Dan A NDE

Experience Description

On May 12th 1997, I was working as a laborer on a construction site. I was crushed to death by a cement tilt up wall for a trash enclosure (approximately two and a half to three ton cement wall). I was trying to run up an embankment to safety after hearing my foreman shouting STOP three times and seeing the cement truck back into the wall. I was struck in the head and immediately went down to the ground with the wall on top of me. My hard hat saved me from having a more serious head injury.

As I lay stunned and numb on the ground pinned against the earth with the wall on top of me. I heard my foreman running up the hill shouting my name until he was there looking under the wall calling my name. I tried to respond and then realized that I could not talk. It was at that moment that I suddenly felt this immense weight on me pressing me into the ground I could not expand my lungs at all to get a breath.

I heard him run off calling into his radio for help; I lay there in stunned silence and could not believe what had happened so fast. My life flashed in front of me as I lay there under the wall. I began thinking about my life and how I had been a bad person based on the Christian way I was raised to obey God's Commandments. I did not want to die, I was not ready to die, I prayed to God for help. Suddenly the daylight quickly faded to complete blackness; I had run out of oxygen.

I was alone and scared in complete darkness when suddenly I saw a little tiny pinpoint of light. As I stared at it, the light became brighter and larger and closer like I was moving toward it, or it was coming to me very rapidly from a far distance away, until it was so large and bright it was like a wall of light. Proceeding into the light I was immediately filled with the light, the most amazing peace, warmth and joy! I have never felt such an amazing feeling ever in my life. My eyes adjusted to the brilliant bright light and I realized that I had entered into a magnificent splendid giant hall or building, the walls emanated this pure bright light and filled everything it touched so that there not a shadow, sad or mean thought could exist, just pure love and joy.

Looking around I noticed that this grand hall was filled with people, hundreds or thousands of people; I was floating in over the top of them, 'Wow,' I thought to myself, 'I'm at some kind of a big ball or party!' Coming down closer and closer I could see how happy everyone was and could feel a buzz of excitement. The people were together in groups talking among themselves; everyone was so happy and existed like in great anticipation. Everyone was clothed in a pure white gown from their necks to their feet and glowed with the same light. Everyone was a young adult; there were no children or old people present. (I later realized that this must have been a receiving area for family members to come and meet their relatives coming back into the real world, when they leave the Earthly plane of existence. Kind of like an airport!)

Floating down to a small group they suddenly turned around as if they could hear me coming or someone had announced my arrival. I recognized a beautiful woman with long flowing black hair and fair skin; she looked just like pictures of my mother when she was nineteen years old. (I was later told that my grandmother looked just like my mother when she was young. I had only met my grandmother once or twice when she was an old woman living in France and she had died in the 1980's.) I did not recognize the other people standing there with her but felt we were family relations. We were so happy to see each other! She took us all aside to sit down and talk, she told me that I had to go back. I said no way! I'm not going anywhere! She continued to insist that I must go back but I was very stubborn; had never been in such a wonderful place and did not want to leave. She explained to me that I could come back all I have to do is be a good person and be good to other people! That's easy I thought.

Then she told me I must leave now because my body on earth was running out of oxygen and I had to return and figure out how to get oxygen or everyone would die, people were counting on me! I did not want to let them down and always want to help rescue people so I went back and solved the oxygen problem. It was then that I took my first breath. They had gotten the wall off me; I had been under the wall for eight to ten minutes and should have been dead!

Later I spoke with a friend and he told me that he was holding me so that I would not slide down the hill; he said I was completely blue and not breathing. He was talking to me telling me that everything would be all right when my body suddenly went into convulsions. I coughed up a bunch of blood and started breathing on my own! Somehow, I was able to resuscitate myself!

I remember being in unbelievable pain, it hurt to breath I had to take short breaths, the paramedics were asking a bunch of questions it hurt too much to talk, the helicopter got louder and louder. That was the last thing I remember. I spent three months in the hospital hooked up to life support, in a drug-induced coma for one and a half months. I fought for my life and had other out of body and life after death experiences while there in the hospital. In one of the experiences, I went to a dark terrible place completely opposite from the light joyful place confirming my belief that there is a place for good people and a different place for bad people to go to after we leave our earthly body. I now do not fear death but strive to be a good person and do good to others.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 05/12/1997

NDE Elements:

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

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

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? More consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Inside the grand hall of light. I had great feelings and experiences but not in a Earthly Physical sense, i.e. touch, smell, sound, sight and taste. More like a spirit body; looking through a different type of eyes, like an empty glass then made filled or made complete by the light; hearing/ communicating through eye contact and ESP, through the mind not physical ear hearing/ mouth vocalizing as we currently do. Completely connected to the all the people in the light source of pure love, peace and joy.

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 It did feel like I sat talking to my grandmother for a long time but was only under the wall for eight to ten minutes.

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. My vision was through my spirit eyes which see on a different level than earthly eyes.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My hearing was directly inside my mind not transferred sound from ears to brain.

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? Uncertain I traveled to the light or the light traveled to me. I don't remember a tunnel but do remember tunnel vision as I focused on the light.

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 I saw a large group of people several hundred to a thousand then met with my grandmother and a small group of people I believe were my relatives who have passed on.

The experience included: Void

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 I definitely remember the light as explained above.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm The Beautiful large hall or building of light.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? First feelings of fear and despair, then upon entering the light the feelings of pure love, peace and joy. Kind of like when you close your eyes and hold the person that you love e.g. mom, children or spouse but multiplied by a billion.

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 Kind of had a fast recollection of my life before I left my body.

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? Moderate

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I returned to the Christian Faith of my youth.

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I returned to the Christian Faith of my youth.

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? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes Kind of - when filled with the light, felt completely connected to a network of all knowing loving power. United, one with the everything.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am much more loving, kind and forgiving.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have since become tied into the spiritual conscious world and have learned to accept it. I also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, am very in tune, sensitive, to people's feelings, and went from being a tough guy, to now being a sensitive, happy tears kind of person. (I cry during movies like the notebook and fight back tears when hearing sad, struggle for life and death stories - very sensitive heart now.)

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? They were all special and meaningful.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared my experience with my family members, they all believed. I used to love to share my experience with others until a man told me it was just delusions from the drugs at the hospital and the light was just the light from the operating room. I was hurt, never thought there would be people that would not believe me and have since chose who I share my experience with more carefully and rarely share it anymore.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes As a child I had heard other stories of people who died and went into the light and thought to myself 'wow that would be cool' but have since changed my opinion because of all the physical pain and suffering that comes with being crushed to death and the pain thereafter. But still would be interested in hearing other's stories of their experience.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I did not remember my experience until after a couple months in the hospital, sometime after being brought out of a drug induced coma.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I still know my experience was real, I know the difference between a dream and reality; I know the difference between a drug induced dream. I have experimented with many drugs as a teenager and nothing I have experienced on this Earth comes close to describing my experiences and the places that I visited.

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? No.