Experience Description

I was standing on a pier four inches above a body of water. I looked down into the water and saw a beautiful bluish white light. The light started out about the size of a baseball. I felt a presence to my right. I turned to see who or what it was, and there stood a man clad only in a loincloth, clean-shaven, with shoulder length brown wavy hair. Without saying a word, he dove from the pier, and headed toward the light in the water. A soft voice urged me to follow him. My thoughts were, 'I can't follow, I would surely drown.' The voice said, 'Trust me, you will not drown, you will be able to breathe. Trust me.' So, I jumped in behind this man. Toward the ever-growing light I went. I found myself struggling for air, afraid to inhale, the voice said again, 'Trust Me.' Lo and behold, I slowly started to inhale, and I was amazed that I could actually breathe water!

As the ball of comforting light got closer, I felt a peace inside that I have never felt before or since. The image of a city started to appear as I got closer. The houses and lots were terraced, and translucently outlined in a beautiful warm blue light. There were children running and playing in the yards. As my feet landed firmly on the ground, people started coming out or the dwellings toward me. The closer the people came, I recognized my father first, and who had passed away in 1969! Then my grandfather, grandmother, aunts, and uncles that had passed on. We formed a huddle arms over shoulders, and the feeling of complete weightlessness - no gravity - I felt my soul melding with the huddle. Without mouths moving, I relate it to mental telepathy; a voice asked me if there was anything that I needed. I was at TOTAL peace so there was nothing I needed. I asked if I could stay and a voice boomed, 'Your mission is not complete. You cannot stay. Please do not rush back.' At that moment, the huddle started to let go, and I started to lift off the ground.

I floated up and the people started to return to their dwellings. I got farther and farther away from the warm beautiful light. I looked up and saw the surface of the water and there was the edge of the pier. I grabbed the edge and pulled myself up to where my belly was on the edge of the pier, and suddenly woke up in the recovery room of the hospital. There sat the anesthesiologist. She asked me how I was, and I said 'You won't believe where I just went!!' She said, 'Oh I probably will.' I told her about my experience, and she divulged that she had accidently put me too deep. She also told me that she has heard similar accounts, and got up and left! I felt sad that I could not stay, but after thinking about the words, 'Your mission is not complete' rang through my thoughts. You see, I had not had my two great children yet. I really wonder exactly just WHAT my mission is!

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: April 12 1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No Surgery-related 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death'

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No 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 The whole time.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The whole time.

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

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. As I explained above, the people's houses were transparent only outlined in a gorgeous bluish, white warm light.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could 'HEAR' everyone's thoughts.

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

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 Some I knew, and there were others I did not.

The experience included: Void

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 A bluish white warm light.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm the terraced yards,and houses

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Complete peace and warmth, happiness and devoid of all stress.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

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

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No

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 none

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? Yes That I had a mission that was not satisfied yet.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

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? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Seeing my deceased family, and the feeling of peace, and that my mission was not done. Also the fact that the experience had the same end as the beginning.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Immediately, with the anesthesiologist.

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 It was real immediately to me.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I vividly recall every aspect.

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? No.