John D NDE

Experience Description

I was a water-meter reader for the city. We were at the park to get our route books and return them there when we were finished. A bunch of us were at the supervisor's van turning in our books. He was parked on the other side of the parking lot from where we were parked. One guy had shown up with his car and said, 'Hop on the trunk and hood and I'll take y'all to your car.' About six of us hopped on his car. I sat on the driver's side front-fender. He started off slow and decided to show off and popped the clutch when he shifted to second gear. We were going probably 15 to 20 mph. I felt myself slipping off and decided that I need to push off to avoid getting run over. I made about two steps and fell face first into the blacktop street with the right side of my face hitting first. I remember the steps and falling.

The next thing I remember was hovering about 10 feet in the air over my body. I saw my supervisor holding my head in his lap. I heard a ambulance coming into the park and my supervisor screaming for get it to get over here, saying, 'He hasn't been breathing for several minutes!' Then I remember being in a place that was foggy, but not foggy. Hard to explain. It had no defined borders or colors. I was in a sense of peace, with no pain, and a feeling of it's o.k. I remember thinking that I wasn't breathing. Yet, I felt no panic. It felt like nothing I can describe but it was like not breathing was normal. I don't know why I remember this but it seemed important at the time.

I started hearing a screeching sound and opened my eyes to see that I was in a stainless steel box. It was the inside of the ambulance, but I did not realize it at the time. The emergency medical service (EMT) guy was telling the other EMT that he couln't stabilize me, so hurry up.

Then I was back to the ethereal place. I then heard someone say, 'Do we know the next of kin?' I was on a gurney against the wall in the emergency room with a sheet over my head. I sat up and said, 'I can tell you.' A nurse with her back to me screamed and dropped the tray of things, she was carrying, on the floor. A doctor ran over to me and I answered his questions like who I was, what was my wife and father's phone number. I then passed out and woke up two days later with a fractured skull, a severe concussion, and all the skin on the right side of my face missing.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1972

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes. Accident. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)

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 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. Everything seemed at a higher level of awareness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? In the ambulance I did not know what was going on. In the emergency room, I felt normal for the few minutes that I was awake.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

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

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Brighter

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

The experience included: Void

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

Did you see an Unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. It was a place that was no place

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? None at peace

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 no longer in conflict with nature

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? Moderately important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic. Raised Lutheran converted catholic for marriage.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes It's personal now

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic Not practicing

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. Didn't see deceased people or the presence of a supreme being

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes. No longer fear death because I know something is there after death.

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? Uncertain There felt like someone was overseeing it all

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? An afterlife probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists. Yes I was dead and knew I was a at a different place then my physical body.

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? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

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 probably 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? Greatly compassionate toward others

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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. It was as clear, if not clearer, than any memory even now .

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. At least 10 years after. Everyone thought it was just my imagination

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. Because I experienced it, it was real

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Again because I experienced, it is as real as any other memory

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? I had another concussion in 1979, and another skull fracture in 1998. Nothing happened like the first experience.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? What were your thoughts during the experience because a normal rational mind notices things like not breathing etc.