Patricia B NDE

Experience Description

At the age of eighteen during the summer in the middle of the afternoon, my friend and I were on the beach at Fire Island, New York. He noticed there were waves breaking a distance away from the shoreline. He thought it was because there was a sand bar out there and suggested we swim out to the sand bar for fun. We started swimming straight out into the ocean together and the water got rougher and rougher. It got to the point when there were continual waves breaking, the water was way deep over our heads. Each time a wave came, I held my breath and plummeted down under the wave briefly to avoid the turmoil of the wave and being tossed around by the wave. When it passed, I came back up for air. I at times held on tightly to my friend, but he begged me not to in fear I would drown him. One time when I went under and came up, he was gone. As I panicked and struggled to breathe and survive, a wave came.

I went under and the next thing I knew I was up above the water looking down at all the people along the shoreline watching in fear. I saw up above in a distance I can't describe groups of people standing in the light. The light was very bright. It was very calm, peaceful, quiet, comforting. It felt like they were beckoning me and I begged them not to take me yet. My whole life flashed before me. I told them my loved ones needed me, would miss me too much, and wouldn't understand and that I wasn't ready to go yet with them. There seemed to be other groups of majestic people in the infinite distance, in a vast perspective, floating together in groups, not necessarily familiar, in different layers, in the distance in the light. I felt at ease, understood, loved and comforted, peaceful, but driven to go back to my body and survive. Very quickly, I was back in my body, which was filled with an indescribable energy/adrenaline.

I just catapulted up in the water and began to swim as hard as I possibly could. I began to hear voices of people encouraging me on, voices of others in a lifeboat who had already been rescued during the rough seas of the eclipse. I made it to the lifeboat, was pulled up coughing salt water and brought to shore. I was weak, coughing up a lot of water, not taken to the hospital (others were being air lifted by helicopter to local hospitals who had already been rescued from the ocean). My parents greeted me with anger and disappointment, instead of love and joy anger that I had entered the ocean during such a tumultuous time. I was very distraught and wondered why I came back from the light. I was very non-communicative. For days or weeks I walked around in a daze wondering what had really happened out there and never talked about it to anyone.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 'July 10, 1972'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Accidental drowning in ocean during time of Solar Eclipse 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I entered the ocean during a lunar eclipse which within a short period of time caused the waves to break far from shore. The waves got high and the ocean got very rough.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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 As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the out of body experience, I was at the highest level of alertness during the time when my life flashed before me, my conversing with the other beings and when I returned to my body.

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 Altered space/time the space was vast and infinite, misty, comforting, beautiful, many different levels I long to visit again. Time was insignificant.

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. Field of vision was a broadness/vastness beyond anything I've ever experienced. The light was bright but comforting. The perspective was infinite. The colors were all of similar hues as opposed to varied. The people were as if you could reach through them.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There wasn't an ability to identify the source of the sound where specifically it was coming from. There was more silence and calm than sound.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No Not so much a tunnel as a long looking up through an infinite space towards light and people.

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 I saw about five or six people standing in a group very still. They were not specifically familiar but I felt very comfortable, understood, welcomed by them. There appeared to be others around farther away like in levels or layers.

The experience included: 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 I definitely saw the light and this was the most profound and comforting part of the experience. It was vast, comforting, surrounding, and bright. Since then I developed a fascination with the light glistening on the water. I believe it is the light I experienced. I have written a book about T'he Ways of Water' and taken photographs of this everywhere I go.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Yes, I visited a level..one of what appeared to be many other limitless levels within infinite space. It was foggy, brightly light, high up.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Emotions - fear, comfort, reluctance, love, release, joy, fast speed of everything, awe, certainty.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy

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

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control I saw very quickly my short eighteen years flash before me knowing, and thinking. I had so much more work to do on earth I couldn't bear to leave my loved ones and have them grieve over me. I have only become aware recently of the value of that experience. I didn't think about it or understand it for most of my life.

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future I did not have a realization of future events. I only felt and received confirmation during my NDE that I was still needed and there was still service and help and love to be given here on earth.

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes At the moment of the NDE I felt if I continued towards the light there was no turning back. I was very aware of this boundary and made a decision to turn back away from the light and face my dilemma with a new found strength and endurance I was given during my experience.

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No I didn't have a sense then of having special knowledge. However, at fifty-six I have finally acknowledged gifts of intuition, grace and purpose, which I have had for a long time. I am drawing from and trusting that knowledge now. I could not talk about the experience before recently therefore could not acknowledge where I got it from.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes They changed at the time because I became very withdrawn from the trauma of nearly drowning and not having anyone to talk to about it. They've changed today because I'm not afraid to die and I have belief in life thereafter. I know it could happen at any time so I put tremendous value on each day of my life.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Having never experience this I doubted myself it really happened there wasn't anybody to talk to about it. It seemed to happen so fast. It was surreal.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain Since I was only eighteen when the NDE happened and I couldn't talk to anyone or get any support around it I was unable to consciously be aware of psychic gifts I might have. Today at fifty-six I truly believe I do have psychic gifts that help myself and others.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The most meaningful was the comfort and love I felt from those I saw and somehow conversed with. They respected my desire not to die yet and gave me the strength to return and survive and be rescued. Unfortunately, there are many times in life I wonder why I made the choice to return here as it seemed so much more peaceful, silent and still there. I always long for that silence and peace and tend to seek that out in my life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I only began to share my NDE within the last year. I was in a Buddhist Temple praying and the whole experience came to me, became real, and began to make sense. I had just finished writing a book titled 'The Ways of Water'. I realized at this moment in time why I had always had a fascination with water, particularly the way the light shines, shimmers, dances on the water. I believe it is the reflection of light I experienced during my NDE. I have been taking pictures of it my whole life. I am mesmerized by it. I finally realized why when I was able to finally share my NDE with a loved one for the first time in my life. It has created tremendous healing for me and answered many questions about my life and me. His reaction was very understanding and supportive. He was not influenced by my experience.

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 The days following were very difficult for me. I was walking around in a daze as if others could see me physically but I didn't feel present. I didn't want to talk to anyone because I didn't feel anyone would understand what I had been through and what I was going through after. I knew something very profound had happened out there in the ocean and up above I knew I only survived because of the help of the powers that came to me during my NDE.

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? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I would love to connect with others who have had this experience. I would like support writing about it and sharing with others the comfort and realness of life after death and the comfort and peace surrounding death.