Darren R NDE

Experience Description

I was unconscious, recovering from double-bypass heart surgery. I recall nothing until I experienced a flood of all my life experiences hitting me simultaneously. Time had no meaning, that is, these were not chronologically ordered events. Everything that had happened in my life was experienced all at once. I experienced all the experiences of my life, from the point of view of the other person with whom I was interacting. Most notably, I felt the effect my words and actions upon the other person at the time. This life review was totally dispassionate; in the sense I was neither frightened nor happy. It was like I was objectively judging my life up to that point, in the smallest of detail, with total truth, and accuracy. This flood of memories was interrupted part way through my life. It was as if someone hit the off button and the memories instantly ceased. It all felt totally real. The events recalled were all real, actual events in my life.

After I awoke, I could not recall anything specific of these events despite the incredible detail I experienced during the review. Having been trained in the health sciences, I afterwards initially considered whether this experience was due to cerebral hypoxia. It eventually dawned on me that if the hypoxia hypothesis was correct, I would have experienced everything from MY point of view, not that of the other person. I eventually realized that the only reason for this experience is that I needed to understand that how we treat other people is incredibly important in this life. Perhaps it is something I needed to better understand and act on. It has taken me years to get my head around this conclusion and its implications. I think my experience was a wake-up call to be less selfish and to love others more.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 2016

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related Heart attack CPR given Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function) I was recovering in ICU from heart bypass surgery. I went into ventricular fibrillation.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

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. My memory/recollection was complete and perfect; as was the ability to feel other people's feelings during my past interactions with them

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the life review

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. My life review happened all at once, not chronologically.

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I can't answer this question as I only saw memories

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I can't answer this question as I only heard memories

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

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? What the other people in my memories had felt at the time of my interactions with them. I didn't feel anything for me.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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? My past flashed before me, out of my control. I experienced all my actual past life events simultaneously and rapidly; like a massive download/flood of memories, but from the point of view of how my actions impacted the other person. That is, I recalled the event but also the feelings/emotions that the other person experienced at the time. All memories were of real events in my life but not from my perspective.

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? Buddhist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Partly as a result of this experience, I have changed from Buddhist to Christian.

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant

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. At the time I believed in karma but probably did not live as a Buddhist should. I was full of hubris.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I changed from Buddhism to Christianity, largely as a result of realizing that Buddhism denies the existence of God. But I know for certain he does exist and has a plan for us since this experience. There is a plan to everything or why else have a life review?

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? 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? No

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? Slight changes in my life. The impact on my life has grown as the years have gone by and I have reflected on the experience.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? More thoughtful about how I interact with my wife in particular.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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 feel strongly the event was real and this has not diminished or changed with time.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Close family members mainly, fairly immediately afterwards, and their reactions were polite only as far as I know.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had read a book or two over the past 2-3 decades. I knew life reviews could happen during NDEs but not that they happened from the perspective of the other person/people and that I would judge myself.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was probably real. Something was definitely experienced as I have described but I wondered if it was due to hypoxia.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I realized after a while that hypoxia could not explain the fact that I experienced the life review from the point of view of the people with whom I interacted. What would be the evolutionary/biological reason for that?

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? The effect on me has been more gradual, I think. The implications have taken years to hit home. I had previously thought that changes brought about by NDEs were fairly immediate.

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