Harry J NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

My doctor confirmed to me that at all times during the induced arrhythmias, cardiac arrests and defibrillations, I was completely sedated/unconscious. At one point in all of this, I was face to face with my guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, who left the body in 1952. He was laughing uproariously. He was surrounded by bolts of incredibly intense light. In fact, I physically felt more than saw the light. The vision seemed to last for only a few seconds but it was absolutely overpowering. I had an intuitive sense that I had, through medical technology, prematurely crossed over into a plane of existence that was waiting for me at some time in the future. I think this is what made Master laugh so hard. I was like a naughty child peeking under the Christmas tree.

That evening in cardiac recovery (and, truthfully, to this day) I was unable to think of anything other than that experience. It is one thing to meditate, cultivate belief and faith; but those activities are light years away from an actual experience of God's reality. At the moment I saw Master, I understood that what we do our entire earthly life is build a bridge to the divine. By our actions, practices and faith, our bridges we construct are what we cross over to different places/levels/points in the divine afterlife.

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     I was having an EP study done to determine the severity of an arrhythmia problem. During the procedure, the doctor induced an arrhythmia that led to a cardiac arrest three different times.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    During the entire experience since it was very brief.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            During the entire experience since it was very brief.

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  Yes     Dazzling bolts of light that I experienced physically.

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            No      

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Joy; fulfillment; love; excitement; awe.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No      

Did you see a light?           Yes     Incredibly brilliant bolts of pure raw energy.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           Yes     I met my guru, Paramahansa Yogananda. What he communicated through his laughter was that I had prematurely poked my head into what was yet to come. I am so thrilled to have this divine glimpse into my future. It brings me to tears knowing my Master will be waiting for me when I leave the body.

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No       I did not learn that my spiritual path on earth was the correct one for me; I experienced the reality of that truth.

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No      

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?            Uncertain      As best I can describe, I was at a threshold point looking across and experiencing the energy of another dimension.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No      

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes    

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes     I stood at the boundary, looking at and experiencing its energy.

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     No      

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     About ten days after it happened, I shared it with my wife, who is also an SRF devotee. She believes it happened, has her own ideas about it and acknowledges that this is something that is truly known only to the NDErs.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Yes     I have read accounts and seen stories on TV about NDEs. It has never been of particular interest to me prior to my own experience.

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    I was in no way preparing myself for such an experience. In the lab, you interact with four technicians who are getting you prepared, the doctor is behind a bank of windows at a computer center. The entire scene, for me, was not conducive to speculating on the afterlife. I was not praying or visualizing my guru during the lead up to the arrhythmia inducements (although as devotees we are encouraged to call on God and gurus during such times). This just happened.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            Seeing my guru was an absolute validation of my years of daily meditation and practice of his teachings. It is so liberating to walk by faith and sight.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    As I get more distant in time from the event, it becomes ever more solid and real in my life. I was given a great gift; a brief glimpse of what waits for me at the end of the road of this physical existence.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Yes     I am quieter, more aware of the needs of others, less engaged in the clamor of this world, less worried about how everything will turn out. It is all going to turn out.

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Uncertain      My devotional practices remain the same as they have always been. But, and I can't explain this any better, they have a different flavor.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         Yes     I have had two such events. One day when my wife was driving me back to work after lunch, I looked out the car window at some grass, the sky, some homes and suddenly all barriers or differences between those objects and me seemed to melt as I merged into them. It was a positive, uplifting experience; not at all like some psychic break. Another time, as I looked at a co-worker who is a devout Catholic, I had a powerful, intuitive realization that all sincere paths truly lead to God.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        This is not the only time I have been near death. In 2008, one day after a knee-joint replacement operation, I began a GI bleed in the hospital. The bleed came from a rare condition called Dieulafoy's Syndrome, where an artery actually protrudes into the stomach. They took me to MICU and, ultimately, replaced all of the blood in my body. The emergency surgery that was performed a few hours later had only a one in three chance of survival. But what was so different about this earlier experience was merely a sense of detachment, almost calm about the entire drama. I had no visions or out of body sensations, merely a gradual fading out. To me, the real difference between the two experiences is that my heart never stopped beating in the first one. I now know for certain that God is just behind your heartbeat.

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes