Irving K NDE

Experience Description

I was put by my parents in a ‘crib’ for young children where the water was up to chin level. They and maybe others were at the other end of the ‘crib’. I lost my footing because of a slimy bottom. Unable to regain my footing, I haplessly foundered under the water. I do not remember any fear or pain on trying to regain my upright position.

Suddenly there appeared an unearthly bright light upon which I fixated. It was so very bright but did not hurt my ‘eyes’. It appeared to be fractionated into ‘squares’ or ‘rectangles’ or approximations and the colors varied between golden and yellows. They were absolutely beautiful. It seemed that my ‘eyes’ were forward focused but my entire ‘visual field’ took all this in. There was total peace and serenity, and perhaps in retrospect: love. I did not want the spectacle to end, and it appeared to go on and on. To the end, the ‘visual field’ did not materially change. Throughout the experience, I had no awareness of my physical body.

Suddenly after seemingly an eternity, there was a sudden jolt and I felt and saw mass confusion around me as reality reappeared. I was lying on my back and faces hovered above me. I have no memory beyond this. My amnesia lasted apparently a long time. I do not remember my parents even talking to me about any experience I might have had. It seems life just returned to normal. I might mention that my father in his memoirs mentions that I almost drowned, that they found me on the floor of the ‘crib’. I have no idea of how long it took them to notice that I had disappeared from sight.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: SUMMER OF 1935 OR 1936

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No Drowning 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death'

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? 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 I had constant alertness and consciousness from the start. The brightness of the light and colors never changed their unbelievable persistence throughout, until the horrible jolt. The brightness and colors were far more vivid but strangely did not hurt my ‘eyes’. My consciousness was intact but solely focused on the beauty appearing before me. There were no extraneous thoughts.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual

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. Many times greater

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard nothing: eerie silence only

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

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

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? NONE

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

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? No

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? Unknown

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant I HAD NO AWARENESS OF RELIGION BUT PARENTS WERE METHODISTS.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes For most of my life I was agnostic but with the dawn of my spiritualism, this experience has been the cornerstone.

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

What is your religion now? Other faiths- New age FOR LAST COUPLE OF DECADES CONSIDER MYSELF SPIRITUAL. BELIEVING IN REINCARNATION AND SPIRITUAL EXISTENCE.

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 THE VISUALS WERE INCONSISTENT WITH EXPERIENCE UP TO THAT AGE.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes After I lost my second wife to cancer, I read Bryan Weiss books and others and became spiritual. Recalling my childhood NDE, I consequently became very convinced of an afterlife.

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? God probably 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 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? Unknown

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

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? Unknown

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists No

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

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

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Unknown

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? Unknown

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? No

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Unknown

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

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 Moderate changes in my life

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

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The visual was in a dimension never seen before or after on this earth.

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 EVEN TODAY, SOME 77 OR 78 YEARS LATER, I REMEMBER THE EXPERIENCE AS THOUGH IT HAPPENED TODAY

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 Only in the last few years. My children were convinced of my own observations. The few others I told of my NDE were noncommittal.

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 definately not real I can't remember even thinking about it right afterward.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Not only was it very real but it has changed my outlook on life and after life.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No