Dan M NDE

Experience Description

I have no memory of the event as far as the people involved and those types of things. My wife and I had hired a nurse to care for her sick mother. I stepped in and gave the nurse a break. When she returned, I felt terrible. I had an upset stomach, dizziness, and shortness of breath. I was going to drive myself home and that is my last conscious thought.

The nurse called 911, and luckily the paramedics happened to be close by. They were literally driving by about a block away. They determined that I had flat-lined and used a defilbrillator to restart my heart. The did this a total of three times because my heart kept stopping. During this episode my body went into a grand mal seizure. The paramedics were having trouble trying to hold me still and keep the heart going, so several fire fighters who were there helped hold me down until the seizure stopped. The fire fighters told me later that I had a calmness they have seen at times under these conditions.

What I find fascinating is that my NDE is as clear today as it was in 1995. I saw a brilliant and beautiful light drawing me towards it. I tried to go toward the light but was unable to move toward it. I liken it to a real life diorama, where everything in my world was there but I was unable to get to it. There was no frustration on my part. I continued to try to reach the light. It was like a magnet drawing me in but I was not able to get as close as I wanted. In my mind, it seemed a long time had passed for me. There were no people, nor any visions of people. All I can say is that it was the most beautiful experience of my life. During this event, I was in no hurry as time stopped. I had no real feeling during the event other than joy and exhilaration. The watch-word would be calmness. I had no fear.

I cannot pinpoint when I woke up. I had several brief periods of being awake in the intensive care unit, hooked up to machines, and hearing the incessant beeping from those machines. It was probably 1 to 2 days before I was conscious enough to be told what had happened. The memory of the NDE came to me immediately after waking.


Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: October 4, 1995

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heart attack. CPR given. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function) Myocardial Infarction

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? My only consciousness was of the event. During which time, I was at a high level of 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. I felt calmness and quiet with no reason to be in a hurry

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. Nothing to compare, I felt physically ill before I went unconscious.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There was nothing to hear

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. A non-worldly diorama

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was happy and exhilarated.

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? No

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

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. I was not able to move out of my state and into the center of the light

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Other Christian. I was catholic growing up

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated

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? No

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes It seemed at the time that something more powerful than myself was drawing me towards it

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

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? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. Since the event, I know that there is something after this life. Four years after the event, I lost my wife suddenly due to an aneurysm. She passed within hours of the onset. This made me surer of a life after this one.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes In the beginning it was hard to describe because I was all drugged up from the medications they gave in in the ICU. Once my head was clear of drugs, about 10 days, all the memories came flooding back

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. This event is a powerful memory. It seems more than a memory because it is like an imprint on my mind

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I seem to be very perceptive of events. At times, I feel events follow my thoughts by hours or days.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Only the fact it was so profound

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared it with a few people in the beginning. I was very selective. Most people were skeptical. I have had conversations with others who have had an NDE, but none like mine.

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. It is a real event in my mind. It was real and has never changed that idea

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. It happened and is a real as I am here typing this

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I think it is a good form.