Laurent B's NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

It was during the summer of 1979, I was about to turn 9.  We were on vacation at the Moutchic campground in Southwestern France, a campground located on the shores of the big Moutchic lake near the town of Lacanau known for its international surfing competitions on its Atlantic Ocean side.

We’d gone for a swim in an unsupervised area that was reserved for small boats.

The area was configured in such a way that there was a shallow section where the water was 30/40 centimetres deep at most over a good dozen metres before dropping-off abruptly in the anchorage zone.

Example of the lakeshore configuration:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

___________________

                   \

                    \

                     \

                      \

                       \

I didn’t really know how to swim.  So I was having fun dog-paddling.  I was able to pull myself forward by crawling along using my hands which reached the sandy bottom.

I was happy paddling around and was having a good time.

The moment came when I reached the deep zone, the zone I wasn’t expecting and almost immediately lost my footing as the bottom dropped away.

I believe that everything happened very quickly and I must have swallowed water very fast to the point of sinking very rapidly.

I think that I wasn’t even aware of what was going on, I just suddenly found myself sinking. 

I just simply ‘saw’ myself flailing about underwater as I was drowning. 

I saw myself struggling and drowning, I saw myself, me, like my own twin who was drowning and well below the surface.

I couldn’t say which of my twin or I was conscious but the feeling I had observing this scene was sweet, light, beyond peaceful.  I felt weightless under the water, calm and serene, in no way panicky, no pain of any kind, just a spectator, in fact I was feeling very good indeed. 

At one point I became aware of a sort of white glow which, how can I say.. was approaching and growing until the final becoming of a total whole.  At no time however did I see myself inert.

And then, nothing.

I just found myself on the beach with a crowd of people around me trying to revive me, and spitting the water that was in my lungs.

I have no idea what happened nor how much time passed between the end of the light and my awakening on the beach.  It’s probable I think from memory that I must have reviewed a few parts of my early childhood at some point like a sort of movie but I’m not sure even though it seems that way.  All the rest though, is like it was yesterday.

Otherwise I am agnostic and not particularly inclined towards spiritism, the paranormal, etc.  I’m actually rather Cartesian.  It’s simply an objective account and I accept it as such because I cannot deny that this happened to me, but that’s all there is to it.

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     Drowning

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    Probably during the phase known as the OBE (Out of Body Experience).  I could see and clearly understand the situation I was in:  simply, drowning.  Even on awakening it was a little foggy.  Not really during the OBE.

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:            Probably during the phase known as the OBE (Out of Body Experience).  I could see and clearly understand the situation I was in:  simply, drowning.  Even on awakening it was a little foggy.  Not really during the OBE.

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.)?  Uncertain      Not insofar as the conscious OBE is concerned, where I was a spectator to my drowning and there the colours, the clarity couldn’t be more real.

Afterwards with the arrival of that white glow, well, everything disappeared then nothing but white, then nothing at all.

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.)?             Yes     No noise of any kind

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I believe I’ve already said it.

A feeling of contentment, of lightness, of serenity, of weightlessness, of calm, of tranquility..

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Uncertain      I don’t know.  Much is said of this famous white tunnel.   I have no memory of going through any tunnel.  The only thing I remember is the OBE, the white light which engulfed everything and my awakening/revival on the beach.  Between the light and waking up, no memories whatsoever.

Did you see a light?           Yes     After the OBE, a white light suddenly came cover everything then nothing until I woke up on the beach.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    Uncertain       I seem to recall episodes of my life going by.  But as that’s not what I keep foremost in my memory I could not exactly say what happened on that score.

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?   Uncertain       No, except for what happened between the end of the white light and my waking up on the beach.  For me it was instantaneous, even if, in the meantime, people probably came to get me and bring me back to the beach to revive me.  So there probably were a good several minutes of which I have no memory. 

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
           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     Uncertain      I don’t know if there’s any connection and I was very young at the time.  But I had a few weird things happen much later.  Like, for example, on the eve of my dog’s death, I saw, as he did, during the previous evening’s walk when it was dark out, the ethereal shape of a great tall grey/white wolf standing motionless in front of us, it lasted about 3 seconds.  Perhaps I should file an account about that.  Otherwise it seems that when someone close has just died I know right away even if they’re in bed in the next room with the door closed.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     It’s an experience that I don’t hide and to which I don’t grant much importance other than to simply describe what I experienced and felt.  People can be surprised of course, but nothing more, it happened, that’s all, no one has ever called me crazy and those who’re close to me know very well that I’d drowned.  What I take away from it is a curiosity, nothing more.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    No      

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    Honestly long your questionnaire now :(  

It’s getting repetitive XD ^^

I experienced something like any other thing like going to get a loaf of bread from the bakery this morning.  What more do you want to know lol??? 

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?      I would say in conclusion that if it was really a NDE with an OBE that I experienced, it doesn’t frighten me and I’d even say that it was so calm that somehow death doesn’t frighten me

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real             Same as above

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           No      

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            No           

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 so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes      I don’t see what more I could say.

Are there any other questions we could ask to help you communicate your experience?    The questionnaire was a bit long and sometimes redundant.  I admit being tempted to not finish it for repeating certain things already explicitly described.