Larry L NDE

I received a phone call at work from one of my employees, asking when I would be home. The person said they were inside my home, and I told them I would be there in about thirty minutes. The person said, ‘Don't be wearing your glasses when you get here’. From that statement, I knew what to expect when I got home. I am five feet six inches tall and weigh one hundred and forty pounds. The person who was at my house was six feet one inch tall and weighed one hundred and ninety pounds. The person was very drunk and jealous that he had not receive a promotion from me; he had decided to quit his job, and beat me up at the same time.

I was yanked from my pick-up truck. He reached across the toolboxes and choked me behind the cab. I managed to pry his hands from my neck and shove him away and he ran towards me, striking me in the face. I grabbed him around the torso, pinning his arms to his sides, and had thoughts of taking him to the ground. I could not get leverage to throw him down, so I got a lower grasp on him around the legs and buttocks. When I picked him up, I started stumbling backwards and caught the heel of my boot on the edge of the sidewalk. I fell over backwards landing on the back of my head and he landed on top of me. I felt a terrible crunch in my neck and lost consciousness.

My experience started here. I felt I was alone in darkness, and very conscious of myself in this darkness. I saw a 'dot' of light, no bigger than a match-head. The dot of light began to grow slowly, and when it reached about the size of a baseball, I started realizing that the light was not really getting bigger, I was actually moving towards it. The closer I got to it, the faster I seemed to be traveling. It was very much like riding a small vehicle, similar to a roller coaster car, open all around, no top, short sides, etc. I must say I was frightened about what was taking place, and at the time did not relate it to dying and going to Heaven.

When I got to the light it was like all of a sudden, there was nothing but the most intense bright white all around me. I instantly realized the most peaceful, pain free, contented, euphoric state that I can imagine. I never felt so good and at home in all my life experiences on Earth. I could sense there were three or four others in the light, but could not see them plainly, due to the intensity of the light that surrounded them and was around me. I did have the impression that they were standing on a wide set of steps going up. I felt that there was also someone of more importance a little higher up those steps who I could not see at all, and surely that was the source of the light.

After I was there for about a minute, just standing there thinking about how incredibly good I felt, a voice that seemed to be all around me asked, ‘Do you want to stay or do you want to go back?’ I don't remember if these were the exact words, but that was the meaning implied. I don't really know for sure if those words were spoken aloud or if they just filled my head so much that they seemed to be spoken. I knew I had to make a decision, and it was not easy to decide. I have two daughters who were eight and twelve years old at the time, and even though I wanted to stay, I answered either to myself or aloud that I needed to go back for them. In an instant I was traveling through darkness, just the reverse of the way I went. There was a small light that got bigger as I got closer to it. When I arrived, there I was lying on my back in the backyard looking at the blue sky.

I felt great and didn't think of anything except where I had just came from. After a minute or so, I decided to get up. I felt like I was moving my arms to roll over, but nothing moved. I soon realized that I could not wiggle my fingers, although they were being told to move. I lay in my yard for about fifteen minutes before I could finally roll over and get up. The ability to move was slowly coming back to me, but I experienced no pain. I went into my house, started recalling being attacked, and decided to see if I was going to have a black eye from being slugged.

As I washed my face off in the sink, I saw stars when I stood back up straight. I also noticed that my shirt was ripped about half way off and I had some very distinct imprints of the attacker's tennis shoe in my forehead and face. He had also pounded on my stomach and chest and left them red and scraped. After a few minutes, a car pulled into my driveway rather hurriedly. The attacker's brother-in-law, also regarded as a good friend of mine, came running towards my house. I let him in and he looked me over and said, ‘We are going to the hospital’.

On the way to the hospital, my friend said his drunken brother-in-law had gone to his house and confessed to killing me. At the hospital, I walked into the emergency room and asked if I could get my back checked out. I told them I fell off a ladder. They x-rayed my spine and discovered the second vertebr' (T2) in my neck was broken in three pieces. It still did not hurt as I laid there on the x-ray table waiting for a special collar to be brought over. Four days later, I had T2 and T3 fused together, using a section of rib bone from my back. I convalesced over the next six months in a SOMY head brace and everything worked out well. I had bruised my spinal cord causing the temporary paralysis and I am a very lucky individual to be walking.

I have not forgotten what the 'experience' was like after nearly sixteen years. It has actually brought me a lot of comfort about dying and what waits for us after death. I have shared this with many family members and friends and have been fortunate to be with some loved ones in the last two years when they passed. I encouraged them all to look for that light and don't be afraid to go to it. I am comforted knowing that I will join them someday. I have COPD and am on oxygen therapy 24/7, but I am not in the least bit afraid of dying.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 9/5/1985

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Criminal attack Life threatening event, but not clinical death Broken neck (T2 vertebr') from falling while fighting off an attacker in my backyard.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

Did you feel separated from your body? No

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I felt fully conscious and very alert.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time did seem to stand still. But I only think I was there for a few minutes.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? The sound of wind as I gained speed and approached the light.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes Similar to a tunnel or a huge conduit.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I saw other beings (angels?), but could not see them well enough to recognize or describe in detail. They were about the size of human beings but were so surrounded by the light that I couldn't see them clearly.

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes The light is the first thing I noticed in all of the darkness. And what a light it was!!

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I only went as far as the entrance. The trip through the tunnel, then there I stood in the bright light.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Euphoria!! Never felt better!! All was at peace!! There wasn't a single thing that was not perfect!!!

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe That God does exist, and I think God is the light that I saw and stood in.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control What I learned confirmed my religious beliefs about the hereafter, but now I am certain that Heaven exists and is waiting for us to arrive.

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 Definitely. It was my decision to stay or return. I am not sure if this was asked aloud or if I just felt it very strongly. I made my decision and immediately returned.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate

What is your religion now? Moderate

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Not really a change, but a confirmation. I felt I needed to share this with everyone.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Best -- how perfect I felt mentally, physically, emotionally. Worst -- Being scared at first because I did not know what was happening or where I was going.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I have found that people who are on their deathbed are comforted by me relating my experience to them.

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 used to have my doubts about NDE, but now I, too, know.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No. Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience.