Experience Description

During a car trip with my wife I had to stop because of a severe illness with sudden sweating, precordial, and neck pain. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and subjected to all appropriate therapies.

I felt a progressive loss of consciousness as I was fast sinking down into a vortex. I generally felt alarmed and distressed, but perceived everything with clarity. Then there was nothing, absolute nothingness. I do not know for how long, and suddenly I was conscious at the same time of a strong electricity shock. Then I woke up out of the body, or rather without a body. I was in a not well-defined tunnel. I moved weightlessly through the tunnel, from an initial darkness that gradually grew lighter. I did not see any form of objects or people, but I felt the reassuring presence of beings or incorporeal souls. I could not distinguish them from each other, but I felt as full of love and desire to help and accompany me. I felt they were my deceased relatives or friends who were in close contact with me. They pushed me gently towards one direction. My mood was an indescribable bliss, like heat without temperature but made of love and total satisfaction.

Then suddenly it's all over and I found myself in the middle of the team of doctors and nurses.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: luglio 2000

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heart attack Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) A myocardial infarction with a following cardiac arrest and resuscitation in the hospital with a defibrillator (fourteen shocks).

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness When I felt myself transported in one direction.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I felt myself transported in one direction.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning My knowledge of space and time was altered because I did not realize the passage of time or spatial dimensions.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain There was not a real tunnel but it was as if there was a unidirectional flow with no clear demarcation of space limitations.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I did not know who they were, neither did I see them but I knew they were my dear ones and maybe even some dead friends. I felt their presence all around me.

The experience included: Darkness

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain At the beginning it was dark and then there was a sort of glow.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? A kind of ecstasy.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control I have not learned anything specific.

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:


What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal ebraismo

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Liberal ebraismo

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:


During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The mood of ineffable bliss and detachment from the body.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The mood that I experienced and the presences which I felt as friends.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I spoke with my family members about it after a few days. Their reaction was considerable interest but no wonder as everybody like me were made aware of these phenomenon. I didn't feel their particular influence because of them.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I have no explanation of the phenomenon and I consider equally acceptable the theory of the threshold of the afterlife that is the physiological materialistic one. I learned from reading magazines and books of science. I do not think that they influenced me.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I consider any real experience as real. Also, a dream is real as it occurs even in our minds. This experience is real, even if you do not know what nature is. My hope is that the 'mystic' interpretation is real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? It increased my hope, almost certainty, of a possible post-mortem survival.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? The questionnaire seems to me exhaustive.