need to seek God. I kept feeling the need to go to a church and just be there. Not during services. Just when the church was empty. To just be there with God. I did not go. The urge or need to find God became greater and greater. A few days after the experience, I just felt a sudden urge to get up and go clean my home office. I walked in and the first thing I picked up had a tiny new testament bible under it. I have no idea where this bible came from or how it got into my house. As soon as I touched the bible, I felt the overwhelming love and peace that I had experienced during the NDE. The feeling that I had been longing for since I regained consciousness. I sat down and opened the bible. The very first line I read was words that Jesus said. It was a verse about how the eye is the lamp of the body. I cannot explain how much understanding this one verse gave me, and I don't even have a clue on how it did. It just did. Instantly, it was like the breath of God filled my lungs. Colors that I thought I had seen before became more vivid and beautiful than I had ever experienced on earth. It was like going from watching a black and white TV to a color television. From that day on, I knew and know that God is real. I felt Jesus reach down and grab my hand. He held my hand and everything made sense. The same peace I felt during the NDE was felt. My life had meaning, and MY GOD was real.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am a better person and because of this my relationships with others has improved

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The experience was so different to what we experience on a day to day basis that it feels like no words can describe the extreme feeling of peace, love and beauty that was felt.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events t

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I gained an understanding of the bible that I never had. I had read verses before and it was just like reading words. It had no meaning. Now, I can read verses and just have a deep understanding of what God is saying.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Finding Christ and building a relationship with him is the biggest and most significant part to me. I was lost. Jesus found me, and now I am free.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes 2-3 weeks. Their reaction felt to me like they did not fully believe me. It felt like they wanted to, but it was so out there they couldn't. I have only shared it with a few people, and none of them other than my wife knows all the details.

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 There never was a doubt of its authenticity. It happened. 100 % without a doubt.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real There never was a doubt of its authenticity. It happened. 100 % without a doubt.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Knowing Christ