Stephen K NDE

Experience Description

I had slipped under the murky waves of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I was, for lack of a better term, being held on the sea floor. I reached for the surface of the water, but had no more strength to fight. I could see the sun through the surface and knew that air was only a few feet above my head, but I could not reach it. My lungs burned for air as I fought the urge to breathe. Finally, I involuntarily inhaled the water.

Though it was sudden and violent, I cannot remember pain. Instead, I recall a feeling beginning between my eyes that quickly swept back, over my head and cascaded down my body. It was accompanied by an indescribable lightness. It was as if that sudden feeling had washed away, not only the weight of my body, but the surprisingly heavy weight of my earthly responsibilities. I no longer felt the ocean current. I was warm and calm and at peace -- surrounded by a sense of pure love. It was a familiar feeling as if I had been there before. As if I were returning to a natural state.

I became aware that the murky waters were now crystal clear. I could see the ripples in the sand and shells scattered on the sea bed. I then was aware of my body, just below me, seated on the ocean floor and rocking gently with the waves. I was aware that I could see everything at once, simultaneously, in every direction. I saw the man who saved me swimming above where I lingered and down to my body. He took hold of my body under the arms and began to try to bring me to the surface. I then experienced a strong pull to return and next awoke, choking, on the beach. I wept for hours afterward, not because I was saved, but because I once again felt the heaviness of my body. In fact, it was more than a month before I felt somewhat comfortable in my body. I didn’t want the weight. I wanted the lightness. Twenty-two years later, I still feel the heaviness.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: May, 1998

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Drowning CPR given Life threatening event, but not clinical death I cannot recall the precise circumstances that lead to my drowning but I presume that it was exhaustion due to getting caught in a rip current.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I saw the man who pulled me from the water swimming down and trying to lift my body off the sea bed. Beyond that, I recall being fascinated by a Conch shell that was on the sea floor nearby. 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. There was no sense of time. I was not driven to hurry or fear some consequence. I could see everything and understood that I could expand out further if I chose to, or remain focused in that moment and that place. It was familiar and felt like my natural state of being.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? For the entirety of the time, I was out of my body. I still recall every moment of it. Otherwise, the memories are more vignettes now than linear events.

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. There was no time. The past, present, and future were all accessible at will. I didn't access them but understood they were all happening at once.

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. Everything was clear and bright. I could see in all directions simultaneously. I could focus on the general surroundings or the minuscule, singular grains of sand.

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 recall hearing anything. Not to say that I did not, I simply do not recall it.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? 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? Calm. Peace. Happiness, and a warmth of love that I have never experienced on earth.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

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? Everything about myself or others. I understood that I had lived before and would live again (reincarnation) and felt that my responsibility to earth, relationships, debt, we left behind me in that moment. I understood that I was connected to the earth and the universe all at once, but had free will to choose how much I involved myself in either.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? I remembered many past events There was a brief instance when the events of my life began to review in my mind but I pushed the thought out. I wasn't ready or willing to deal with that yet. I was focused on the fascination of what I was experiencing in the moment.

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? Other or several faiths I am a Christian spiritualist. Meaning I do not subscribe to the doctrines of the organized church.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Although not so much a change as an evolution into a more natural, spiritually focused life.

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths Same as above.

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. What was consistent were the aspects of out of body, past lives, and the universal connection. What was surprising was the weightlessness I felt. What was inconsistent (and most surprising) was the feeling that I remained an individual. I did not feel holy or suddenly closely connected to God. I was still myself but without boundaries.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Strength does not come from muscles, or anger, or the ability to control others. Strength comes from forgiveness because forgiveness -- true forgiveness -- is love. Could you imagine looking at the man who murdered a loved one and, instead of wanting to end their life in revenge, loving them? Can you imagine loving them as you loved the person they took from you? That's true forgiveness and that's the kind of love that is waiting on the other side.

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? Yes As previously described, the experience was familiar. I knew that I had lived and died before. I was aware of a handful of previous lives but chose to remain focused in the moment.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I knew that I was once part of the oneness and was separated from it. I knew that I had free will and would one day choose to return to it.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I felt the warm sensation of pure love. I understood not that God exists but that I am a part of God -- like an atom in a greater body.

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? Yes I was aware that I was here to resolve karma from previous lives -- which at this point I had failed to do.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. As I said, it was familiar. I simply knew that this was the process of returning to my natural, spiritual state. I knew I had done it many times.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Yes I was aware that I was focused on the mental aspect of my being -- in that moment. However, I understood I existed in multiple dimensions. There was a spiritual aspect to myself that existed beyond the physical world. The part of me that is connected to the universe. Very difficult to explain.

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes This is impossible to describe. We cannot see the wind but it can cool us, or push our sails along the waters, or destroy our home. We can only see the effects of the wind. The love I experienced was similarly powerful but I could only feel its presence. It was the root of all things in existence.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. I have spent the last twenty-two years seeking out those I had wronged or hurt and made every effort to make amends. I have learned to forgive and made great strides in controlling the negative aspects of my personality. I have also made great strides in curbing my desire for material possessions. I have tried to replace it with a desire to be the kind of person who makes people feel better for having known me. People will always remember how you made them feel.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am much kinder and more forgiving. I have also learned to choose carefully who I allow in my life.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes While I can tell you 'this happened,' or 'I was aware of that,' to try to encapsulate the experience with words is like trying to describe Michelangelo's Pieta to a blind man. There are intangible aspects which defy description.

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. As I said in my account, I recall every moment of my experience with absolute clarity. The rest is remembered as vignettes or snapshots of events.

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 friggin' lightness, man. I'm not suicidal. I have children, and a family that I love. I'm going to live my life but I truly cannot wait for the day when I can finally shed the heaviness of being trapped in this body.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I recently shared my experience with my father. He and I share similar beliefs but I doubted he would believe my story. If he doesn't believe it, he has never let on. I think he just accepted that I was sharing something honest.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I knew people claimed to have had them but never really paid them any attention. On a roadtrip when my oldest daughter, Isabel, was about three, she looked out the car window and said, 'Hey! That's where I died!' When questioned by her mother, she assured her that it was a long time ago and she was with her 'other mommy' when it happened. She said their car had gone off a bridge, into the river. That was about as close as I had come.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. I believed the reality of my experience because of my discomfort in my body. It felt wrong and unnatural to be encased in this dreadful, heavy thing for months afterward.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Like I said, I still feel the weight every damn day.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain. In 2014, I had a massive heart attack. A widow-maker they called it. I have flashes of being in the operating room watching the surgery from outside of myself but I had a terrible reaction to the anesthesia and the whole thing is a big, messy blur now. It may have been a dream.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up and, if I could find a less traumatic way to try the ride again, I would absolutely do it.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Honestly, I wouldn't know where to improve it. I was kind of hoping you were the experts. Thank you for allowing me to share my experience.