Experience description:
We had gone on vacation to Araxá from
Belo Horizonte. My father, mother, and 3 sisters. I was the oldest. In
Araxá, at the Grande Hotel, which still stands even today, there were
outdoor and indoor swimming pools. It had rained the previous days and the
water in the pool was green and very muddied. The sun was very hot and my
father was very light skinned and so he put tanning oil on himself, my
mother and us girls. I jumped into the water and was playing and wanted to
go to one of the other sides of the pool. But the swimming pool had a
steeply graded bottom and suddenly I fell into the deep part. I lost my
footing and began going up and down in the water, yelling for help. I
remember seeing bubbles going up as I was going down. I went up and down
about 4 times and the last thing I remember of this part was that my dad
jumped into the water and tried to grab me but we were slippery from the
suntan oil. At that point I lost consciousness.
Suddenly I was out of the water, dry,
feeling happy and seeing a 360 degree movie. It started in the present
(that very day) and went backward very rapidly but I was able to see all the
moments of my life, with all the smells and tastes and sensations. When I
arrived at the day of my birth I saw myself transported, without knowing
how, through a tunnel that was spinning but without making me dizzy. The
tunnel appeared to be made of clouds that changed color the whole time and
was immensely wide and long. People were going through in this tunnel,
gliding along, and I was gliding also toward a light at the end of the
tunnel. The light was very golden but was not blinding. It was an
embracing, comforting light. I went along without understanding why, but I
had never felt happier.
Then, someone who looked like a man whose head was covered by a cloak that
looked more like a brown hood, called me by name and said:
"You were not supposed to be here, but
if you like, you may continue on."
I asked, "And if I don't continue on,
what will happen?"
He replied that I would return and continue living the life I had been
living. I hesitated a little and he then made a gesture that looked as if
someone were opening a curtain of clouds and I saw my parents and sisters
down below in a state of despair. I saw my body turning blue at the edge of
the pool, and some people running across the grass toward me. The next
moment the tunnel disappeared and I was once again back in my body, feeling
very bad and deaf.
I was taken to the medical center of the Grande Hotel and was given
antibiotics and serum. Two days later we returned to Belo Horizonte. My
deafness gradually went away after a little more than 15 days, and I began
to dream about the man in the hooded robe every night for 3 years. We
became friends and he told me he would be with me during my whole life.
I couldn't get anyone to understand
what had gone on with me. I began reading books that were way beyond my
capacity as a 12 year old and it wasn't until I read Dr. Raymond Moody's
book that I found anything like what I had experienced. By that time I was
an adult. I will never forget my experience. And what impressed me the
most was the movie, and especially all the sensations of my life, up to that
time. This caused me to later study physics and psychology but I never got
involved with any religion. I lost all fear of death because I know that
dying is passing through something that is absolutely not bad.
Was the kind of experience difficult
to express in words? Yes
At that time, 50 years ago, no one understood me no matter often I told what
had happened to my parents, a few professors, and doctors. They thought I
was relating some kind of dream I had that was caused by the trauma of
drowning.
At the time of this experience, was
there an associated life threatening event?
Yes Of course, I wasn't breathing, there was no heart beat or pulse.
At what time during the experience
were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?
During the movie of my life memories.
How did your highest level of
consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal
every day consciousness and alertness?
Normal consciousness and alertness
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 was able to see everything in 360 degrees and the colors were
fantastic.
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 Yes, during the
experience, but afterwards, when I returned to my body, I was deaf.
Did you experience a separation of
your consciousness from your body?
Yes
What emotions did you feel during the
experience?
Peace, tranquility, happiness.
Did you pass into or through a tunnel
or enclosure?
Yes As I described above.
Did you see a light?
Yes Described above.
Did you meet or see any other beings?
Yes Inside the tunnel but I didn't recognize anyone.
Did you experience a review of past
events in your life?
Yes I already told about the life review. Concerning the above, I was
very new to all this...
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?
Yes The tunnel.
Did you have any sense of altered
space or time? Yes I
was shown my whole life in a matter of seconds.
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?
Yes I began having precognitions, prophetic dreams, and was able
to find lost items, etc.
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 what I described above would serve as a
response?
Have you shared this experience with
others? Yes
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 probably real I was left feeling very emotionally
unsteady.
Were there one or several parts of the
experience especially meaningful or significant to you?
I became unafraid of death, and to believe there was life after death. I
started feeling the presence of people who had already died and to mentally
converse with them. The man in the hood was with me for 3 years and taught
me many things. Even today, I call him my guide.
How do you currently view the reality
of your experience:
Experience was definitely real Today, many people speak about
this and I feel happy that I was one of those who had this fantastic
experience, and I also know that this experience changed the paths of my
life since I was just a girl at the time.
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?
Yes I became more curious and found kids my age to be sort of
dumb. I read more than normal to see if I could find out more about what
happened. Religiously, nothing changed. I am still an atheist and always
have been.
Following the experience, have you had
any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced
any part of the experience?
No
Is there anything else you
would like to add concerning the experience?
No
Did the questions asked and
information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your
experience? Yes
Are there any other questions we could
ask to help you communicate your experience?
No
