Trevor O NDE

Experience Description

It was a Friday or Saturday night and it was a few weeks into my first semester at college as a freshman. I was with six of my friends, just relaxing outside. We decided to play some basketball, so my friend David went to get his basketball. While waiting for him, we started playing ‘horse’ and I was running around on the concrete in bare feet, trying to show off to my new friends. While running across the court, I tripped and scraped my right big toe on the concrete and ripped it apart. At first, I was fine except that it stung. After maybe a few minutes, I felt that I had to sit down. My friends were fine with it and went on to start a basketball game. So, I walked up the little hill above the basketball court, sat down, and that's when, apparently, I passed out.

When I passed out (I can't say whether I stopped breathing or not) I saw only darkness. Absolute darkness, and from a basic knowledge of different cultures, I quickly realized that it was the ‘void,’ or the ‘abyss.’ As I came to that conclusion, several hooded beings of an ethereal-looking faded sepia color appeared. There were at least three or four of them on my left side and I believe the same amount on my right. For some reason I focused more on the beings on the right side. (When they came to me at first, my rational thoughts quickly told me that these were just my friends. I thought that they had realized I had passed out and were surrounding me. However, it turned out not to be them.) The beings stood around me, paused a bit, and then began to lift me up into a tunnel of light.

At first, I felt content and sufficiently warm in this void-darkness. When I realized what was going on, I began to yell and tried to shake my way out of it. However, I found I could not yell. There was just silence. It seemed to me that I had no body, but the only things I could see were things that were right in front of me, and I had no idea whether my body was with me. (Later I concluded that my soul had left my body, yet there is nothing to confirm that.)

Once I made it through the light tunnel, I came to, lying on the ground on my back, moaning and rolling around on the grass. My vision came back, and once I was able to sit up and look around, I saw that my friends were still down on the basketball court playing basketball. Whether or not my heart had stopped beating, I cannot say. But I believe that it was more than a dream, because here, in January, I can still remember the experience, fresh in my mind.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: Between the second and fourth weekend of October 2012.

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Accident 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening'

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain The beings that I saw, I thought were my friends surrounding me. I thought that they had gathered around me when they realized that I had passed out. 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 am not sure whether or not I was more or less alert. It was a different kind of experience altogether.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I would say my highest level of consciousness was when I was with the hooded beings.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time seemed to cease its existence. I cannot comprehend how long the experience was or how fast everything happened.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My vision felt the same. I was seeing all that transpired, but I wasn't able to turn my head or change my view, which is probably why I am able to recall the beings on my right more than those to my left.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard nothing. Sound did not exist wherever I was. I could only see what was in my view. The void-darkness, the beings on the right of me, and the tunnel of light above me.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes The hooded beings came around me and stayed there for a moment. I have no idea how long that moment was. Time ceased to exist. Then they seemed to grab me and lift me up, and yet I didn't feel anything. As I rose up towards the light, they were right there next to me.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes The beings seemed to guide me and bring me to the light. My personal belief about the experience is that they were bringing me back to the tunnel of light because that was the way for me to get back into my body.

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: Unearthly light

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 The only light that I saw was the tunnel of light, and it reminded me of looking into the sun. It was a bright light. I did not feel any special sensation, though.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm When I first passed out, I entered the void-darkness-abyss. It was everything, yet nothing. It felt as if it were raw un-manifested energy. I didn't feel loneliness or any negative nor positive emotions, either. I felt in balance between the two.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt content. There was no fear, worry, or anything negative. I felt at ease, as if everything was okay and fine. I can't say I felt complete joy or happiness. I simply felt peace and balance.

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? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe I felt balanced. I can't say I felt absolute happiness or absolute sorrow. I felt as if I were standing right in the middle of the scale that runs between positive and negative energies and all that they encompass.

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 importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Greatly important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Other or several faiths I'm a person of many faiths who hasn't been restricted to a singular belief or religion. I've looked into and research many different beliefs and philosophies alone and with my mum. Together we expanded our views to a way as in we cannot restrict ourselves to a single religion.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths I'm a person of many faiths who hasn't been restricted to a singular belief or religion. I've looked into and research many different beliefs and philosophies alone and with my mum. Together we expanded our views to a way as in we cannot restrict ourselves to a single religion. I copied & pasted my previous response because my beliefs have not changed.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience It felt as if there was no one set belief. As if every belief ultimately goes to the same goal of unity. Yet we just need to balance our lives with what we are given.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Just to balance ourselves. We must show kindness as much as we can, but in truth, we are all humans in this world and are unable to always be complete beacons of positivism. We must accept that we are filled with both positive and negative energies, and that we must balance them.

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 The hooded beings were the only beings that I met. They seemed ethereal in the sense that I could partially see through them, and yet they also seemed to have a definite form.

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.)? Uncertain The beings that I saw could have beings that have previously lived but they did not reveal themselves to me.

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? Yes I came to the conclusion that death is nothing to be feared and it feels as though I did die(in the sense that I as a soul left my body. Yet there is no proof to confirm this.) I cannot say that I died, but that I had an unconsciousness experience.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes Yes, I felt balance and unity. I felt a part of everything. Duality ceased to exist just as time did.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God definitely exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain I cannot recall any being that when I came to experience it, that I knew it was God. I only saw the beings who guided me to the tunnel of light where I passed through. They seemed, I cannot say 'higher' but they understood more of what was going on than I. As if they stayed behind to guide those rather than come to the physical world and experience life.

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes To live and balance my life.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes The meaning of life from my perspective is that both good and bad are going to happen. We all experience all the emotions that we can and cannot explain. Whether they be positive or negative we cannot block them out because they are a part of this life we

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? An afterlife definitely exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes I came to the conclusion that this void-darkness was raw unmanifested energy where ultimately everything that we experience is from. From moving through the tunnel of light, I felt as if I was being born again and as I look back at the experience I can on

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I slightly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are meaningful and significant

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? Yes Life is difficult, challenging, and hard but it nothing to hate or fear. We'll have those emotions and many more. But we cannot try to block out those emotions. We must accept that we are both the positive and negative emotions and we must balance them an

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Love is everywhere. Love is everything, positive or negative. It is a way to seeing and experiencing love.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life My beliefs were mainly strengthened. I seemed to have gained confirmation of what I had believed up until that time, but had not been quite sure of.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I felt out of my body because I was instantly in a different place, one that I truly couldn't fathom. It felt so vast and yet so small at the same time. A big contradiction.

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 I would have to say the experience was an unconsciousness experience where my self left my body. But I cannot say it was a dream because I can clearly remember it now compared to when one wakes up from a dream. It fades quickly.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No The special gifts that I have, I had before this experience. I have always been able to see a web of possibilities regarding future events, and I have always been able to heal people with touch. (I have accomplished Reiki.) [‘Reiki: a system, with Buddhist origins, of transferring healing life energy from the trained practitioner to the client, using the hands, held just above the body, and not touching it.’]

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Everything is meaningful and significant to me, whether good or bad, positive or negative. Everything affects us and we must accept the situations we find ourselves in, and act accordingly.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared it with friends and with my mum a few days after it happened. Their response was that it wasn't that I had died, but rather that my soul had experienced the collective-unconscious.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes It was something I had been interested in for a bit while I had been researching different religions and belief systems.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I view it as that I didn't medically die. I think of it as ‘astral projection,’ while I was still living and breathing. Connected to my body, but in a different part of existence altogether.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real This was a real experience that as a soul I experienced here through my physical body.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No