Jiří H NDE

Experience Description

My NDE happened from a fall from the first floor. I had a blow to the head by a flying plank when I was falling, followed by unconsciousness.

I found myself standing in a meadow or in a field. Slightly to my right was a clump of trees, a small forest, and it was rather far away. It was a beautiful, sun shining summer day. I did not see it directly but I felt and perceived it. To my left were two deer, a larger one and smaller one. The clump of trees seemed to me very enticing and I had a very pleasant feeling. I had a great desire to go to that clump of trees and I had the feeling that doing so would solve many things and rid me of my troubles. But it did not seem fair, to me, to cop-out and give up on what was still ahead of me in my life. Considering that, I remembered one girl, who I was attracted to, and I wanted to return to her. It seemed, to me, to be unresolved with her. The eye of that deer played a significant role but I cannot manage to remember.

Somehow, I knew that once I got to the clump of trees there was no returning from there. The entire scene of the episode was about what I was to decide to do and where I was enticed to go. I stood for only a short time, about five to ten minutes. Afterwards, my father woke me up and the ambulance took me away. I was very apathetic and it seemed, to me, somewhat of a shame that they woke me, very similar to being awakened from a dream.

According to the description from my father, I was okay and I waved from the ambulance. About a month after the experience I was reading the book Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, where in the part where the Purifier visits the main hero in paradise on earth; from the description in that book I had the same feelings when I was looking at the clump of trees in the dream.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: srpen 2005

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Direct head injury. Life threatening event, but not clinical death I fell from the first floor and a flying plank hit me in the head. I had a broken collarbone, a broken base of the skull, broken otocranium, swelling of the frontal lobe and a concussion. [Editor’s Note: Otocranium is the bony case of the internal and middle ear consisting of the petrous portion of the temporal bone.]

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was alert for the entire episode, however, before and after I was less alert.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses more vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Vision was the same.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. The same but in the episode there were no sounds.

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

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain There was sunshine that was pleasant but in the summer it is always pleasant for me.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No It was beautiful but a classical Czech countryside.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Overall it was pleasant, I felt a conflict as to whether to go to the clump of trees or not. I felt relaxed and calm as if everything was as it should be. I had the feeling as if I were returning home.

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? I felt united or one with the world

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

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No

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 I knew that if reached the clump of trees, where I felt that it was pleasant, that in all probability I would not return and I knew that would really relieve me. But it seemed to me to be unfair and cowardly to give up here thus I definitely planned not to go there.

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- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated

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- Other Christian Manželka je katolička, já nejsem pokřtěný.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

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? Yes Měl jsem pocit, že v remízku bych splynul s něčím dobrým.

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 not meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain Měl jsem vztah k dívce a ta reprezentovala lásku v životě.

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

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists Yes Zdálo se mi nepravděpodobné, že kdybych došel do remízku, tak by byl konec, tma a nic, ale během toho zážizku jsem nad tím nijak hluboce nepřemýšlel.

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

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

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

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Slightly 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 not 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 Věděl jsem, že je laciné to teď vzdát, že jsem si ještě nic neodtrpěl. Bylo mi teprve 18 a neměl jsem zatím žádné útrapy, přišlo mi to příliš snadné vydat se za hranici bez žádných útrap v životě.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Ta mě přivedla zpátky a ještě v době zážitku jsem neměl pocit nějaké velké lásky, ale věděl jsem že mě to v životě může čekat a to za to stojí.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? No changes in my life No changes in my life. All of the changes, in my opinion, have nothing to do with my episode.

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

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain What happened is possible to describe simply, but the feelings are difficult to describe, the rest was like always.

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? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The clump of trees, I had never experienced anything like this before.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes After my return from the hospital, this was three weeks. I no longer remember the reaction.

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 do not know.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably not real Now I look at this just like any other dream.

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? Now I look at this, as if through my subconscious, I observed some sort of truth. What I see is adjusted by what I am looking at. It did not seem to me probable that if I were to go into the clump of trees that would be the end: darkness and nothing. During that episode I did not deeply, in any way, think about it. I had the feeling that, in the clump of trees, I would merge with something good. I knew that it would be a cop-out to give up and that I still had not suffered any hardships. I was only 18 years old and I had not had any troubles. It came to me that it would be too easy to set off beyond the border without any sufferings in life. Love brought me back and still, during the time of the episode, I did not have the feeling of some sort great love but I knew that it could be waiting for me in life and it was worth it to come back.