Pat NDE

Experience Description:

It happened one lovely summer night in a small town of northern Spain. I had gone down to a village with some friends near where I spent summers. It was 5:00 am and the dew had left the walkway wet. It's curious, but I still remember that smell of humid earth, a smell that has accompanied me throughout the years.

We all got into the car. I was tired and asked to sit in front since we had a ways to go in the car. I sat in the passenger seat and I couldn't buckle the seat belt because I recall there wasn't one. I didn't give it any importance and I went to sleep.

The next thing I remember is that I heard them call me, they yelled my name and I opened my eyes but I couldn't see anything. I was wet and a strong smell of humid earth brought me back to consciousness. I couldn't move. I became frightened but I didn't lose my composure. I then realized I was in the middle of a river that, fortunately, wasn't very full of water at that time of year. It appeared that the car went off the road at a curve and the median barrier came in through the right headlight, cut off my leg, and threw me into the river.

Then my friend, Pablo, found me and took me out in his arms. He put me on the ground and from that moment on never left my side. I was conscious at all times. I realized I had broken my left leg and that I had lost my right leg. I told Pablo to take off his belt and make a tourniquet. That's what he did. Neither one of us lost our composure. As he was making the tourniquet to stop the bleeding, a light made me look towards my left. It was far away and faint. Meanwhile, Pablo spoke to me to keep me from losing consciousness. But the moment came when I could hear him farther and farther away and the light became more intense. I stopped hearing him but the light engulfed me.

I was at the end of a tunnel. I remember it as a train tunnel where the light of day is dazzling, and I felt so good, better than at any time of my life, relaxed, at peace, very light, with my awareness very calm. I wanted to go through the tunnel and when my eyes became accustomed to the intense light, I saw him. He was at the end of the tunnel and I only saw him. I didn't hear anything around me despite there being a lot of people who didn't seem to be aware of what I was seeing and feeling.

As I said before, at the end of the tunnel or at the beginning of the light there appeared a masculine figure, very blond, with long hair, athletic and young, about thirty years of age. He gave me the impression that he had come to greet me as if he were the host of some place. I looked at him. I was calm and wanted to go with him. He comforted me. At first, I thought he was someone who had stopped to help me, but in the following years, I have come to understand that he wasn't. He smiled at me, turned and was lost in the light. Even so, I recognized his presence at my side and heard a whisper in my ear saying, 'Not yet.' I continued looking at the light that little by little lost brightness until it disappeared. When I returned to look around me, the ambulance had arrived. I am unable to calculate how long this experience lasted, but it doesn't matter. The result is that I see and enjoy life in a different way and my priorities have changed. Thank you, Pablo.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 08/14/1994

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Car crash, lost right leg.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was always fully conscious of what was going on around me.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Neither

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening all at once

Were your senses more vivid than usual? More so than usual

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 time when it seemed I heard the voices of the others as through a filter until I couldn't hear them at all because, I suppose, I centered all my attention towards the light.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain I saw the tunnel but did not go through it.

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes At the end of the tunnel was a male figure, I didn't know who he was, and he told me, 'Not yet.' After all these years I identify him as an angel.

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 light that went from faint to intense.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Neither

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt very light, as if floating, but at no time did I see myself outside my body. A few years after the accident the same thing happened to me a couple of times while I was asleep, with a very similar sensation.

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? United, one with the world

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? A barrier I was not permitted to cross; or 'sent back' to life involuntarily

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes

What is your religion now? Moderate

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? Definite being, or voice clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

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

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The emotions and feelings during that time, despite being on the verge of dying, felt very calm, without pain and with much peace. This is something difficult to communicate to others because it is difficult for them understand. For this reason I don't talk about it much.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes

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 probably real

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