Jose ER STE

Experience Description

I am a 78-year-old psychologist and a retired professor and lecturer from a university. Julie, my wife, age 75, whom I married 50 years ago, a former Montessori teacher, is also retired. Both of us speak fluent English and Spanish and spend time in Peru, where we were originally born.

My experience happened 53 years ago.

A few days before turning age 25, on a Sunday, I went to a mid-day mass at a catholic church in Lima, Peru. The church was so crowded there wasn’t a single seat available. So I decided to sit on the floor at the side of one of the benches. I sat behind a huge column so that I wouldn’t be noticed doing something unconventional. While the priest was delivering his sermon, I suddenly felt that my soul was leaving my body. It was backing up and ascending higher and higher. I could see the back side of my entire body while this took place. During what seemed a few seconds, I thought I had died. Suddenly, I found myself in a completely different and wonderful dimension that is impossible to be described in words. I wasn’t an "I" anymore, but, rather, PART OF A GREATER WHOLE. I lost every limitation that I had felt before; there were no categories or barriers of any kind. Rather than being with God, I was part of this Amazingly Loving Being. The Well-being that I experienced is indescribable in words. I was feeling ecstatic going through this extraordinary experience, when, suddenly and unexpectedly, I realized that my soul was quickly returning to my body. As much as I wanted to prevent this, it was impossible. Suddenly, in what seemed like a few seconds, my soul had abruptly entered my body.

I had never experienced anything like that before. I have never experienced it again during the subsequent 53 years. There isn’t a single day when I don’t remember this. I’m eager to 'return' there after my earthly death, despite having lived a happy and fulfilling life. Nothing, however, can compare to what I experienced when I was almost 25.

I felt that my skin was my prison because it prevented me from expanding once again and continuing my previous experience. I have never felt so frustrated in my entire life, not even when I was stranded in bed at age 8, stricken with polio shortly before the Salk vaccine was discovered. May God forgive me, but I resented Him for playing such a dirty trick on me. I was terribly disappointed and quite mad at Him when I left the church that day. Why should He allow me to experience such wellbeing and then, with no explanation whatsoever, take it away from me? I begged Him to send me back to where I had been so unbelievably happy, but He didn’t. I felt disappointed with God. I also asked Him not to let me return to the previous state until the moment of my death since I couldn’t stand returning to my body once again. He fulfilled my petition. Still, I continued to be mad at Him for a very long time.

Finally, one glorious day, after finishing my daily prayer, I received the following comforting message from Our Lord: 'My beloved son, I have given you a sample of what you should expect later if during the rest of your life you continue to be faithful to me and to the people who surround you. I have allowed you to experience a taste of 'heaven' for a few minutes, but you will experience this eternally under my Grace.' The bitterness that I had felt immediately vanished and, instead, I felt a great peace and gratitude for what Our Lord had done for me. My gratitude toward God for His beautiful gift cannot be described in words and will remain until the glorious day when I return to Him forever. I can hardly wait! Until that moment, I’d like to share my experience with others so that they realize that death is just a passage towards eternal life which is way more fulfilling than the one on earth. I strongly feel that Our Lord wants me to minister to others.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 01-05-1971

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. I thought I had died while listening a priest's sermon.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

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. Yes. I was aware of everything, absolutely everything.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? As soon as I left my body. It's difficult to determine exact time under the non-categorial circumstances.

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. Again, I lost sense of every category. There was no time, whatsoever.

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. Impossible to compare to anything else.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There was no hearing or category at all. I was immersed in a total Whole.

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? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain I just knew I was already in heaven, a different heaven than I had suspected.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. Nothing that I had ever experienced before or experienced later.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was ecstatic.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

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. I was definitely part of a whole and I was the whole itself at the same time.

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? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will I wanted to stay. My return to my body was forced by a Greater Force.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic I studied two years as a seminarian to become a catholic priest. However, I quit because I realized that I could be of service to others as a psychologist and leading a married life.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic I'm still catholic and open to any Christian faith and strongly feel that non-Christians have also the opportunity to reach Christ.

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. It was a totally new and wonderful experience, the best that I have had, by far.

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. I was part of a definite being, part of God Himself, blessed be Him/Her.

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 Everything was interconnected, including myself, even though I lost my sense of self.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I realized that God existed and that I was part of God and so was everything else.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes that love was all around without exception.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life I now know that God wants me to share my wonderful experience with others so that people may realize that death is really a passage to eternal life. Fortunately, being 78 years old, I'm in good health and the Holy Spirit will inspire me always.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Any word would have been limited.

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. Nothing can compare to this experience, although I've had a quite fulfilling life.

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? I now know for sure that heaven does exist and that God was kind enough to show me a sample or heaven so that I continue to love Him and my fellow brothers and sisters.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I took me decades to share the experience with others, except my wife and one of my sisters. They accepted my testimony but with less enthusiasm than I expected. I have been very cautious since then about sharing this with others.

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. Days after my experience took place, I was upset with God because He didn't allow me to return to where I had been. Fortunately, I received reassurance from Him later on and my frustration turned into gratitude and unconditional love towards Him.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I view it as a marvelous and unexpected gift from Our Lord Jesus Christ whom I now love passionately and unconditionally.

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? Nothing can compare to this experience. It has been, by far, my best experience ever.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Try to make it shorter. Also be aware that this experience was a-categorial for me and it may be for many others as well.

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