John NDE

Experience Description

I was in a large 'shop class' working with wood. I was not working on a project at the time, but was walking across the shop when a guy named Chip walked up to Jim while Jim was working on a lathe. Jim was sanding a large (twelve to fourteen inch diameter) salad bowl at about 600 RPM and Chip turned it up to 3500 RPM. The bowl shattered and pieces hit me in the head and face. I was out cold on the floor. I remember being able to see all the people in the room while I seemed to be above them looking down at the scene. I do not remember seeing any blood though.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 2/17/1974

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No AccidentDirect head injury 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' I was in a comma for six days.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain
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? Normal consciousness and alertness As soon as it happened to me.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? As soon as it happened to me.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I kept thinking I had to go back to places I worked at part time to see everyone.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Did your vision differ in any way from normal? I had double vision for two months.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

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 see an unearthly light? Uncertain

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt neutral, I was not worried or tense.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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? Everything about the universe

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

The experience included: Vision of the future

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate

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? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I need space and do not want to feel trapped.

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? Yes When people lie to me and look at me they sense that they know I know they are lying. People at a few jobs, including my current job, want to talk to me because I offer realistic information about the possible solutions to their situation. I prefer to work alone and unsupervised at work.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I do not fear death, but think being disabled should be a concern for people.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I met a co-worker a few years ago who talked and acted like I did. I watched him for a few days and was going to ask him if he was ever in an accident that was serious. Instead he approached me and he had been in an accident where he fell off a truck and had many things run through his mind after the accident.

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 probably real. In a few situations I could always tell the story of what happened to me from an observer's point of view. Some people have said,' You sound like a New York reporter telling your story.'

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real. My outlook and views are different from many other people and when I crack jokes about death, dying, and near death people are uptight about it and I'm not.

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? As mentioned above about the co-worker. When I first saw him and he would argue and argue with people it reminded me of how I was after the accident. Many people would say to me, 'Pick a subject - any subject and we can argue about all day.' Then they tell me to 'give it a rest' when I droned on about things. All of these are the same things my co-worker was doing.