Experience Description

In January 1985, travelling from the city of Bucaramanga, towards Bogotá, as a passenger in an automobile driven by a friend, we crashed into an articulated lorry which was coming down the mountain, while we were going up. The others were not hurt, as the impact was to the rear door where I was sitting, due to the seat layout of the car I was travelling in.

As a consequence of the accident, I had a burst liver, fractured cervical vertebr' with displacement of the bones, ribs and humerus.

The diagnosis determined that any attempt at surgical intervention was pointless, given the level of hemorrhage, as my blood type (O negative) was one that the clinic I was taken to had none of.

Because of the complaints of my friend's fiancée, who stayed with me while he made the legal declarations, the surgeons decided to make the attempt at operating. Faced with the lack of necessary blood, a nursing nun went to the clinic's chapel to see if anyone had my Rh type and was willing to donate. She found five people, and they all said they had this blood group and were all willing to make the necessary donation.

In spite of this (the accident was at midday), after several attempts and three cardiac arrests in which clinical death was pronounced, the surgeons decided to close up the wound where the dressings were being maintained, and waited outside in the corridor for final death.

Towards midnight, one of my friends who had just arrived a few minutes before drew attention to the fact that I was being left to die without any effort being made. Because of the fuss stirred up by my friend's tone of voice, the same nursing nun told him that none of the clinic's surgeons could do anything more for me. The clinic was a pilot scheme, with some new machinery with instructions in English, which had to be translated by my friend's fiancée, since the doctors were lacking the knowledge and experience to operate it.

My friend also offered to go to a neighboring town where probably a surgeon, after doing the operation in the clinic, could continue with medical treatment. My friend went there in a taxi. He persuaded the surgeon, and around two in the morning of the following day, he continued the intervention during which two more cardiac arrests occurred. Finally, at six in the morning, the doctor indicated that he had done all he could, that he had managed to stem the bleeding, but that the prognosis was not good.

Meanwhile, I felt myself immersed in an absolutely unfamiliar space. I recall a great clarity, where there was no light, but where I was the light. I could not hear music, but I was the music. Nor did I perceive harmony and peace, but I was exactly those things. The overall feeling was of being part of a Great Whole, where what existed was the Universe without stars, but where everything was light, joy, and love.

Twenty-five years after this experience it remains with me in total clarity, along with all the feelings I had. This completely changed my vision of existence.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 15 de enero de 1985

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function)

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Throughout. Let us say that the accident passed away to non-existence. Everything was happening in a space it is impossible to describe in words.

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 Time does not exist. Time was part of the Totality.

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 The memory only amounts to the feeling of plenitude already described.

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

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

The experience included: Light

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 Everything was Light.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm El estado de plenitud absoluta, pertenece a un mundo desconocido para quienes hemos sido formados como seres racionales.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I did not 'feel' emotions. The emotions were part of my totality.

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

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 However, the feeling of having been living a life which was alien, learned and self-destructive, allowed me to choose a form of seeing, feeling and experiencing every detail of life much more satisfyingly. I gave up drugs, superficial relationships and the pursuit of pleasure. Since then I have been dedicated to astrological investigation, a tool which allows us to see who we are learning to be and who we really are, making use of all the energy which is present in us, to our benefit.

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Liberal

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

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? Yes Obviously there exists a universal order, unknown to us formed as we have been through an educational system which neuters us and reduces us to a mass. The experience brings me back to the importance of 'humanizing' all the human disciplines. Science has managed to dehumanize all knowledge, grouping, labeling, classifying, judging and condemning those who do not fall in with the established order. The norm in education is that children 'have' to be the way the psychologist or teacher at the institution decides. This is one of the many really dangerous de-humanizations. As long as the individual is not treated as such, we will have a burden of frustrations impossible to overcome.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I feel definitively that my capacity to understand human existence has increased considerably, without believing that I am any kind of 'chosen one'.

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? No The feelings I had.

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 The power of the word derives from the truth of its content. This is only possible when based on the reality of a lived experience. Those who have heard my telling of this experience many times transmit the feeling of the importance of also living it with enthusiasm and joy.

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 have never lost the sensations I lived through and felt. Even today I can perceive them with total clarity.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real The same reply as the previous question.

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? I don't think I can say any more.