Andrei's NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

            It was a very hot and sunny day.  There was a swimming pool in our kindergarten and it was filled with clean water. I even remember some kind of silvery fish swimming in there. Apparently water was being taken from some lake. At that time the pool was very deep for me. I had never been near nor had swum in such deep water.  So the teacher gathered us in a group and announced that we are going to swim. During this time of the year in Uzbekistan (I think it was the middle of the summer) it was unbelievably hot, +40 C in the shade. We came out to the pool, spread out and children started diving and playing around it. My teacher came up to me and asked: Why are you not swimming? To which I replied that I have never before swum, so I don't know how. Then she told me to stay away from the pool. I was very young and did not understand about death and was incredibly curious. So when the teacher sat down to read her newspaper, I went to the very side of the pool. Other kids were splashing around me. Everybody was laughing and constantly pushing each other into water, then coming back up and throwing themselves with laughter at the evildoers. I was very curious, I had never before seen so much water. I got very close to the side and watched the splashes.

Just like everyone else I was wearing only my swimming suit. Suddenly somebody pushed me. I only had a chance to start saying that I can't sw… when I found myself in water. Water was very warm. I was in shock and started shouting and probably crying too, which was hard to tell under water. I was falling to the bottom face up and looking up with my eyes open. I was screaming. I was so scared. The most interesting part is that I did not feel that I was suffocating or that I could not breathe, I could feel my lungs instantly being filled with water and how heavy they became. I sank to the bottom with my back. I felt everything, even the cold dark blue tiles. I was laying there and looking and still trying to scream although for some reason no sound could be uttered. I did not know at that time that if there is water in the lungs and one is under water one cannot scream. I was horrified.

Somehow suddenly I started feeling incredibly peaceful. I was watching the children swimming above. And then for some reason I got a feeling that I am falling through the tiles into some kind of tunnel and the water of the pool was moving away farther and farther. I could still see the swimming children but they were moving away from me. Finally I moved so far down from the pool that I found myself in complete darkness. And then suddenly there was bright light from all sides. I looked around surprised. And I am observing the pool and the group from above. I looked at myself with a surprise. I understood that I cannot fly; however, I felt as if I could go anywhere at all. And nothing would stop me. I did not have a body, I was invisible. Also I did not feel my arms, I did not have them. I was nothing, but I could see and understand everything. I looked around… Somehow if I wanted to I could look at several points at the same time. I looked around and I could see everything that was going on with the group. I would not say that I was warm or was feeling good, I felt nothing. It was simply a wonderful feeling of freedom. I could be where I wanted to be and see what I wanted to see. I also knew that I could not affect any physical things. It simply was knowledge. I don't know how I knew and understood all this.

I looked around and noticed a strange change. I could look at the sun easily even though it was very strong, it must have been 4 pm because the sun was going towards the horizon. The sunlight was not at all bright, but somewhat mild. I don't know. It cannot be put in words. Now it reminds me of the sunshine during the middle of September. But even this is not completely accurate. There were trees growing around the swimming pool. I cannot recall exactly what kind of trees they were, not green but somewhat dark and were producing strange shadows. I don't know how to explain it. The shadows kept changing all the time. At the same time I noticed that the teacher had jumped up and had left her newspaper, she was looking at the children. I even ‘walked up’ to her, very close and saw that she was smiling. Her eyes were very kind.

All of a sudden she became serious and her smile disappeared. She screamed out: has anybody seen Andrei. The whole group went quiet. One of the boys pointed at the pool and shouted that he is laying down there. The teacher threw off her robe, she was wearing a black bikini. While running she shouted at one of the boys that he should run and get the nurse and then jumped into the water. Within a few seconds she pulled me out and took me to the bench in the shade on which she was sitting not so long ago and reading a newspaper. I was there all the time and could see the horrified face of the teacher very well. Also how she put me on the bench. My color was somewhat unnatural. I remember thinking that I looked like a doll. Then I saw a large woman running from the opposite side in a white coat and with a bag that had a big red cross on a white background. She ran up to us and immediately turned me over on my stomach. Water started coming from my mouth. She put me on her knee and started patting me lightly on the back and there was more water running out of me. Then she put me on the pavement… (Thank God for the shade or else he would get sunburnt as well.) and started performing mouth to mouth. At that moment I became myself. I was wet, uncomfortable and terribly cold. I coughed…

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    

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    When I was looking from above and looking around I clearly understood everything. I don't even know how to explain it, I simply saw and understood everything.

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:            When I was looking from above and looking around I clearly understood everything. I don't even know how to explain it, I simply saw and understood everything.

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    I could see everything at once and from different angles. I could concentrate my attention at the view and at the group at the same time, also the smile on the teacher’s face and the nurse coming from the opposite side. Colours were unbelievably contrasting and sharp as if they were breathing.

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.)?
            Uncertain      I am not sure. Sounds were incredibly clear as if they were uttered right into my ear.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience?           There was nothing. I was some kind of being who had no emotions. It is like simply being and existing and not thinking about the wrong and the right. I'm only now starting to understand everything that happened at that time.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Yes     It was similar to a well with the surface of the pool gradually moving away from me where I could see children leaping around and also moving away. I was immersed in darkness; I could not see any walls.

Did you see a light?           Yes    There simply was a bright flash that blinded me for an instant.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

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?           No           

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes    

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes     I knew everything, but then forgot it; however, some feeling still remains with me. I still know what I knew then, just cannot remember it, I constantly have a feeling that I have forgotten something. Sometimes I have a breakthrough and start saying completely amazing things, which make complete sense to me but seem illogical to others until I explain them in detail. I already have all the knowledge about Zen Buddhism. When I read I am remembering instead of learning. Everybody is wondering about my memory… In actuality it is all about memories rather than knowledge.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain     I don't understand this question. I was not in the body, I am completely sure about it. Whatever scientists like to say, I was out of body.  

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?     Uncertain      Sometimes the knowledge just appears. I know the truth and remember the truth… It is as if I have received an equivalent of truth. I may simply not find some book interesting, I know it is not true and throw it away. By the way, everything they show on the news on TV is only partial truth. I don't watch TV because of  it. I just know that TV is bad. I don't watch news and only sometimes read them on the internet; although, I'm quite good with modern technology.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Uncertain     I cannot tell what I saw. I can only describe it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Uncertain            At that age I did not know the meaning of death. I remember once watching a nature program on how a spider was eating a butterfly and asking my mom what happened to the butterfly, why was it not moving. 

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened: