Our judo
club met in a gymnasium where we simply pulled our judo mat out onto the gym
floor under the basketball nets. Our instructor, aka "Coach," was blind, and he
was also a medalist in the Paralympics. On the night in question, Coach started
grappling with a brown belt named Marc on the north end of the mat. I grappled
with a brown belt named Andy on the other end of the mat, right beneath the
basketball net. As we grappled, I quickly established the mount (the top
position) and positioned myself to move into an arm bar, forcing Andy to tap
out. Andy was not defending against a possible arm bar, nor was trying to
escape from his inferior position; he simply reached up with his long arms,
grabbed the lapels of my judogi, and used his knuckles to put pressure against
my carotid arteries. Foolishly, I didn't try to defend my neck, thinking his
attempt to choke me from a mounted position would prove futile. I almost had
the arm bar, but then....
I'm
looking up at the basketball net. I seem to be in the center of the mat. I hear
Andy: "Coach! Coach! Something's wrong here!"
"What
happened?" I wonder. "Did I break my neck? I can't feel anything. I must be
paralyzed--I can't even feel myself breathing... But I can't panic. I can't
feel anything. Oh, this is great. This is just great. What are they going to
tell my girlfriend? Where's Andy? Why hasn't he run over here?"
I woke up,
staring down at Andy. I was still on top of him, staring down. Andy was still
pinned. "What happened?" I asked.
"Your eyes
rolled back in your head and you just went out."
"How
long?" I asked.
"Just a
few seconds."
"You need
to tap out sooner!" shouts Coach from the other end of the mat.
We started
grappling again. This time I defended my neck, and I got the arm bar.
Andy tapped.
Any
associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the
experience?
No
Was
the kind of experience difficult to express in words?
No
At
the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening
event?
Yes In judo,
carotid artery chokes are employed to cause an opponent to tap out (i.e.
submit). If the judo player does not tap in time, the choke will produce
unconsciousness due a lack of blood flow to the brain. If such a choke is held
for more than a few seconds, death may result.
What
was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?
Normal consciousness.
Was the
experience dream like in any way?
No.
Did
you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?
Yes
What
emotions did you feel during the experience?
Panicked
thoughts but no corresponding panicked feelings.
Did
you hear any unusual sounds or noises?
No.
LOCATION DESCRIPTION:
Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar
religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or
amazing creatures?
No
Did
you see a light?
No
Did
you meet or see any other beings?
No
Did
you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state?
No
Did
you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience
that could be verified later?
No
Did
you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they
different?
Yes My
hearing seemed more acute.
Did
you have any sense of altered space or time?
Yes Yes.
Time seemed to slow down dramatically.
Did
you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or
purpose?
No
Did
you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?
No
Did
you become aware of future events?
No
Were
you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the
body?
No
Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the
experience that you did not have prior to the experience?
No
Did
you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?
Yes
Yes. I believe in OBEs.
Has
your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?
Yes My fear
of death has lessened.
Have
you shared this experience with others?
No
What emotions
did you experience following your experience?
Relief.
What
was the best and worst part of your experience?
The worst part
was thinking I'd been paralyzed. The best part was realizing that OBE's
actually occur.
Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life,
medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?
No
Did
the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively
describe your experience?
Yes
