Patrick H NDE

Experience Description

The hospital staff had finished stitching my wounds when I heard my name being called and they noticed that I was no longer responding. I could feel a heaviness in my chest; I thought at first that it was the sutures.

Later, when I heard the word 'resuscitation' I understood right away that the situation was much more serious. It was at that moment, when I was being laid out on the stretcher, that I had the impression of leaving my body. Everything started spinning around me and I thought I was going crazy. At times, I was downstairs in the hospital cafeteria where my mother was waiting for me, other times I was in the resuscitation room, and still other times I was rubbing against the walls, etc.

Then I noticed that I finally had control over where I was going. All of a sudden, I found myself at Lourdes, outside the sanctuary where I had gone the previous August, then with people that I had met there, and then I was in Paris looking for their daughter who was supposed to be there the day of the NDE. Then, back in the operating room, I thought 'If only she knew...'

It was like in a movie, the 'beep, beep, beep' and everyone was panicking around me. Then one of the nurses was told to quickly go get a solution that was in a room some distance away, and I was there instantly. Then a few moments later, I heard the nurse rushing in to grab a phial that she had to open to prepare the injection but she dropped it (a tinkle of shattering glass) and I realized it was 'all over.'

In the operating room, my heart failure was announced and they were now trying to defibrillate me. At that time I was an observer of my own life, I felt myself floating somewhere around the ceiling, all the while hearing in the background, the song by Corine Hermès which had won the Eurovision competition for Luxemburg that year. 'When life is a gift, gift given, gift taken back, gift stolen...'

Then, I was carried through a very long tunnel, shooting up like an arrow at an unbelievable rate of speed, and arrived in a very bright place and a woman with a very soft voice said, 'It's Bernadette Soubirou.' She told me I soon would be meeting Saint Peter, which happened after a few minutes. The environment was the gentlest and happiest I could ever imagine.

When I told Saint Peter that I hadn't gone through anything strange, and that my parents had mistreated and neglected me, I still don't know how I came up with such precise words, he said he understood why I felt like staying, he told me I had to protect my big brother and a little sister yet to be born. Then he bade me farewell and I went down again at an incredible speed for about a minute. Then I woke up a little later, back in my body.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 11/10/1983

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Criminal attack Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) I was assaulted by my biological father who caused serious injuries, including a collapsed lung resulting in heart failure.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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 Most of the time.

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning

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. Being blind I can't really speak of sight but, of perception through intuition and touch.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I had the impression of hearing sounds that weren't necessarily there. The shattering glass, etc.

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? Yes I felt myself sucked into a very long tube.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

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

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes

The experience included: Void

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 This light was very intense and even warm. Even the beings that I met there seemed to emit this light.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm (voir le témoignage à la question 3)

What emotions did you feel during the experience? As explained above, a feeling of disarray and of fear during the first (earthly) phase, but a feeling of love, of gentleness and happiness during the last (heavenly) phase.

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

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? 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? Moderate

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate

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

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? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I noticed the extreme individualism of certain people, even of my biological parents.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain It's the complexity of the content that's difficult to communicate to people who know little or nothing of the subject, as well as the overall context, since it involved one of the worst chapters of my life.

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 Two days later I told the nurse in question. I also told other people but they mainly ignored it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I knew from various movies what happened during resuscitation procedures.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real The extremely rapid sequence of events was so extraordinary for me that I never doubted the reality of the experience.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

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