Experience Description

At a given moment, my thoughts started wandering off and a bright white light arose around me, until I found myself in a kind of white room with a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Everything dear to me, family, partner, dog, seemed to have lost their importance (only I was important). After this phase, I was asked whether I wanted to live on. After an outspoken 'yes' (because I felt I was too young with still a lot of potential), I gradually woke up.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: november 1997

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Direct head injury 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Cerebro Vascular Accident, aneurysm.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain 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 As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? If I would divide the experience in three phases it would be the second one.

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 I experienced that time stood still.

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 was in the light.

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 As I described earlier, I got slowly enveloped by light.

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

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

The experience included: Void

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 Peace, separating light.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm een van, zoals boedha omschrijft, bewustzijn zonder wervelingen.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Serene, peace.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control The relativity. The beauty enclosed in the relativity of 'ephemeral' life.

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 am convinced about God/Allah/energy. I try to live as good/aware as possible, without harming myself or others.

What is your religion now? Moderate gnostisch

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am convinced about God/Allah/energy. I try to live as good/aware as possible, without harming myself or others.

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 This life is ephemeral, but part of the cosmos.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I don't judge people anymore, and other people's judgment about me is not so relevant anymore.

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Describing what happened is not difficult; but to convey the emotions in the experience is difficult.

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

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Primarily realizing that you have influence over your own life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes After a couple of weeks. It made my life with the people around me more difficult because one cannot transfer the experience.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I had heard about it as a phenomenon, but never heard about experiences.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real [Plato?] It was real for me, and whatever anybody says about it, for me it is an authentic experience.

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

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Three years later I experienced a moment of 'enlightenment' or nirvana. My NDE had a more subjective influence on me. The second experience had more influence on the environment/cosmos and the way I cope with it.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? Too much.