Experience Description

It was a Friday night in 1974 around 7:30. My friends and I took a ride. We were in front of my house. It was a clear night and just starting to get dark when we left. I was driving and there were three of my friends in the car. We ended up going down RT 1, which goes down to Florida and up to Maine. I was going to turn around down by the Maryland and Pennsylvania line. By the time we got down there, it was dark and there weren't any other cars on the road. I was going uphill towards where I was going to turn around when I hit something. Later, I found out that it was another car.

I remember seeing myself in the car. Then I went through a tunnel. I saw my father and other relatives. I felt so happy and at peace that I did not want to leave. There was a body standing there in a robe looking like Jesus. I can't say for sure that it was he or not. The light was pure white, bright, crisp and perfectly round with him standing in the center. He said to me, 'Go back, it is not your time yet.'

After that, I woke up in my car and just sat there wondering what just happened. I couldn't believe what happened and then I climbed out of my car wanting to know what happened and what I hit. There were a few people that came up to us and that's when I found out I had hit another car.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: Sept 1974

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident Other: I don't know what my condition was at the time

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I saw myself as from when I was born up until that time. As I left my body and I stared to go into this tunnel, I started seeing everyone that was dead in my family. My father was the first person that I saw, then everyone else. I was flying through this tunnel and seeing my whole life go by. At the end of the tunnel was a figure of something or someone standing in this pure bright white light. 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? As I was going through the tunnel. It was about half way through. You cannot compare the two

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 There was no sense of time. Everything just flowed together

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. Everything was crystal clear and very detailed

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Everything was crystal clear and very detailed

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

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes I went through a tunnel being at peace

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes My father and other dead relatives

The experience included: Void

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? Yes A pure white perfectly round light

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm It was a place of pure happiness and peaceful feeling

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? It is incredible how happy and at peace I felt

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? No

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:


What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Moderately important to me

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

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

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 From the person in the light; He told me to go back, that it was not my time.

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.)? Yes

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

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes There is a life after death and the whole life death and universe are all connected as one

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? I was uncertain if God exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I don't know if it was a God but I think it was more of a supreme bring

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:


During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain I do, but I do not know what it is yet - running out of time

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

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

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? An afterlife probably does not exist

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes By seeing everyone that had died in my family and all the other people that where there. I could not see there faces but you could see there bodies.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I slightly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are possibly meaningful and significant

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

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Slightly compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes After it happened it was hard to explain to people back then because nobody believed me

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 I still remember every detail of what happened 40 years latter

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

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Most people do not believe me

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 probably not real I was not sure whether to believe what happened

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real After thinking about what happened that night I know it was real

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