Davide M NDE-like

Experience Description

I was going through a pretty depressive period of my life and feeling a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. I had just come back from living overseas in Japan and was looking for a job in the US. I didn't yet have a career and didn't know where my life was going.

These experiences happened over the course of three nights while I was asleep.

The first night:

I dreamt that I was walking down a cobblestone street in an old European city during a rainy night. I heard cries coming from around a street corner. I walk towards the cries. I saw a woman, kneeling down crying and praying up to an impaled goat on a cross. It was a dark scene. As soon as I saw it, I woke up. But what seemed strange was how vivid the dream was. It also felt like I was in two places at once. It felt like my soul was barely in my body. As I opened my eyes, it was almost as if my soul was coming back into my body.

The second night:

I found myself in another dream. This time, I was in a Moroccan-like old city with clay-colored buildings. I was running through the streets and chasing a monk who had his hood up. As I ran towards him, I got closer and closer. As soon as I touched his outfit, he turned around and I saw his face. He was my deceased grandfather who had a smirk on his face. He telepathically told me, 'Do not follow me.' Again. I woke up abruptly. This time, I physically felt my soul re-enter my body as I was opening my eyes. It really felt like I was hovering just above my body and fell back down a few inches.

The third night:

This was definitely an out of body experience. I woke up from a dream, as I was getting pulled up. As I looked down, I realized my body was lying in my bed. But the strangest feeling was that I felt no connection with that piece of flesh. It was almost as if I was totally aware that the body was just a shell and that I was extremely glad I was finally out of it. I vividly still remember that feeling today like it was yesterday. I felt like I was home. I remember was thinking, 'Finally, it's about time! I am finally back!'

I felt I didn't have to ask anything because I already knew everything. I had no doubts or fear. I knew exactly where I was and that I belonged there. I had the strangest feeling of ultimate knowledge; the feeling of no past, present or future. My mind was not a separate concept. I was my mind and it was as clear and empty as ever. As soon as I made this realization, my body was pulled at lightning speed up through the roof. I went up, into the starry sky. I saw a light shining in the distance. It appeared as the sun rising, but it wasn't the sun. Yet, it was the most beautiful white-golden color.

As soon as I saw it, I started smiling. I felt a smile that wouldn't stop. I also felt a fire inside me. It was a good fire that was full of love, compassion, happiness, and every good feeling. All of this, I felt in a way that is indescribable. I was in awe of the landscape this light was illuminating. I was drawn to the light and was aware of my reality. I knew where I was and saw my surroundings in spherical vision, 360 degrees around me. I continued getting closer to the light, like a speeding magnet towards iron.

As soon as I got into the light, I could see mist. Yet, I was blocked from going further by a mist-like glass. Behind the mist glass, I could see shadows moving around. What kept my attention was that I could see my own image morphing into this mist glass, but I could not go through it; I knew I could not pierce it.

All of the sudden, I heard my alarm clock sound very far away. I fell backwards, as fast, if not faster than when I was pulled up out of my body. This time, I was falling backwards, where I came from. I went through the roof and back into my body. I saw it so vividly and it was so violent that it jolted me up from the dream. I stood up from bed like someone had been choking me for a few minutes. I was drenched in sweat and was coughing hard. It felt like I had not been breathing and had been deprived of oxygen. I finally started breathing and calmed down. I began recounting the experience in my head.

The strangest thing is that that deep love, compassion feeling felt like a fire in my chest; like a fire that kept burning a few days after the experience. It took about a month for me to lose that feeling. I spent years trying to figure out why I went through that experience, what it meant, and why it happened to me. I could not tell it to anyone, as I was afraid I'd be dismissed as it was just a dream. But, I knew what I had seen. I remember the feeling of 'I am home' and how vivid the experience was. It did not feel like a dream at all. It felt like it was me and that my earthly body did not belong to me. It was the real reality and my body represented a blip into that eternal existence.

I wrote the experience down into a poem and then looked for the closest Dante's verse to describe it - Canto 33

'Within the deep and luminous subsistence

Of the High Light appeared to me three circles,
Of threefold colour and of one dimension,

And by the second seemed the first reflected
As Iris is by Iris, and the third
Seemed fire that equally from both is breathed.'

The experience taught me this life is nothing but a blip. It is the journey that is what matters. Love is the purpose of it all. The more we love, the more connected we become. Our souls live forever and live somewhere where everything is known and all is beautiful.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: April 2005

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. Out of body during sleep - no injury Other Out of body during sleep - no injury

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? No I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal There is no comparison to every day consciousness and alertness. It was pure knowledge and awareness with no doubts or insecurities or questions to ask.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? as soon as I realized I was out of my body and saw my body lying in bed.

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. I didn't feel time because time did not exist

Were your senses More vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. heightened vision. There is no comparison with every day vision.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. same answer as vision. Everything was so clear. The sounds were musical, almost angel-like.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

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? Yes sun-like but more white in color and not bright at all

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm yes it was an idyllic world with the most vivid colors in nature, trees, streams, hills, before the light enveloped me

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Love, compassion, complete knowledge of everything. I had no doubts, no fears, no concept of wondering about something

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

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. I knew everything about everything. I know why I was there where I belonged and was extremely happy to have finally left my body and to be back home

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

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 correct. I came across the mist glass as the boundary I could not cross and was sent back into my body against my will

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Agnostic Born and raised Catholic in Italy, but never really believed in God / Jesus - always questioned their existence growing up

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I am more in tune with people's minds and the need for spirituality

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experienc. It was just a surreal experience and I did not know why it happened, when it happened, and wish it had never stopped

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

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. I only saw shadows behind the mist glass I couldn't go through

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes yes 100% unity with all my surroundings and was 100% aware of it - there was no doubt and every living being belonged to one another, there was no difference between trees, shadows, all was one

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes when I got to the mist glass that I couldn't cross I could see my image through the glass, the outline of my soul and I knew I was a shadow just like the others, but I felt like all of them and knew I was part of all of them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes yes I knew everything - why I was there and that I was home - I did not wonder about anything

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain I didn't know what to make of it, but the love and unity I felt taught me the meaning of this life and that we are all connected in the real world out there

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes that was life, my real self, my home - my flesh and body felt like a prison that I had just gotten out of

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life’s difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes yes love as the single fuel for the meaning of life; love as life's purpose that moves the universe

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life I am more in tune with my feelings and other people feelings; I am more compassionate and less harsh on others

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? I have become more compassionate and more in tune with people's emotions Yes

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The hardest thing to explain is the love expressed around me during the experience and the level of awareness and crispness of the colors and surroundings. Also the disappointment I felt when I fell back into my body was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt in my life, almost felt like I was sent back to prison against my will.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience the experience is still vivid in my mind and still have goosebumps when I recount it - 20 years later

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have premonitions of things that might happen in my or other people's lives - they usually appear early in the morning as I am waking - they appear as reels like in a movie and I know they are real.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The feeling of knowing everything and not being afraid of anything - not having any worries - I miss that feeling.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I started sharing it with my best friend years later and then with my mother but they did not know what to make of it so I stopped sharing it. I saw Dr Long's podcast interview with Matt Beall and it re-ignited my experience and the need to share it.

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

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I felt the fire / love in my heart for weeks after the experience, it felt like a candle that was slowly burning in my chest - it was an amazing feeling

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real While it's been 20 years it still remains the most memorable experience of my life and in a way I look forward to feeling like that again.

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Thank you Dr. Long and the work that you do

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