Ryan R NDE

Experience Description

I couldn't swim and was standing on a dock. Someone pushed me into the lake and I remember franticly struggling to get above the water.

Then I was floating above the water and looking down at the settling water. I watched my hair swirling inches below the water surface. Then my vision switched direction. I was looking at dock height towards the shore. I watched my cousin running down the dock and jumping into rescue me. I woke up crying.

My mom was angry that I was pushed in. She put me in the back of her car. As we drove off, I was looking up into the sky through the window. Suddenly, I was out of my body and above the treetops. I was looking down and flying along at the speed our car. I saw the old car's rusted roof. When I looked around, I could see houses and boats on trailers. I also saw garbage cans on the side of some houses. There were cars, in the distance, coming toward us on the road. Then, I was back in my body.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: June 1968

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Drowning Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No. 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. I lived uncertain and afraid. My father was an abusive alcoholic and I was always scared. During my experience I felt complete peacefulness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I was out of my body. I felt at ease and calm

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could see any direction at any distance simply by willing it

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't remember hearing anything

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? Detached and unemotional

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? No

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 was your religion prior to your experience? No comment. I had no religion at that age and little contact with organized religion

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated. Have come to believe that most religions are just a doorway to a beginning understanding of a divine being

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 was too young to put my experience into context

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain. I was too young to put it into context

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience?

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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. The events seem to still be available in my memory and most things from that time have disappeared

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Precognition and psychic encounters with people who have passed

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Then and now

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 I saw what I saw

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? Yes I have had encounters with malicious spirits