EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

The first time:  I was a little over 4 years old at the time and I remember being in an ambulance which was taking me to a hospital in another city when, all of a sudden,  I found myself  way, way up high watching the ambulance on the road.  I could see the landscape in minute detail and the colors were quite intense.  I could see very far all the way around, but at the same time I was focusing on the winding road, I remember this very well.  Many years after, I was on a bus which followed the same route and I decided to walk,  I had this strange feeling that I should not have been in that place at all.

The second time :  I was with my uncle, aunt and two cousins when I decided to go swimming in the river.

I wanted to show off that I was a good swimmer but the river undercurrent took me away to this drop off near the foot of a bridge.  They told me later that a professional swimmer who happened to be there on vacation at his grandparents’ got me out of the water but that I did not look scared at all.  What I did not tell them was that I had panicked and struggled for a several minutes before I decided to completely give up.  When I did give up, the water disappeared and all around me there was this gentle light that did not hurt my eyes, and I experienced a sense of total peace and calm.  I remember thinking that if that was death it was fine with me.  I would like to tell you that I had an unhappy childhood, with an alcoholic father and a mother who did not have much time for me, so being there in that place was a wonderful thing for me, indescribable.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? Yes     the first time I could see myself from way up high while I was in the ambulance

The second time I experienced the interior calm and peace and the light

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes     this first time, the sickness,  the second time I was drowning

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    uncertain

I had no such feeling

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

I had no such feeling

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     the first time the dimension and the detail of the view I was seeing and the clarity

The second time, the strange light

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?           The first time, uncertainty

The second time, I felt secure

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

Did you see a light?           Yes     in the second experience I felt this wonderful light all around me

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    in the first experience it looked to me like everything was going on in a slow motion.  In the second experience, there was neither space nor time

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was probably not real        I was too young to remember how I felt

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            The first time, nothing

In the second experience it was the feeling of complete calm

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was probably real            it is difficult to explain but I am certain these experiences had been real

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      

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        In my second experience, I’m sorry I did not stay there

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         No      

Are there any other questions we could ask to help you communicate your experience?   It is so very difficult to explain what happened that I’m not so sure what kind of questions would be helpful