David NDE

Experience Description

When it happened, I was watching television. As simple as that. At the time, I had no religious background that meant anything to me. My parents were Protestant Christians, but I thought it was crap. I was a physical and forensic anthropology student. A devout atheist. Angry for how my life had been. Surely, no God would have let me suffer as I had. Surely, no God would have allowed me to be born into a family with such strong issues or be born a homosexual if that was against his will. Why would he let me grow up to be so hard and mean? I thought for sure he couldn't be real and if he was, he must be a moron. But I was wrong. And I learned that many of us are wrong. I was eighteen years old in 2011. When I was very young, I had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat which I had had my whole life. Then one day when I was watching TV, I felt an immense pain in my chest. I felt my heart stop beating and then I experienced blackness.

The next thing I knew, I was looking at someone's body. Then I realized it was me, but had no real feeling of ‘Oh! That's me!’ I didn't care. It was an empty vessel. Big whoop. But I noticed I didn't need my glasses and that I no longer seemed to have Tourette's Syndrome. I felt a warm light behind me and when I turned around, I was in this beautiful warm sunny garden. Everything was alive. And then I heard his voice.

I saw Stephen. He had died when we were fifteen in the tenth grade just before Christmas. I had missed him so much. We had been great friends. He looked so real and so healthy now, not at all like the boy with the hollow chest filled with sawdust that I had cried over in his casket. He had so much to show me. He was able to telepathically show me his death as he had experienced it through his eyes. First, he allowed me to see him getting out of bed and walking toward the washroom, and then falling and hitting his head on the toilet. Then I was shown how his soul had seen his head hit the toilet causing an aneurysm to burst. Then he showed me a man in white calling him towards a tunnel. This was his spirit guide. He told me that death is a lie men tell themselves. We never truly die. You leave this earth once you've learned all you can, and then you return to the spirit world. He showed me that they could see us whenever they desire. He also emphasized that we here in the physical world have complete free will.

I spotted an area in this beautiful world where I very much wanted to go. But he said, no, that if I went there, I wouldn't be able to come back. Suddenly, a beautiful light shone towards us. It was a light I knew was Jesus. He told Stephen that I had to go back now. And I said, ‘No! I wanna stay!’ Jesus replied with, ‘You promised you would do this. And you have much left to do.’ With that, I was slammed back into my body and I awoke, gasping for breath.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: July 18th 2011

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heart attack. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Chest pains followed by feeling heart stop.

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? Yes I had a full spirit connection with a dead loved one and I spoke with Jesus Christ. 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 I could feel everything. Every bit of light was magnified.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? From the moment I left my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. I could see everything with alert sharp clarity, whereas in my daily life I need glasses.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard everything with crystal clarity.

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

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: Unearthly light

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

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm A beautiful garden.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Complete wonder and curiosity.

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

The experience included: Awareness of the future

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes A point of no return to the physical body.

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 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? Unaffiliated- Atheist At the time of my experience I was a very angry God hating Atheist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I am now a Christian.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant

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 a non believer at the time of my experience

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am now fully Christian.

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 My friend Stephen and Jesus.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? Yes

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? God does not exist

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes

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? No

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not 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? An afterlife does not exist

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes There is definite life after death

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? Greatly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not 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? Yes lessons

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes love is important

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life I have had religious visions. Also psychic experiences with the dead.

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 as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the experience

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Religious visions and psychic abilities.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Being with Stephen and having him show me everything.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared it right away.

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 I knew it was real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real It was real. I know it like I know I need to breathe.

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? Being a homosexual had no meaning on the other side. It didn't matter. I mattered.