David M NDE

Experience Description

I was coughing up fluid from my lungs, which had accumulated in my windpipe. I arose out of bed and ran to the bathroom while trying to breathe. After several attempts to dislodge the fluid, I was choking on I was on my knees hanging over the bathroom sink. My parents were unaware of the incident at the time. It was at this moment I knew I was dying.

Thoughts and regrets ran through my head, such as I never traveled, or did this or that. I'm leaving behind the people I love. I never got to experience this or that. Then I felt the regret leave my body and my eyes closed. It was at this point, that the light got brighter and it was all around me. My arms opened up straight out to my sides and I became weightless, as if I was in a pool just floating with my arms and legs outstretched. It was warm and peaceful and all the thoughts of my regrets, and such, just disappeared along with any pain or stress. I was relaxed. I stared straight into the source of light, which was a circle and I began floating on my back towards it. To this day, I recall it like it was yesterday. It was a remarkable feeling and so positive.

Next thing I knew I felt a thud. I was sitting on the bathroom floor, my mom was there and all the feeling returned to my body. I was hyperventilating. It took a bit to come to my senses on who I was and where I was, I was still disoriented.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: June 17th, 1997

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Illness. Other: Cessation of breathing but not presumed clinically dead. Developed Asthma

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 When I came to terms that I was dying and my life flashed before my eyes. It was a natural extinct to go through the terms of your life and regrets, affairs during that moment of stress than any other time in my life. It was like I had everything planned automatically just before I left the ground.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Right before the weightlessness

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time meant nothing.

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. More faded than usual. My mental image was sharper than my vision.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was absolutely quiet. I did not hear any distressing sounds or voices of deceased relatives during the ordeal. If the circle was the tunnel then I didn't get to the point of no return yet. I didn't hear myself heaving or coughing anymore when I began to separate.

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

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain The circle I saw, from which the source of light may have been the tunnel.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

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

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes It was a bright glow that was all around, below and above.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place It was an area of absolute light.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? When I knew I was dying, thoughts and regrets ran through my head: I never traveled, got married, had children, bought a house all ran through my head and it was quick. I'm leaving behind the people I love. I never got to experience this or that. It was the proverbial ‘life flashed before my eyes’ feeling. When I felt the feeling leave my body and my eyes closed suddenly this ray of light encircled me and all the regrets went away. I was then relaxed, at peace and it didn't matter anymore and off I went.

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 no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others I came to terms, I was ready to go.

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

The experience included: Awareness of the future

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 importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Moderately important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant na

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? Christian- Protestant na

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience It was interesting that when the light appeared I knew immediately that I was dying. I always was told about the tunnel and I didn't see one, but was told about the bright light which was my indication that I was dying. However if I had actually made it to the bright circle that could've been the tunnel. I was revived before I could draw that conclusion.

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? No

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? I was uncertain if God exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God probably 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 probably meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

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 probably exists No

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

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

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

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

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

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are probably 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 The only thing I felt was regret. I wasn't angry or upset that I didn't do things before I died, just wished I could've experienced it before this occurred.

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

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

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life Moderate changes in my life. No one really knows for a fact if God exists. My upbringing refers to the higher power as God, and I do believe there is a higher power; however, I've never met God so I can't say for a fact that he/she exists. After my experience I have a greater respect of life. At 16, like all teenagers, we believed we were invincible. However, it was a positive experience and thus I am not as afraid of death as I once was. I'm glad I had this experience as it has given me a great respect for life.

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

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 Dreams fade and memories can embellish over time, but the fact is that I remember this experience more vividly than any dream or memory that I've ever had. I remember this experience like it was yesterday and it was almost 20 years ago.

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 Family and friends up to this point.

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 Nothing can explain what I felt. I never did research, until after the ordeal and the experiences of others were strikingly accurate to mine, so I concluded it to be real.

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

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