Leonard S NDE

Experience Description

I was attacked from behind, 'jumped upon'; I was dead when I hit the ground. I could see myself, from what I was told by the partner I was with, after the assailants had stopped and were ready to leave. I was floating ten or more feet above the street.

I found myself next to a railroad, it was dark but for a bright light and noise which became a Steam train going by me. It had as passengers some people who in life had been mean to me.

Quickly I ran through my entire life as a series of pictures and sounds.

I could take the train should I wish to; I was able to catch it but did not and started to walk into a tunnel to follow the train. At the end of the tunnel was a great light. My grandmother's voice told me not to go. I was not wanted, she said, this was for others, I had a wife and family to look after. (I was unmarried and had no family.)

I talked to her for a while and as I did so, I woke up lying on the ground, as I had seen myself before descending back into the body.

During my death, I was not aware of pain, I was curious; I knew I was no longer human. But my love for my girlfriend (later to be my wife, did sadden me).

Then again, no fear, no regret, just acceptance of things as they were.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1972

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Criminal attack. Direct head injury Concussion Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) No life signs (paramedic fire department decided.) Attempted homicide by unknown individual(s).

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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 As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Not long before I left to come back. I was very conscious and alert throughout the experience. Just after seeing myself on the ground surrounded by a fog in fact. The alertness faded as I re-entered the body.

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 Time and its passage was not the same, it was 'timeless', age seemed insignificant. Space was a container for light and history.

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. There was a lot of darkness about me, but my vision was focused from wide to narrow angle. I could take in the end of the tunnel where the light ball was, or I could see clearly what was on a fast moving train. Nothing was blurred nor out of focus.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There was a great pleasant aura to sound. The voice of my long dead grandmother was very clam and clear and firm.

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? Yes Train tunnel, the train was gone; a ball of light was not far off. I did not go beyond the entrance, I peeked inside.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

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

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes Met my granny, but I did not see her. The others were the folks on the train, some still children I had known ten years and more before.

The experience included: Light

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? Yes A circle or ball of light, very bright, not far off.

The experience included: A landscape or city

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? A flatness of emotion, never seeing my girl again was, I decided, sad, but then again I already knew that time was nothing, we would meet again soon. I no longer had serious asthma, an odd feeling.

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

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control My entire life changed after this event. I sought only peace, knowledge and a good relationship with my wife to be. My years of illness became insignificant because it had been a learning experience. My grandmother had me call my wife to be, a call she never received. My entire life is based upon the idea that death comes easily no matter how bad the end. It's a very long journey, existence; each act of good and evil seems to exist for all time.

The experience included: Vision of the future

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future I have always been sensitive to the future it was heightened by the death.

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes The boundary was the tunnel entrance, I could not cross it since I was not supposed to go that way. There was another route for me, this one in life.

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? Liberal Christian background .

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate non denominational.

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? Yes I, speaking for myself alone, was dead before my time and had to return. The passage of each soul through life, is not 'exactly' managed, but has purpose. 'Free will' is free will to be guided through existence. Morality, goodness and evil are the core of life itself. There are many paths to choose from and many mistakes to make. The person who thinks they can lie their way through 'life,' is a fool. Then again, there seem to be many sorts of creatures hidden within human beings. We are not all the same. A demonic type does not go through life looking for goodness. Likewise, the good are propelled by the nature of goodness and its propagation. We have different destinations, once physically dead we don't all head for the same place. Choices are to be made. Then again, in birth we are whole, already made, good or bad, middling or pedestrian. Many hide behind religion, religion is meaningless.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am married to a spiritual twin. My son is an independent spirit connected to me via his goodness.

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 My so called 'psychic' sensitivity is remarkable on the gross and personal level. But it's odd and hard to cope with. 9/11 happened for me in the September of 1976 for example, all of it. All I had to do was wait. Several dreams brought it all to life for me.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The granny episode.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes My wife knows and my son knows, I am very careful about telling people, it usually amounts to pearls before the swine. Besides, it's meaningless to tell. My wife knew very shortly after the event. But we are very close.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I was very sick as a child and so the world beyond this one was hardly a surprise to me.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It was clearly real but I knew I would need years to understand it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real All of the experience is tied to spiritual survival, there is nothing to discuss. I do not attend a church. Reality is reality to quote the Lesbian.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Close to death a couple of times, very calm.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? The questionnaire could be done more correctly, from a technical point of view. I would have to look at it. But then I am married to a statistical analyst who used to design these things and my science background is in math.