This is my Near Death Experience it was originally posted at http://www.nderf.org

Experience Description
It was my day off and I was travelling to pick up a friend to spend the day with. I was approaching an intersection and had to turn right. When I started to apply the brakes, something happened with them causing the car to slide. Later when looking at the road and accident site there were three black lines from the tires and one long silver gouge from something that had dug into the road.

When I left the road, I was travelling diagonal to the flow of traffic into a 6-7 foot deep ditch at around 50mph and had no control of the car. The last thing I remember, before what I have been told was my NDE, was the sound and vision of the impact. I must add that I always wore my seatbelt.

My NDE, as I remember it, started with me seeing all the blades of grass, the dirt/soil and the small bushes as clearly as if I were within inches of them. I had perfect vision and in such clear clarity, it was amazing. Within a couple of minutes, I found myself in a pitch dark area that felt like a large room, I wasn’t moving but I could see a pin prick of light that was getting closer. Soon I realized that I was in a tunnel and that the light was moving towards me. I wasn’t scared of the light as it was peaceful and/or calming. I did sense other people but didn’t feel a need or want to speak or let them know I was there.

As the light got closer to me, a person came out from the tunnel wall and stood in front of me. As I focused on the figure, I realized that it was my granddad who had passed several years ago. At that time I still blamed myself for his passing. He told me that it wasn’t my time and to go back.

The next thing that I remember was collapsing on the edge of the road and holding my chest. I don’t know how I got out of the car or how I got my seatbelt off. I somehow lost time. I was taken to the hospital, given tests and released. My parents picked me up from the hospital and we stopped back at the accident site. Unless you were looking down the ditch you would have driven past without seeing the car. I still have no idea how long I was away from my body, even if I did leave it. But something did happen and only now do I want to share it without fear of feeling crazy.

Background Information:
Gender: Male
Date NDE Occurred: 1993

NDE Elements:
At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Serious car accident
How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant
Did you feel separated from your body? No 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 Everything was so clear and calm
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? After the impact
Were your thoughts speeded up? No
Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning. I didn’t have any feeling of 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. It was perfect vision, everything was really clear
Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Crystal clear
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 First it was a large room. It seemed to transform into a tunnel
The experience included: Presence of deceased persons
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 My granddad
The experience included: Darkness
Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No
Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Started as a pin prick light that seemed to get closer
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place. A dark room that seemed to change into a tunnel
What emotions did you feel during the experience? Complete calm and peace
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? 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 importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me
What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Agnostic
Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No
What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Slightly important to me
What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Agnostic
Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. I had researched into ghosts and the afterlife. I never believed it until after the accident
Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No
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. My granddad.
Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them
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? Yes Not sure
Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God does not exist
During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain I didn’t experience anything other than a room, tunnel, and my granddad.
Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? I am uncertain if God exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:
During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No
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? No
Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists
Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes I met my granddad who had passed several years before. I knew that something was beyond what I, at the time thought was our only plain of existence
Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death
Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death
Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately 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 possibly meaningful and significant
Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Yes That there is something beyond our life as we know it
During your experience, did you gain information about life’s difficulties, challenges and hardships? No
Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Slightly compassionate toward others
During your experience, did you gain information about love? Uncertain I know that I felt love and peace more than I had or have since the accident
Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others
What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life. I know that an afterlife exists which has changed my outlook on life.
Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am more cautious about sharing this information with people.

After the NDE:
Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I had not spoken about it for many years due to the fear of seeing the accident again in my mind, or feeling like I had made it up or feeling as if I crazy.
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 remember it as if it was an hour ago, I chose to lock it away due to feeling crazy
Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I am, at times able to see spirits and communicate with them.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Knowing my granddad is ‘alive’ and not in pain anymore.
Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I spoke with my therapist about it yesterday. Talked to my mom and dad about it once.
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 was there.
What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I was there and can still relate to it as though it was yesterday. But without the pain of the accident.
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? Nothing I can think of. Other than speaking to my therapist made me want to now share my experience with others
Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Nothing I can think of