Gayle D NDE

Experience Description

I was a passenger in a car, getting a ride to a funeral. The ride was offered by a family friend of the deceased, though I didn’t know the driver personally. As it turned out, the driver was apparently drunk. While we were driving, he crashed into a tree.

Unbeknownst to us, a sheriff had been parked nearby, partially hidden behind a tree, and witnessed the entire accident.

During the crash, I was thrown through the windshield. I remember suddenly seeing a dark tunnel. To my left, there was a round, foggy yellow light. In that moment, I said to myself, “I’m not ready, God.” I never lost consciousness, but I could see my own body lying on the ground. Then I heard a distinct "plop," and suddenly I was back in my body, lying on the ground, unable to move.

The sheriff approached and asked if I was okay. I replied, “I cannot move.” Meanwhile, the driver stood over me, chewing gum, seemingly unaffected. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to a nearby hospital. I remained there for six weeks recovering from my injuries.

Despite the severity of the accident, I never felt afraid. There was a strange sense of stillness surrounding the experience; a quietness that has stayed with me ever since. In the years that followed, I often reflected on that moment. It gave me a deep sense of peace about the idea of death. I know it will happen someday, but I understood that my time hadn’t come yet.

I have only shared this experience with a few people. About a year and a half after the accident, I met the man who would become my husband. He was a cardiology resident. I told him about the experience briefly. Nine years ago, he passed away from pancreatic cancer. Perhaps what I experienced helped me find the strength to endure his final week, when he was in a coma.

We had no children, but I carry the memory of both of these profound life events with peace and acceptance.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: August 29, 1964

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident automobile--sustained broken pelvis, thrown through windshield of car, internal injuries Life threatening event, but not clinical death

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

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? Normal consciousness and alertness none

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual Time went very fast

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. same vision

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. same hearing

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes starting to go into a tunnel, dark, with foggy yellow light (like a large flashlight 'light') off to my left, but at a distance---

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 yellow foggy light---definitely 'foggy' as if the tunnel was shrouded in black dark 'fog'

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? a sense of void--not exactly peaceful, but definitely not frightening

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant medium Presbyterian faith at the time

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I do not find comfort in a specific religion these many years since the event, but I do find comfort in being around various religions, viewing from a distance. (monks in Laos, Tibet, Catholics in Rome,(at the Vatican), protestants during Easter services, Jews in a synagogue---but I do not want to attend a specific church or religion.

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated am not active church affiliation---church affiliation ceased years ago.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience at the time I believed that life would end one day, but I was not ready to have it end that specific day...sort of understanding I was iin the midst of a 'wake up call'

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am a better person for this experience in my outlook on fellow man, although I am not tied to a specific religion since the experience.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes Felt there was a 'God' or supreme being by understanding my 'personal comment to 'self' that I am not ready yet God'---and I did say to myself the word 'god' at the end of my momentary 'sentence' to myself

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life Sinced I was hospitalized for 6 weeks, I had a great deal of tiime to reflect u0pon my life through age 24, and came through my recovery with wanting to be the best I could be as a person for what ever amount of ltime I would live ahead in years. Religion has been fascinating to me--I have traveled the worlde, I have immersed myself in witnessing Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholism (in educatiing myself about thee religions--but I am probably at heart an atheist. I beloieve in a supreme power, but not iin a 4 foot tall dark skinned man in sandals as a living God. I think our universe is probably filled with the energy of thousands of souls who have existed in Life--not necessarily on our planet, but other forms of life in the universe. I am grateful for my Event when I was 24, as I am at peace about death..and perhaps as best of tolerance of our world (chaotic now) we live in. But it was really a 'neat experience'...

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes only stick around 'real' people--not fake people

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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 probably the trauma of the car accident made the accident itself 'acute'---I was just shocked to have gone through an out of body experience and that I had seen a tunnel, with a foggy light off to one side and that by 'stating' 'I am not ready God' comment race through my brain....and that I lived to see another 60 years of life.....in hindsight is 'interesting' to say the least.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes strange to describe----events in life seem to happen that are quite tolerable, with perhaps some 'signs' (ie, when people die, I have signs such as a special appearance of a hawk or sudden doors slamming, etc...but I do not dwell on these 'signs'---they are just there.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? peacefulness of life aftger the experience, which I did not hold prior to the 'event' when I was 24.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes only about a handful or slightly more during my lifetime---They look 'askance, but knowing I am a solid truthful person, they 'try' to nod their heads ...attempting to understand what I have shared with them. I rarely mention to anyone.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain only in passing, sort of a joke perhaps of the 'idea' of 'having an out of body experience'...

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real immediately fter it happened, but I mentioned to no one for perhaps a couple of years. When I met my future husband and we decided to marry, I thought I had best tell hiim about my thoughts and 'oout of body ex0erience' and the 'tunnel with the light'---but he married me anyway, and we were married for 50 years.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real vivid and always with me---every minute detail of the event.

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

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Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? No

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? excellent survey. Kudos.