John B NDE

Experience Description

It's simple.

I'm fourteen, it's Saturday and I'm riding my bicycle home from across town. I was going pretty fast down the hill toward a stop sign and the busy route thirty-one. Bushes and trees obstructed my view of the road to the left and right, and I was going too fast to stop. I decided to take my chances and dash across the highway. The very second I made that decision; I had a feeling of doom -- a few seconds later -- BAM!

I was broadsided dead center by a car doing over forty miles an hour.

I remember the initial impact, my left leg was shattered; at that very instant everything went slow motion -- I felt no pain but realized I had just begun getting hit by a car, and it was not over yet. The next thing I remember was hitting the windshield. At which point everything went black for a moment then I was looking down at the accident scene. I had been thrown about fifty feet -- the car windshield was shattered but held together, my body leaving a large depression in the semi-penetrated glass. I saw myself on the ground in a fetal position on my right side. Somebody came up from behind and kneeled, leaned forward and touched my shoulder. It was the driver of another car that had stopped. At that moment, I realized that it really was me down there in my blue shirt and jeans, lying in the middle of route thirty-one. My beautiful metallic blue Schwinn five-speed was mangled. :-( A few seconds later (judging by the activity I was seeing) I wondered how I could be up here and down there at the same time. Then a few seconds later, I was 'sucked,' for lack of a better word, back into my body. The next image I saw was a close up of the route thirty-one pavement.

I mentioned it in the emergency room, but they were concentrating on my injuries. I have this mentioned to people over the years, but you have to experience it to believe it, and it does change the way one thinks about death. I only fear the deaths of people I love, and will miss them. But I know there IS something on the other side -- I have been there. :-)

That's about the size of it.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: June, 1972

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Life threatening event, but not clinical death

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I could not see myself other than the body on the ground. I had a peaceful feeling and a sense of great wonder.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Very alert, had a nice view.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning First, extreme slow motion, then it was like I was 'outside' of time. The only way I was able to judge time was by watching below me; the man that came up behind was moving at a 'normal' speed.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? It was silent.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

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

Did you see an unearthly light? No

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

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

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 was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal at 14....I was not religious at all, although I had been forced to attend confirmation classes the previous year, and was conformed as a Luthran.

What is your religion now? Liberal I don't subscribe to any organized religion....but am spiritual and pray now and then. I don't think God...whatever that is...cares about me being Catholic v.s. Luthran v.s. Jewish. Organized religions are just big business anyway, and I'm wondering what all this good marketable information will be used for.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I don't fear death. I do fear being separated from my loved ones as they die, or leaving them behind if I die. But I think I would see them again.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No My only gift was getting to stay home my first seven months of high school, I had a tutor, and to not have to mow the lawn or shovel snow.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Best was realizing there is another plane of existence, the worst was not understanding it or how it works.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Some laughed, some were very interested.

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? Everybody can say what they want but it happened exactly as I said. Is there a place beyond physical existence? Sure looks that way. The mind seems to be a function of the universe, not of the body.