Brent M NDE

Experience Description

It was late at night. I was very drunk, and passed out at the wheel of a 1963 Corvair Spyder convertible. This vehicle had a rear engine. I ran into a concrete pillar, on a bridge crossing the Ohio River between Kentucky and West Virginia, at a very high rate of speed.

I woke up on the asphalt with a crowd of do-gooders and gawkers surrounding me. I stared at them from above. I spoke to them but they couldn't hear me. While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned, my life would be filled with trials and hard times and if I chose to enter the light, I would eventually have to experience rebirth and relive life straight out of the womb. Childhood, adolescent and young adulthood had been very unpleasant. I chose not to push my luck and opted for the here and now. When my decision was made I resumed life back in my body. An ambulance arrived. I rose from the pavement and walked to the gurney. Amazed eyes followed the trip with disbelief. I believe of the people was a priest who had administered Last Rites.

At the hospital, two doctors stitched the myriad of lacerations. I told them about the out-of-body experience. They laughed at me and chalked it up to my being drunk. When they finished with me in the emergency room, I was admitted to another hospital. When I awoke the next morning and looked at myself in the mirror my face was lost in a swath of gauze. I was a mummy, the invisible man. I ripped off the gauze and stared at the damage I incurred in the wreck. It was shocking. Despite my mangled face with stitches, looking Frankenstein’s Monster, I found one of the suits I didn't bleed on, got dressed, left the hospital against medical advice and flew home to Louisville. I joked with the stewardesses, telling them that they were the first ones to see me in my Halloween costume. They thought me funny and served me extra booze.

My near-death-experience taught me nothing. I continued to abuse drugs and alcohol for another 20 years. For many years, I never told anyone about being out of my body until the days of LSD. I had several other chemically induced out-of-bodies while under the influence.

I have a friend who is a neurosurgeon. I told him about my near death experience. He laughed at me like the doctors that sewed me up many years before. I laugh at him knowing my experience was not a fantasy.

The warning of bad times has proven true. I am diagnosed bipolar and a recovering substance abuser. Much of my adult life has been extremely painful and chaotic. It is just in the past few years that my life has become more tolerable. The last 9 years I can remember, perhaps because I have been clean and sober since February 25, 1983.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: October 1963

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' Car accident - administered Last Rites at the scene.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience
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 All except for my trip down the tunnel.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Above my body at the scene before traveling to the light, at the light and the return to my body.

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

Were your senses more vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I cannot recall.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Uncertain

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Unearthly 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 Bright, warm, pleasant and soothing.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Shock and peace.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

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? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes

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 importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated Personal Higher Power-Spiritual not religious

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated Personal Higher Power-Spiritual not religious

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not 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? No

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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? 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? Uncertain While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and tha

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and tha

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? Unknown

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and that if I chose to enter the light that I would eventually have to experience rebirth and relive life straight out of the womb. Childhood, adolescent and young adulthood had been very unpleasant. I chose not to push my luck and opted for the here and now. When my decision was made I resumed life back in my body. An ambulance arrived. I rose from the pavement and walked to the gurney. Amazed eyes followed trip with disbelief. I believe one was a priest who had administered last rites.

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and tha

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? Unknown

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and tha

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Unknown

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are meaningful and significant

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? Yes While I tried to figure out what was going on, a being arrived beside me and led me down a dark tunnel where I was given a choice to enter or return to my body. I was told that if I returned that my life would be filled with trials and hard times and tha

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Not compassionate toward others

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

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? No changes in my life I have become spiritual in conjunction with my affiliation with Alcoholics Anonymous.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Being passed out drunk prior to the experience makes one's recall very sketchy.

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 at time It remains a major part of my life.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I seem to be more intuitive. I had a drug overdose in 1972 following the painful end of a relationship and would up on a respirator for a day or two (not sure how much time). It was then I figured that I cannot die until it is my appointed time.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The overall experience.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes 10 years.

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 Despite the emergency room doctors discounting me, I believed what I experienced was real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real The experience has been relevant to my life up until now and will remain so until I die.

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I consider it too long and too repetitive, so much so that I almost did not complete it.