Javad NDE

Experience Description

When I was about 10 years old, I went to the river with a friend. I swam into an area with a strong current, and it began to carry me away and spin me around. I kept ending up with my head underwater or my feet in the air. I was panicking badly and trying to grab onto something. In the end, I was pulled into some kind of hole, where I was completely submerged. I tried to swim out and was very close to the surface when a reflex kicked in. I took a breath, but instead of air, I filled my lungs with water.

That was the moment when the most interesting part began. I suddenly froze. At first, it even seemed to me that I had actually surfaced. A feeling of relief came over me. Time slowed down drastically. I saw the sun slowly disappearing through the murky water and realized I was sinking to the bottom, but I could not do anything. My hand was frozen in one position; I tried to move it, but nothing happened.

I stopped feeling the urge to breathe. There was no pain, no panic. I understood that I had died. At first I was a little upset, but very calmly. Then complete acceptance came. I thought about my parents, about the things I had not done, about the cartoons that were coming out soon that I would never see. My thoughts were very clear.

Gradually, the process of thinking stopped, and darkness set in. I could feel my eyes shutting down. It was a frightening emptiness. At 10 years old, I thought I would stay there forever, in endless nothingness.

Then suddenly a short strange dream began. I saw everything in some kind of small square, and completely different images flashed quickly before me: doctors or scientists in white coats, houses, apartments, a forest — everything, nothing connected to my life. I felt the wind and woke up abruptly.

The return was painful and unpleasant. There was a clear realization that I would die again sometime in the future.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 06/02/2010

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
Accident, drowning.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No
I was not separated from my body, but I remember and saw everything with my own eyes; however, after that I lost my sight, and then consciousness; when I lost consciousness, I only saw a dream.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Immediately after cardiac arrest, I felt confusion, but after a few seconds I felt a clear and pure mind.
Time slowed down and it seemed to me that there was time to think about everything without rushing.

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? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual
Slowing down.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Nothing unusual, except for slowing down; everything was smooth and like in slow motion.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I was underwater and heard nothing, only some phantom muffled noise of water.

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? No

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? Some unfamiliar and strange place
Infinite nothingness.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? First, pain and panic, and after cardiac arrest, a feeling of peace and freedom.

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? No

Did you suddenly understand everything? Everything about myself or others
It seemed to me that I understood, understood that nothing has meaning anymore since I no longer exist.

Did scenes from your past come back? I remembered many past events
I remembered moments of life, essentially because I had a lot of time to think, due to the noticeable time.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes
I was not bound by the needs of my body and was not distracted by sensations of my limbs and senses; therefore, probably, it seemed to me that my brain worked faster.

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
I came to terms and accepted death after weighing the pros and cons.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Do not know

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
I stopped believing in everything without facts.

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
At that time, I may have believed in higher powers, but after the experience, it seemed to me that it was all pure biology and science; I saw nothing mystical.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
I became indifferent to everything for the most part.

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.)? 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? 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
I suddenly matured, stopped being afraid of what I feared before, in particular the dark and my fantasies.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes
A feeling of lightness and freedom from the burden of one's body; no need to worry about the needs of the body; I didn't want to breathe, eat, drink, sleep, or anything else; I felt a great relief in this.

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
I was a child.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
I did not see a psychologist, but I ended up in psychiatry with depression a couple of times; treatment did not help, only put me in order after a relapse.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? It's a pleasant feeling; I can't forget it.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
No one wants to listen to this; it's not interesting; they tell me I should move on, but they don't want to hear about my experience.

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 remember everything clearly, because it was a strong sensation.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I remember everything clearly, because it was a strong sensation.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes
I constantly remember.

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes
Many questions were useless, but those that did match were; I understand it's made for other people whose experience differs, but the form is certainly huge.

Anything else to add? It was both the worst and the best thing that happened to me; after this, life seems gray and monotonous.