Mat Y NDE

Experience Description

I crashed into the road going around forty-five to fifty mph, head first after a failed attempt by my dad to lead in drafting. He didn't signal his stop and I ran into him. At first, I just blacked out for quite a long while, and when I came to, I was just a mess. I was bleeding everywhere out of my head, my body felt completely broken beyond repair and I had a circle of people coming over to see if I was alive. My dad was holding me up off the ground telling me that I'd be all right, yet simultaneously praying that I would. I blacked out again.

When I 'came around' it was just like waking up in a completely pitch-black room, except it felt like I was, but wasn't there. I couldn't really feel anything, like I had no body, and as a result not have any sensory input for a sense of touch. After a minute, a man spoke to me, but it sounded like an amplified thought in my head. It was very prominent, but not overpowering, and sounded like a polite grandfather. He said, 'You know why you're here?' I said nothing, then after he said, 'Oh you do, this shouldn't be quite so difficult then.' Nothing happened for what seemed like forever and finally he said, 'Oh, never mind, they want you back.' Right after he finished saying that I woke up in the hospital after a twenty something minute ambulance ride with probably ten to twelve hospital staff with me.

All I've ever called it was 'the dark room,' but when I was in there, it was strange how comforting everything felt. I can't quite describe it. I guess it was almost like when you're a five or six year old kid and all of your friends go to the same sleep away camp and you can't go (mine did and I couldn't go because it was expensive) and when they got back at the end of the summer, that feeling of relief. I suppose it was nice to know something happens when you die, otherwise what the HELL was that?

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: October 16th 2006

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Direct head injury 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I crashed on my bike during a charity event in Texas. I was riding for the Livestrong Foundation in memory of my cousin who had just recently passed away from cervical cancer. She was eighteen.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

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 In the dark room, I felt wide awake, pain free and a hundred percent attentive.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? In the dark room, I felt wide awake, pain free and a hundred percent attentive.

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 went by very slowly. I felt I was in the dark room for close to an hour.

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. It was pitch black, I couldn't tell.

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

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? No

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 The voice of the man. It was incredibly polite and seemed aware that this was something new. He almost seemed like he came to welcome me somewhere.

The experience included: Darkness

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? No

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was calm, not happy, but not sad. I felt very comforted and serene.

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

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

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? Liberal

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I've never been religious and I still am not. I don't believe that organized religion is a way to help people through life; it just causes more killing and hate around the globe. I've become much more spiritual and now I understand that there's more than what you see. There's our world and who knows what other ones might be out there?

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I've never been religious and I still am not. I don't believe that organized religion is a way to help people through life; it just causes more killing and hate around the globe. I've become much more spiritual and now I understand that there's more than what you see. There's our world and who knows what other ones might be out there?

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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 just kind of knew what was going on without having to have it explained to me. Quite difficult to describe really.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I didn't live the typical college kid life afterwards and my relationships with people have always been more 'time is short, let's make the most of it.'

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It's difficult to express the overall sense of how my mind and body coped with the actual NDE at the time it was happening.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I have an uncanny ability to examine and read people now. There are very, very few people that I can't 'read' in a matter of a few seconds.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Just the facts that I now know that when it really does happen and I actually do pass on, there's a nice old man waiting to say hello. It's comforting and I'm not going to let my life pass me by in the meantime.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes It was to my girlfriend on July 10, 2010, which would make that about four years. I've been very different since the experience and this is the first time I've dated since, so I thought it was right that she knew. She doesn't seem to believe it, saying I was probably hearing voices of people talking while I was unconscious.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes Discovery Channel. I didn't believe it though. I was a biology major and I'm very scientific when it comes to things and I typically don't believe any of the stories about ghosts or NDEs or the afterlife.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was probably not real I just thought it was concocted in my head from the trauma.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real I've thought about it quite a bit. It was far too clear and vivid to just brush off and the experiences were far too detailed to ignore.

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? It definitely changed me for the better and I'm glad it happened.