Corey L NDE

Experience Description

I do not remember what led up to my drowning, but I saw my life flash before my eyes. It included the events of my life with friends and family. I suddenly ‘woke up’ and felt like I was lying on a very soft and comfortable bed. The room was very bright, although the light didn't hurt my eyes. The room was very pleasant and it was full of my favorite toys! I saw my grandma and grandpa, who had recently died (Grandma had died three and a half months before my accident, and Grandpa, nine months before.) They both spoke to me, and my grandpa said, ‘What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!’

I walked down a long hallway. I was in this giant mansion that was very bright and full of white light. My grandparents took me to my Uncle James who had died three years before, and he took me to my great-grandfather, who was also dead. I knew him well. Some other people were there, and, although I had never met them before, somehow I knew who they were. I saw my great-grandparents, who were deceased, and Great Aunt Helen, who got up from her wheelchair and walked over to me to hug me. They all told me I had to go back and live my life, but I had to live it differently. They said that I should start to care more about schoolwork and not fool around with my friends so much when I was at school.

They all told me that they loved me and they wished me the best of luck in my future. My Uncle James told me to tell everyone that he was fine and that he loved everybody. The entire time I was with my family, I could feel their love. It was like a warm feeling all over me. I suddenly felt like I was on a moving platform and I saw Jesus! I knew instantly who he was, although he didn't tell me. He was dressed in a white robe. His presence felt warm and I could feel love coming off him. Jesus said I should go back to the living and live my life. Jesus vanished and God appeared to me. She was bright and I felt her love immediately (and, yes, God is a female.) She looked like the sun, with love coming off her in rays. (It's hard to explain, but she reminded me of a painting of the sun I had seen when I was very young, with light shining from the center of her body.) She hugged me and then suddenly she was gone. I saw images of my father flying in a plane. I then saw gates, and as I walked toward them, they opened and I walked through them. I remember seeing an ‘M’ on a window and then I found out I was in the hospital.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 6-23-07

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Drowning. CPR given. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) I was swimming and had ‘drowned.’ I had to be resuscitated. I had no heartbeat for fifty-five minutes.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain Although I do not remember this, my mother told me that when I first came out of my coma, I told her something. That I saw myself under water and described my position in the water to her. I told her that my grandparents stayed with me in the water at first. I also told her that I saw her do CPR on me and saw my brother and sister watching from the beach. My mother had been the one who gotten me out of the deep water and had not told anyone about what I had looked like under the water. No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I saw God, I was at my highest level of consciousness and alertness.

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 When I saw things or people, they seemed to just appear or disappear instantly, and it seemed to be happening all at the same time.

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

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Everything was crystal clear, but it was very bright.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Hearing seemed to be the same.

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? No

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

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

The experience included: Void

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 It was extremely bright. It radiated warmth (like love.)

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm It was like a giant mansion. It was beautiful and huge and seemed to go on forever. It was filled with a bright light and was calming and pleasant. I felt full of joy in being there.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Happiness, joy, 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

The experience included: Special knowledge or purpose

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others I suddenly seemed to understand what I had to do. I needed to be more kind and care about important things in life. I realized how important school was.

The experience included: Life review

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 my personal future I ‘saw’ my father flying in an airplane. Later I found out that he had flown up to the hospital that I had been initially taken to.

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

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? Christian- Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I feel closer to God.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

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 I was very surprised to discover God was a female. God is always referred to as "He and Father" in the Bible. Otherwise everything else was consistent.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I feel I have a closer relationship with God.

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 The beings I identified as family, Jesus, and God.

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.)? Yes Jesus. I knew instantly who he was although he didn't tell me. He was dressed in a white robe. His presence felt warm and I could feel love coming off of him. Jesus said I should go back to the living and live my life.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I felt that everything is connected and loved. I felt one with all around me.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes She was bright and I felt her love immediately (and yes God is a female) She looked like the sun- with love coming off of her in rays (it's hard to explain- but she reminded me of a painting of the sun I saw when I was very young- with light illuminating off of her body in the center). She hugged me and she was suddenly gone.

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? Yes I know that I have to accomplish my dreams and create my happiness.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes I suddenly knew that I needed to do some things differently in my life- my purpose was to focus on school and be kind to others.

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes I was aware that I was somewhere that was magnificent and when I was surrounded with people I knew were dead- I was filled with love and felt loved.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I slightly feared death

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

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly 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? No

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Slightly compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes I was very aware of being full of love and being loved.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain Uncertain I am not sure how much was due to my accident and missing most of fifth grade. I made some changes in friendships. I kind of distanced myself from some of my friends and kept somewhat to myself for a while. I now tend to befriend those who are ‘outsiders,’ or less accepted.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes A person would have to feel it and have seen it for themselves. It is hard to explain and describe using words.

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 have a difficult time remembering a couple of days before the accident and the first 2 weeks in the hospital. I remember this event clearly.

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? It made me feel happy and peaceful to see my family and relatives again.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I first said something to my mother about one week after my accident, which was about one to two days after I came out of my coma. My mother was surprised, but happy, to hear about it. She told other family members about it. My nana (grandmother) was very intrigued and asked many questions. My family has shared this story with many people.

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

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

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? None that I can think of.