Emerson SOBE

Experience Description

I am a journalist by trade, born in Brazil and accustomed to covering hard realities like human rights and social issues. I was not seeking a spiritual experience. On a cold night in January 2020, while completely sober and sitting at my computer, I heard a distinct, external voice ask, "Do you trust me?"

Upon answering "Yes," I felt my consciousness separate from my physical form. I experienced a paradoxical state where I felt my body dissolving, yet I was simultaneously bathed in unconditional, overwhelming love. I realized that death was not an end, but a transition.

I was guided by a "blue swarm of light," a visual I recognized from childhood. This presence, which I identified as a pluralistic form of God, guided me through several distinct layers of reality.

I was shown that reality is not linear. Every choice creates a ripple, branching into infinite versions of ourselves. I understood that I had "died" in one timeline but chosen differently in this one.

I was taken to a "blue desert" where I witnessed silent, suffering figures who seemed to be unfinished creations. I then saw a "family of light" in a moment of cosmic separation. Ultimately, I saw a pulsating dot of energy and was told, "Life is all there is. It keeps coming."

I was shown a map of the world with red dots spreading like a virus, which I later connected to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was also warned of an "Invisible War," a conflict of the human spirit involving division and "fire from the sky."

The integration after the experience was difficult. I struggled to reconcile my journalistic skepticism with what I had seen. The final confirmation came when my computer glitched while I was translating a children's book I had written years earlier about death, confirming to me that I was finally aware.

Key insights:

God is not a distant ruler but an intrinsic part of all things.

Hell is stagnation; Heaven is movement and creation.

Belief is an active force that shapes the reality we inhabit.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 1/7/2020

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? 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? The entire time
It felt like I was "becoming aware" (as if connections were being formed faster in my brain)

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

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
Time seemed meaningless

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 Normal vision

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

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
There was a cave, which could be a tunnel since I entered it and reached somewhere else

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased beings? Uncertain

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
There was this blue swarm of light

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
It was a journey through which I saw many places

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Love, joy, happiness, euphoria, fear, desperation

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 understand everything? Everything about the universe
It felt like I was being explained to about everything

Did scenes from your past come back? I remembered many past events
There are details about my birth and family that I became aware during the experience. Specific events were highlighted with powerful intent

Did scenes from the future come? I don't know if they were scenes from the future, just it felt like that, there were images of wars and suffering, which the voice explained was "a potential"

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? 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? Do not know
I grew up in a protestant environment, having a strong belief in God, but since reaching adulthood, I didn't feel connected to any specific religion

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
Now I pray more

What is your religion now? Do not know
No connection to any religion specifically, but the awareness that there is God

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
The interactions with "God" was a confirmation of Their existence, but the insights about reality was different from what I had tried to picture before

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
To me, the voice belonged to God

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? Yes
As life is something that's always happening, we've been here before

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes
God would represent that unity

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
That God is everywhere

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes
Even though I don't consider myself "special", it felt like I had the privilege to witness what I have witnessed

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes
That our mission as human beings is to be happy while we "learn to create"

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
That life keeps on

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? Yes
Just as God would be the representation of unity, love could be the representation of God

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life
It changed how I see reality, therefore the way I interact with the world is different, I tend to see all sides with the same amount of care before forming an opinion, and usually abstain to talk about religion, because I've learned that all religions are correct in their own way

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
Since I "see" the intent of people, social interactions became more difficult

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes
The ethereal and non-linear nature of the experience made it very difficult to put into words

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 experience was so strong and vivid, it feels like it will stay on my mind forever

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes
I feel like I can detect the intention from other people, especially malicious ones, even if they didn't say a word (and usually I find myself correct)

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? All of it, but feeling my own death, and following the voice to "the origin", stays in my heart as a gift from God so I could be aware

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
During the experience I tried to reach out, some would say I was being tormented by the Devil, other would just nod politely as if I was talking non-sense.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes
As a journalist, I've read articles and watched documentaries about it before

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real
During the experience, there were moments of doubts, that were almost immediately shut down by the voice, most of the time throughout, after the experience, and until today, I believe it was real

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I lived through it, it stays on my mind vividly, I was there, it was real

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes