Mike Z Shared FDE

Experience Description

First, let me say that my experience happened in 1966 when I was 13 years old. I had completely forgotten the event until spring of 2001, which was 35 years later. The "remembering" happened when I was reading Raymond Moody’s book, "Life After Life." I was fascinated by the book, and it was my first introduction to NDEs. As a neuroscientist, I suppose I always had a fascination about what happens next.

While reading in bed one evening, halfway through the book, I turned out the light and lay down. Thinking about what I read, the image of what happened 35 years prior came flooding into my head. It was like a thunderbolt. I sat up and said aloud, "I had a near-death experience!" I sat in my bed for what seemed like an hour, recalling the event and replaying it over and over. Why did I forget it for decades? I don’t know, and that concept still mystifies me.

In 1966, my parents decided that my 10-year-old brother, Nick, and I needed to see America. We lived in New Jersey and packed up the car for a seven-day road trip to our cousin’s house in Los Angeles. I still have great memories of that trip.

In Los Angeles, we stayed in a motel that had a swimming pool. I recall it was mid-afternoon, and my mom told us we could go outside and swim while she stayed indoors with her cousin. A 16 year old cousin, Charis, also visited us at the motel. She brought her swimsuit.

Charis was supposed to be watching us while she lay in a recliner with giant sunglasses, reading a book.

I recall frolicking in the pool with a ball. I was an excellent swimmer, but my brother Nick was only allowed in the shallow end because he couldn’t swim. Nick walked along the edge of the pool toward the deep end and sat with his feet dangling in the water.

That’s when I had the idea that he should get on my back like horseback riding. I’d swim him to the other end of the pool where it was shallower. He thought it was a brilliant idea too. So I held onto the side as Nick climbed on my back. With all the strength in my legs, I launched us off the side wall. That one push got us to the center of the pool, where we both sank like two stones.

I vividly recall seeing us both underwater. I didn’t mind too much because I was a great swimmer, but I could see panic in Nick’s violently, flailing movements. Curiously, I remember seeing that his eyes were closed. I went to help him. As soon as I was next to him, he pushed down on my shoulders to pop his head up above the surface of the water. This forced me downward, so I pulled down to get some air. Then he went under again.

This up-and-down cycle continued, while getting us nowhere above the water surface. I was breathless and beginning to panic too. Just as I thought my lungs would explode, I saw us from a vantage point about 10 feet above the flailing. There we were, bouncing up and down like two corks. But in an instant, I was back in my body again. We were still in the water, pulling each other down. I just knew this was serious. For a second time, I was back 10 feet above again.

This time, I could see me and Nick below. At the same time, I was aware of a newspaper that was right in front of me. The newspaper was unfolded, and in the bottom left corner, in large bold font, it said, "NJ Boys Drown." Just below it was a black-and-white photo of me and Nick, taken a year before. The photo, which my mom mounted and displayed on the mantle, was one we both hated. We called it "that dumb picture."

In what seemed like an instant, I was back in my body again. I distinctly remember thinking I should shove him toward the pool’s edge each time he pulled me down. So I did that, and after several shoves, he reached the edge and clung on. I followed.

I was right next to Nick on his left side. Charis lifted her sunglasses and said, "You two looked so stupid!"

I replied, "We almost drowned!"

Then Nick asked, "Were you above us too?"

I said, "Yeah, a couple times."

He asked, "Did you see the newspaper?"

I answered, "Yeah, they put us at the bottom."

Nick said, "That dumb picture!"

We hoisted ourselves up from the pool and never spoke of it again. Ever.

After remembering this event 35 years later, it changed my life profoundly. How did two people see themselves above the scene and witness a future newspaper announcing their deaths?

When this experience all flooded back to me, I understood that we both experienced something undeniable. We shared the same event, so it wasn’t a hallucination. It implied there is more than one reality and in at least one reality where we did drown. I’ve used that as a cornerstone of my studies since that time. Just as interestingly, it made me rethink the nature of time. After all, we saw a future event printed in the newspaper, not just something happening in the moment.

Sadly, Nick died in 1989, so I could never revisit the event we shared, since I remembered it in 2001. I wish I could say that I and 'we' had more profound visions at the time, like a tunnel or deceased loved ones. But almost drowning was it. It was a very focused vision of the near-drowning below and the "possible" newspaper story. Still, we did share the experience, which was a great confirmation. For that, I’m eternally grateful.



Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1966

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Drowning Other very close to drowning, simultaneously, with my 9 year old brother Near drowning in a swimming pool, with my brother, who also had a NDE, and reported identical visions

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I could see myself and my brother drowning. It was verified on the spot by my brother, who experienced the same things. 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 it was not

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. This was completely odd. Perhaps the oddity is why we never discussed it afterward.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I cannot recall sounds

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? 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? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I was out of my body, above the pool. But I cannot say it was a place (e.g., having an environment).

What emotions did you feel during the experience? nothing special that I recall

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

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? Scenes from my personal future Me and my brother clearly saw the newspaper, with our photo and a story of us drowning at the bottom of the paper.

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- Other Christian Raised in a Greek Orthodox house, but not especially religious or practicing.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes In many profound ways. Too numerous to describe here.

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths I belong to no particular faith. But I am spiritually awake, seeking, and finding!

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 I was not particularly religious, and I suppose too young for existential thoughts. But the experience was odd compared to everyday life.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes What changed is my belief that this one reality is not the only reality or possibility. And that when we die, there definitely is somewhere else that our consciousness goes.

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? No

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? Yes It appears as if there are parallel existences. But for minor changes in cause here and there, we have the possibility to split off into different possible effects elsewhere. Actually, of this I'm 100% certain.

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? Large changes in my life It would have to be after 35 years and remembering the experience. I have come to believe that the experience would have been lost on an adolescent kid. But it was frozen until ready for consumption by a more world-worn adult.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes. I have become more tolerant of others, perhaps more forgiving.

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 The strange thing is, after forgetting the event for 35 years, the vividness of it flooding back was almost magical. I seem to have remembered every little detail. Was it frozen for 35 years and became unthawed in an instant?

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Again, after 35 years, I have become a fairly good remote viewer, which I do as a hobby. Not sure if it was a result of the experience (but probably not).

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? None other than what's already described.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes 35 years! Mostly I was met with support and genuine interest, because I'm a very pragmatic scientist.

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 Again, I forgot about it right after the event, and for 35 years. But I am certain it happened because my brother experienced it simultaneously. Of this I'm sure.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Same reason as above.

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? I tried hard to recall a tunnel, loved ones, spirits, etc. But they were just not there. But I know the experience was real because my brother verified right at the moment.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Understandably, it was not perfect for somebody experiencing the event so far in the past, especially who experienced it as a kid. I didn't have any particular religious beliefs, except what I heard in church a few times a year. And I didn't really know what death was or was not. And I certainly didn't know what an NDE was.

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