Mark G NDE

Experience Description

During chronic liver and kidney failure I started hemorrhaging internally. As it got worse, I started to lose consciousness. Over a 12-hour period, I was in and out and started to hallucinate. At one point, according to my wife, I started to bead-up with sweat but the sweat was red and actually was blood. I was in incredible pain, which is probably what was causing me to hallucinate. I was moved to the Intensive Care Unit. According to my wife and a friend observer, I lost life based on the monitors a couple of hours later.

I remember a few distinct things, one of them was weird but who knows if this was due to simple hallucinations or something larger:

1. I had an out-of-body experience. I was sort of floating over my body, watching the medical team apply emergency shock routine. I could also see my wife and her friend, both of them crying and trying to get to me, but the nurses had to hold them back.

2. Complete lack of pain. There was a type of elation that came from leaving the pain. I have been shot twice and been the victim of a car bomb. I'm a person who knows, understands, and can be objective about pain. The pain I was experiencing was so much worse than anything I had ever experienced before that, in retrospect. I don't know how much of what I was experiencing was simply hallucinations or something else. Regardless, going from that high level of pain to nothing was an absolutely incredible feeling.

3. Here is the weird element. I had a vision of a cartoon character. That character resembled Mr. Crab from Sponge Bob Square Pants. It was orange and wearing green overalls. (I hate the color combination of orange and green, and some have suggested that it represented some type of anger.) This character had hands that seemed to be bulb scoops or trowels.

4. I didn't see any relatives. I didn't see a tunnel or any kind of light. My life did not flash before my eyes. It was a painless and wonderful, but weird experience where I was floating and could see exactly what the medical team and my wife were doing.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 2/3/2014

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes CPR given. Internal hemorrhaging due to liver and kidney failure. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Internal hemorrhaging due to liver and kidney failure. Body functions completely failed.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes All that I saw while out-of-body was confirmed by both the doctors and my wife and her friend. I clearly left my body and existed outside it. 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Actually, I was never conscious or alert. But I felt so when I was floating above my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses more vivid than usual? No

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

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

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? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt ‘good.’ By that, I mean that I felt no pain. The lack of pain was the overwhelming element of this experience. Incredible peace or pleasantness. I felt no longer in conflict with nature.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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? Unaffiliated- Atheist staunch atheist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Humility. I don't talk as much. I don't care if my point is made or understood. I appreciate the people in my life in ways that I never did before. HUMILITY.

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

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Atheist staunch atheist

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 I am a staunch atheist and was not surprised that I didn't see a light or a tunnel or those type of artifacts. However, I was mildly surprised that I was actually having an out-of-body experience. One emotion that I went through was a kind of "wow -- this is cool" type of thing.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No I am a staunch atheist and was not surprised that I didn't see a light or a tunnel or those types of artifacts. However, I was mildly surprised that I was actually having an out-of-body experience. One emotion that I went through was a kind of ‘wow -- this is cool’ type of thing.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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 does not exist

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God does not exist

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? Are meaningful and significant

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 does not exist

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife does not exist No

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I do not fear death

Do you fear death after your experience? I did not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Not 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? Are meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are 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? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes As I was looking down at my wife I was filled with love. It was fleeting, though, I was concentrating on the wonders of not being in pain.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. I have more compassion, a greater understanding of my place in life, much more humility. However, no change in my atheism. Large changes in my life. I have more compassion, a greater understanding of my place in life, much more humility. However, no change in my atheism.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I’m much more humble. Most people comment on that change and note that I'm more engaging, nicer.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I remember it well and can articulate it well. It was so strange that expressing it to others -- those who haven't experienced it -- is a bit ineffable.

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 I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience

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? Not really. It was just weird and, as I've mentioned, ‘kind of cool.’

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Probably about 3-4 weeks. I needed that long to digest it myself. Responses are nothing incredible, but there's a general belief that I did, in fact, have an out-of-body experience. There's also a large discussion within my social circle about it, with a general consensus that the out-of-body experience seems to be more universal than we thought before. But that the experience itself is colored by the social and cultural background of the person who experienced it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes Just general press and internet stuff. I was never particularly interested in it until I had one.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real Not quite sure what you're looking for here. I have a strong and objective mind, so I have no doubt that what I'm describing here is real. However, whether it happened or not is up to the reader to decide. I just know what I experienced. It could have been a complete hallucination or something more. I don't have the tools, data, or research platform to determine it one way or the other.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

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 I was looking down at my wife I was filled with love. It was fleeting, though. I was concentrating on the wonders of not being in pain. I was hallucinating so much in the 24 hours before the experience, particularly in the last 12 hours. During the experience, when the pain was gone, I was back to my original, healthy level of thinking and remembrance.