Gordon D NDE

Experience Description

On June 26th, 1991, I woke up and ate cereal for breakfast. My two sisters were still in bed. Around 9 or 10, I went with my Aunt and two sisters to a community pool. We lived in a three-bedroom apartment; ironically it was apartment 911. When I walked into the pool area, the maintenance people were putting chlorine in the pool because it was green and murky. I remember the 'No Diving' signs were covered in vines and behind a tree. I was a seven-year-old kid and excited about being at the pool.

I was jumping into the pool and hit the back of my head. I got out of the pool and told my Aunt that my head hurt. She made me sit down. I sat on the bottom edge of the lawn chair at the 6-foot end of that pool for about two to five minutes. I felt better at the time and thought I could go back in the pool. I told my Aunt and she questioned to make sure I was OK. I told her that I was.

I jumped in and was swimming towards the 3 foot mark in the pool. My right side stopped working. It was if the inside of me was burning, and the outside body was as cold as ice. My Aunt jumped in, rescued me, and carried me over to the steps at the shallow end of the pool. Although she was talking to me, nothing she was saying to me made any sense. I do remember trying to make the Ninja Turtle hand sign that looked like StarTrek's Mr. Spock's hand when he says, 'Live long and prosper.' I was trying to do this with my right side, but could not do it. This was shocking to me. My Aunt Trish sent my sister Shannon home to call an ambulance. My grandma was at work, so my Aunt called her too. I was carried to a lawn chair.

I remember my grandma showing up and trying to keep my attention. If she were not there, I would have passed away. She kept me fighting, awake, and alert. Traumatic shock is the body's response to too much pain because it helps numb the pain. Then, I was taken into the ambulance.

I opened my eyes and was staring at my body in the ambulance. The paramedics were working on me and my grandma was holding my hand. The paramedics told my grandma to try to get my attention. The thing I remember before this was confusion, massive confusion. When I opened my eyes, however, I had crystal clear thoughts. I felt love, kindness, and peace of mind wash over me. All my senses were heightened. I was at peace, and I knew what that meant. At the roof of the ambulance, I saw a light. I did not see a tunnel because I was facing my body. I saw a light that was shining through me onto the body in the ambulance. My grandma looked hopeless, as if she was going to lose the little boy that she had taken care of. I will never forget the face of my grandmother. The feelings I felt were so real and loving that it is hard to articulate. Nobody talked to me or gave me instructions. All concepts of time or the feeling of time were gone. I felt like I was there for eternity. I could have stayed because I had that choice. I made my decision to come back.

I woke up in the hospital. I couldn't talk, walk, or think clearly. My aunt was by my side and smiling. It gave me immense comfort for her to be there.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 6/26/1991

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident Direct head injury. Life threatening event, but not clinical death. I had a traumatic head injury.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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. There was no confusion at all when I was out of my body.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I was staring at myself in the ambulance.

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. I knew that time did not exist.

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. The NDE was much more concise.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. All my senses were perfect.

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? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Refer to the story.

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

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others. I understood my own experiences.

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 definite conscious decision to return to life.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Do not know. I was young when I had the stroke. I had no concept of organized religion.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes. Going to school to be a Catholic Priest after I graduated with my Bachelor's in Catholic Biblical Studies.

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic. I am going to Catholic College for my undergraduate in Catholic Biblical Studies. I want to go into Catholic Priesthood.

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. I had no beliefs before because I was seven years old. My belief was in cartoons.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes

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 The feeling of peace.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes It was a feeling. I could have run in any direction after I came back. I ran into the arms of Jesus.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes That there was an afterlife.

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. I knew that life continued. I am afraid that I am not as innocent I was, so I strive to know Jesus and to go to that place again.

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? Yes The feeling was love-unending. It was not false or a feigned emotion.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. Since I was seven, I knew there was unequivocally an afterlife. I always believed this. There is not one being on this planet that can make me doubt this reality. I am becoming a priest. I want to help the world out and be compassionate.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes How do you articulate the infinite?

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.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Unerring belief!

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I take comfort in the fact that there is an afterlife. I believe that other people not knowing this is very weird to me. I know what I saw and the memory doesn't fade with time. I am 36 years old. I remember the whole incident, clearly.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes A couple of years. I tell people but sparingly and guard this truth with wisdom.

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. 100 % belief.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. 100 % belief.

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? There is an afterlife. Be good to each other.