Michel vd B NDE

Experience Description

On February 15, 1992 I left home to pick up my friends in a neighboring village but I left a little late. I get in my car to drive to the meeting point where I was to pick up my friends. At one point, I'm driving on a major road and I see the lights turn from green to orange. But I was too close to stop so I stepped on the gas to make it before the light turned red. I had just passed the light when I saw another car coming from the left. I felt the blow and I had the impression I was flung about. Suddenly, I'm lying on the ground and I'm thinking, 'Where is my car?' I try to get up but I collapse immediately. I see faces above me and voices asking me how I am. I say, 'I'm fine but can you please call an ambulance because I can't walk.' And then the lights go out.

At the same time, I see my friends (five kilometers further on) getting in their car, they are saying, 'Michel is late maybe he's not coming.' I say right away, 'Hey, I'm lying over here.' They don't hear or see me. Suddenly, I see them coming from the opposite direction from where my head is. I wave to them, they stop, and then they say, 'Shit that's Michel's car.' I say, 'Yes, don't you see I've been in an accident?' I look down and I see myself lying very still with my eyes closed. I look up again and I see my mother in tears, talking to a policeman at the front door. Then all of a sudden, I realize I'm dead.

After five days, I woke up, looked around me and saw many tubes sticking out of my body. My mother and sister were standing by one side of my bed and my grandfather by the other side. When I looked at him, it made me feel very warm and lively. It seemed he looked at me in a very meaningful way.

On February 21, I'm still lying a bit aimlessly in my hospital bed. Many things inside me have gone to pieces and I'm being sedated with morphine. This goes on for about ten weeks. I hardly know I'm alive but I'm very aggressive towards my caregivers.

At the beginning of April, it dawns on me what's wrong with me. One kidney gone to pieces and taken out, a third of my liver torn and taken out, my bladder torn off the urine pipe, my stomach torn and reduced, both my lungs burst and pierced, all my ribs fractured, my hip fractured in thirteen places. That's what they call multi-trauma.

When I realized the extent of my injuries, I told myself there and then that I should start healing. After about five months, the worst was over. I still had to undergo four reconstructive operations but I was eating well again. I walked with crutches but a very positive power had come over me.

On October 24, I'm very depressed.

On October 25 my grandfather dies very suddenly, it appeared he had cancer in a very advanced stage.

Life goes on and I still needed the operations. The first one after granddad's death was to put my intestines right with regard to my stomach. The day before the operation, I went to the hospital. Being 'nil by mouth' I was very hungry when I went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I wake up and look around. I'm surprised to see some people in the room and I see granddad in the corner. I say to him, 'Granddad, what are you doing here? You're dead.' He comes to my bed and says, 'Everything is going to be alright with you and your son. I don't understand and I want to grab his shoulders for he is walking away. It turns out I got hold of a nurse who is screaming. Shocked, I let go of her. I'm very confused and shout that I have to call my mother because something has happened. My mother says I must have been dreaming and after a while, I believe her. That night I don't fall asleep again.

Meanwhile I've had a catheter in my belly for two years and now I had to undergo an operation to put the catheter through my penis so the urine pipe could grow around it and be connected to my bladder again. The surgeon told me he wanted to talk to my parents and me. During this consultation, I found out that after the operations I would be able to pee again in a normal way but that I would never have an erection again. I was very upset after hearing this.

One year later, by now it is 1998, I have an erection in my sleep. I called the urologist to tell him and he says, 'That's not possible.' So I'm admitted again but this time it feels good because I have an erection in hospital.

I recover completely and on August 25, 2000, I become the proud father of a healthy boy. We named him after my granddad. And the funny thing is I only remembered my dream in the night my son was born. I was walking up and down while my girlfriend took a nap and suddenly I had that warm and enlightened feeling again.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 15 -2 -1992

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) I was suddenly in a car crash.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain I lost awareness of my body

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 The first five minutes after the accident.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The first five minutes after the accident.

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 It seemed that there was no time.

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. I saw really beautiful colors.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My hearing was fine but at the same time everything seemed to come from far away.

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? Uncertain I could feel myself fall.

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 I saw my friends and my mother I talked to them but they didn't hear me.

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? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm myn thuis en de cafe verderop

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt great, a sort of warm serenity.

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

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? Moderate rooms katholiek

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I believe strongly in myself and that helps me in difficult times.

What is your religion now? Moderate rooms katholiek

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I believe strongly in myself and that helps me in difficult times.

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? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I have become more a loner.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It was more like a feeling that I couldn't put into words.

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? The death of my grandfather and the birth of my son.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes For about ten years they thought they understood but I think they still don't.

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 Afterwards I had the feeling I was different from everybody else; I felt smarter and experienced everything more keenly.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Because I felt strange, after ten years I started searching the internet.

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 feel it is an enrichment but I don't know how to deal with it.