Experience Description


I was wounded in Vietnam by a mortar round (another half-inch and I would have been dead). All of a sudden, I was above my body looking at myself on the ground. I thought I was dead, and the first thought that came to my mind was how the three women in my life were going to cry. There was a warm and secure feeling, like everything will be all right; but once I thought of those women crying I was hurled back into my body and was up and running.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 16MAY68

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death'


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 was about fifteen feet above my body with no form at all.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Super-alert yet a ‘cottony’ feeling.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time stood still.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I was super-alert and all-knowing.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Sad that the women in my life were going to cry. And yet, everything was OK. No fear, I felt an unconditional love.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe That death was another stage of life.

Did scenes from the future come to you? 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 It felt like I was sent back into my body because I didn't think of myself first, but thought first about the women in my life.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am sure we all come from God and go back to God. And, that heaven and hell are what we create here on earth.

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 From then on I could always ‘hear’ my mother and sister's voice in my head when they were in trouble. My friends got so used to me saying ‘I need to go to my sister's, I hear her calling me’, that they would come along. Every time it happened, I would show up and sure enough, my sister or mother would tell me they needed me and thought of me first. Each time they were in trouble, physically or spiritually.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The best part was that the wound sent me home. The worst part was the wound sent me home. The experience also caused me to question life, death, and psychology. It sent me on a life-long search for the ultimate answer of why we are here and is there life after death.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I don't know if they were influenced, but they listened and believed. They did not criticize or poo poo my experience.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Twice more under life and death experiences I came out of my body. Once I was hit by a car going about forty five miles per hour and knew in a nanosecond I couldn't go back or forward to get out of the way. I came out of my body, watched myself throw my body at the hood of the car, and was dragged a full city block while under the car, holding on to the front bumper and watching myself from above. When the car stopped I was forced back into my body, uninjured.