Harvey M Probable NDE

Experience Description

I have hesitated for a long time to share this because I know how strange it sounds.

Several years ago I had a bicycle accident. I don't remember falling. My last normal memory is of riding my bicycle, and then apparently I hit my head extremely hard on the concrete. For a short period, I was completely gone.

What I remember from that period is difficult to explain.

At first there was no tunnel or relatives waiting for me. I was simply somewhere else. It felt incredibly clear and strangely ordinary, almost more ordinary than waking life.

I became aware of a presence and somehow understood that I was being shown something about Jesus and Judas. Nobody spoke to me in words. The understanding seemed to arrive all at once.

The part that has bothered me ever since is that Judas felt like the good one.

I understood Jesus as an immensely powerful being, but not a loving one. There was something manipulative about him, as though devotion, guilt and sacrifice were ways of binding people to himself. Judas seemed almost insignificant beside him, yet I felt an enormous compassion coming from Judas.

Then came the strangest thought: Judas had not betrayed humanity. He had tried to save it.

I remember resisting this because it contradicted everything I knew about Christianity. I thought, That can't be right. Judas is the betrayer.

But the answer I felt was simply: That is the story you were told.

Then I woke up.

I am not claiming that I visited heaven or that this proves anything about Christianity. I had suffered a serious blow to the head, and I fully accept that my brain could have produced the entire experience.

But it felt completely real to me, and one question has stayed with me ever since:

What if we remembered the wrong man as the villain?

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 07/05/2012

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain

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

Did you feel separated from your body? 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? When I hit my head (I don't remember it myself; others told me), I suddenly was in another realm.

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

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 It was sharper

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

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

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

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased 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 another world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Neutral. I can't remember much emotion.

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 understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back? No

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? Christian - Catholic
I was born in a Catholic household

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
Yes, I am no longer religious.

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated - Agnostic

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
It did not fit my religious beliefs

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
I am much more focused on myself now.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? 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
Yes, but it was more like a recording of Jesus and Judas.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes
Everything felt connected in some way

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? Uncertain
Just a feeling that everything is connected, like the universe is experiencing itself.

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? No

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
I feel more confident and less afraid of what others think.

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
Sharper

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? No

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes
I had heard about them

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real
It felt much more real than this reality

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real
I think it was real, but I am not 100% sure

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

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