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Cory G Near Death Experience
EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:
At the time of this event I was employed by a large regional FM rock-formatted radio station as an air personality. To promote the station and earn extra money I regularly accepted paid appearances which were promoted on-air to raise awareness of an event and raise money for the organization. This happened at one of those events and I would guess a couple of hundred people were in attendance. My fellow air personalities had been giving me a hard time prior to the event because despite the radio station's location at the beach, I could not swim, and the event was being held to raise funds to improve the community's swimming pool. The idea was raised on-air that it would be hilarious if somehow I "ended up" in the pool. When I arrived on scene I gathered the lifeguards and told them that if they had any ideas in this regard they should know that I actually could not swim, and although they might see me voluntarily get in the pool, I would be staying in the shallow end; in the event they threw me in, they should be prepared to immediately get me out as, again, I could not swim. As might be expected toward the end of the day, I was grabbed by about 4 large lifeguards and thrown in the pool and proceeded to lose all sense of direction. It seemed that the pool was built with a ledge which protruded over the water and someone in flailing about I was stuck in that area. In addition my eyes are very sensitive and I could not clearly see. I thrashed about trying to surface, which was impossible given my position, my muscles lost all strength, my lungs filled with water and I stopped breathing. It was extremely painful and I realized my life was finished. Meantime, the lifeguards who threw me in thought I was playing a joke on them and could really swim. Boy were they wrong!At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes I drown, lungs filled with chlorinated water and I stopped breathing.
Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I found it very difficult to explain to friends later what I had experienced.
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? At the peak of my pain and at the realization I could do no more to save myself, I somehow exited my body and the pain ended. This is when I started reaching a higher state of awareness.
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 At this point my body had floated out of the overhang and I could see it as I looked down on the scene from about 40 feet overhead. Although I realized this was my body, I was unconcerned as I had a deep sense of well-being. Whether this was due to relief from the pain or being in an alternate place I don't know. I could sense the thoughts/emotions of those below. Some were concerned with my body's well-being and were very upset, some were concerned they would be in deep trouble for causing my demise, some were thinking about totally unrelated things, such as a date later that night. I found this new ability to be engaging and all I had to do was focus in on a person and could read their emotions and thoughts. It was sort of like their emotion was a gateway to their thoughts. I had an overwhelming sense of calmness and well-being, much more than before when I was in my body. I was floating above the scene and while interested in what was happening below; wanted to try flying about. The through crossed my consciousness that I could fly around the Moon if I wished.
Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could see 360 degrees and could "be" where ever my thoughts focused.
Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't recall any sound during the experience.
Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body? Yes I saw the lifeguards finally dive in to save me and saw the ambulance arrive and the paramedics giving me CPR. When I took my first breath I "popped back" into my body and the terrible pain resumed.
What emotions did you feel during the experience? Before I separated from my body I felt the most intense panic, terror, hopelessness imaginable. This immediately stopped when I popped out of my body. Apart my my new-found ability to read the emotions/thoughts of those below, I felt an overwhelming love, as if I was bathed in love. It was all around.
Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No
Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain I didn't see a point of light but it seemed the sun's light was somehow different as if I was seeing a wide range of light frequencies. It seemed to me that there is a broader range and in this state I was able to "tune" it in.
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
I did not see a being but felt a wonderful presence and it was there to comfort me and give me enlightenment.
Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No
Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No
Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience? No
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
I decided to try out my new found ability to think and go where ever my attention directed. My intent was to fly around the Moon, but I only made it to just above Earth's atmosphere. I remember looking down and seeing continents and that was when I was called back down to Earth. It was pretty awesome.
Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
It seemed like I was out of body for quite some time, but in that realm time doesn't seem to exist.
Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe
Yes I felt this is what the "spirit" was there to give me. My take away from the experience is that we are put on Earth in Human form in order to learn to love, and that the "me" I recognize as "self" has always existed and will always continue to exist. The Human lifetime is one page from the book, which is never-ending.
Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain
As I said, I wanted to fly around the Moon but was brought back as I exited Earth's atmosphere.
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
I sensed my experience had to end so I could "come back" but I don't recall a conscious decision to "return" to life.
Did scenes from the future come to you? No
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (“life after death”)? Yes Yes, absolutely. That's what the "spirit" was there to tell me; it's all about love, you've always been and will always be, there is no reason to fear, you're here for a purpose and the main purpose is to learn to love.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist? Yes Yes indeed, there is definitely a supreme being, a "master plan" and it's possible to know "the truth". This was revealed to me but my puny Human faculties were unable to capture it all, as if a computer runs out of memory. I recall "knowing" everything while in this state, but lost most of it when I came back.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that you either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime? Yes Yes the message I received was very clearly my spirit has always existed and will continue to exist no matter what occurs here on Earth.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist? Yes I felt a strong "oneness" with the universe, supreme being, fellow Humans, etc. I still have this feeling expressed as empathy.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s meaning or purpose? Yes we are here on Earth to learn to love despite everything we must encounter in our existence as Humans.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s difficulties, challenges, or hardships? Yes Yes, we are here on Earth to learn to love despite everything we must encounter in our existence as Humans.
During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love? Yes Yes, love is what life is all about, no doubt.
During your experience, did you encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives? Yes I was told our "soul/spirit" whatever you want to call it, is the "inner voice" that is what we identify as "you/me". It's sort of like a parasite to the Human body itself, which of course is basically animal. We're sort of like hybrid entities.
Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose? Yes Yes as I previously stated, during this separation I felt I was given all the answers, only when I popped back into my body I lost most of it.
What occurred during your experience included: Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I've always believed in a supreme being but dislike "religion" as being manipulative and causing much Human suffering. My experience reinforced the idea that we are spiritual beings and religion is NOT a requirement to be close to the "maker/creator". And now I really know love is what we're here to learn.
How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience Oh yes, although this happened many years ago this is the event that stands out among all others in my memory.
Discuss any changes that might have occurred in your life after your experience: Right after the experience I was angry due to the pain, discomfort, and recuperation required to get back to "normal", but over the years I've mellowed and am grateful for the experience. I guess it was one of those "meant to be" events that has changed how I look at the world and others. Now I am much more compassionate and have no fear of death. I have a yearning to share this with others to give them comfort, which is why I'm posting here.
My experience directly resulted in: Large changes in my life
Did you have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience? Yes More empathy, compassion and no fear of death.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Being exposed to the "answers to everything" was meaningful even if I can't remember it all; discovering that we are here on Earth to learn love and that our Earthly experience is but a page from the book has been very enlightening.
Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I've always been intuitive but since this experience I can more accurately "read" people. Not as precisely as I could while out-of-body but sometimes I get very strong feelings from people I don't socially know and these have proven accurate in many cases.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Being exposed to the "answers to everything" was meaningful even if I can't remember it all; discovering that we are here on Earth to learn love and that our Earthly experience is but a page from the book has been very enlightening.
Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told a few people a couple of weeks later and they thought I was hallucinating. My Wife & I have been together now ten years and she treasures my experience and is always very open when I feel like talking about it. She is very spiritual and I feel it enhances our love bond.
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 I knew something unusual had happened but was still in a lot of pain and could barely breathe. When the physical effects had subsided much of the experience came back to me; I still recall new facets of it from time to time. It's sort of been repressed due to the terror/pain. I don't recommend drowning!
What do you believe about the reality of your experience at the current time: Experience was definitely real I can still recall what occurred in vivid detail, but other events from that time period are very murky. The event had a definite impact on my psyche.
Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience? YesI'm more open and loving than I could be before and I don't look at death the same way.
Have your religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of your experience? YesI seek to learn more about spirituality and creation. I'm currently reading (or trying to read) the Urantia book.
At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Yes I've had a couple of OBE's and lucid dreams. I would like to have more.
Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? Yes, I think this experience is very real, very unique and I salute your organization for trying to do research to the point where the medical profession recognizes that crossing over to the other side happens. I feel they should be aware of this in helping their patients in whatever way they can, because it's very real.
Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes I think you've covered the experience very well with your questions.
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