Experience Description


The first time I was in a boarding school in Pennsylvania. Developed pneumonia and was placed in an unheated room. Had a fever rise to a hundred and seven degrees. I was moved to a hospital. My mother was a nurse there. I had no pulse or breathing, felt my body rise out of my body, and could see everyone doing what they could to bring me back. I was up near the ceiling, could see a long tunnel of light, and approached the end of it, but something made me come back to my body. My mother made them pack my body in ice and I was in a metal tub for three days - when my fever broke and I came back from wherever I was. I have had - unsure of how to describe it - three episodes where I saw windows into the past since then.


The second time, I had been beaten by my alcoholic father and knocked into a bathtub of boiling water. I was found at the bottom of the stairs of our house and had lost eighty percent of the blood in my body. I was taken to Walter Reed Army Hospital and pronounced dead with no respiration or pulse. I again saw the light and felt my body leave my body. I came back but it took a year to recover from my injuries. I have seen the ghosts of relatives since then at the time of their death and had panic attacks for thirty years after this incident.


As an aside, my mother is somewhat intuitive and has known when family members are ill or have died even when they are thousands of miles away. I have some of that ability, but it is more of a sense of something is wrong and I have to call and ask if anyone is ill - I did not have this before my experiences.


I have also had one episode of missing time and cannot account for the half an hour loss.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1957 and 1964

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes 1st pneumonia, with 107 fever 2nd severe burns with blood loss due to beating Clinical death First time, had pneumonia with high fever. Pronounced dead - was gone for three days and was packed in ice. Second time, was also dead - had severe burns and lost eighty percent of blood in body.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I left my body and moved towards a lighted tunnel both times, felt as if I was floating above the room.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was unconscious both times.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Felt as if I would float forever and that the tunnel would go on until I got to the light.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes Very long lighted tunnel with black walls with an intense pulsating light at the end of it (kind of like a pulsating star as seen in Star Trek but incredibly bright).

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Light was silvery blue in color and brightest thing I have ever seen.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe Have always felt that I died and came back for some reason but don't know why.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes Knew if I crossed into the light I would not come back to my body.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will First time, I decided not to go into the light - was afraid. Second time, saw the light in the tunnel but came back to my body without my own volition.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What is your religion now? Moderate

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Became very rebellious and was very fearful for a long time.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Am intuitive of others' pain or illness. Have an attraction for animals in that they come to me without my coaxing, both wild animals and domestic animals have come up to me out of nowhere. Have sensed the presence of people who have died. Have had two windows into the past open up in front of me and viewed a scene in the 1940's (December 6th 1941), and the civil war, have been told I died in World War II.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? No best part - seeing me lying there not moving, not breathing and looking dead was scary as hell - my face had no color to it and looked white.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Disbelief and skepticism.

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