Laura D STE

Experience Description

My experience occurred in a dream, which woke me up from its intensity. I was crying from the overwhelming love that felt uncontainable in my body.

In this dream, I was joining a small group of people seated in folding chairs that were arranged in a circle. A few of these people invited me to join them as I walked toward them.

They were saying, "He’s here." As I approached, a young man emerged from the center of this circle to greet me as I came toward an empty chair. I remember he looked like a young man of today, with dark hair, clean-shaven, and attractive.

He welcomed me in the kindest fashion, then embraced me in a hug. This hug is where the experience took on supernatural qualities. I merged with him into a bright, all-encompassing light. This light was brighter than any sunlight and it was full of the most intense love I have ever felt. This light was Love, more than the love of my mother, father, husband, or children.

I could only contain or experience it for what seemed like a brief moment, yet it was also timeless. This experience was more real than normal reality, and immensely comforting.

It woke me up about 4 a.m. I got out of bed, sat on my living room couch, and just cried. I was not crying from sadness, but just being overwhelmed by the experience. I felt I had "seen the light," as people say. But to this day, I do not understand exactly why I received this.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: 2004

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? Entirely pleasant

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? It was an intense dream. In the dream I was totally myself and alert.
No, I was myself in normal alertness, until I experienced the hug from this entity, where I merged with him and the alight.

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? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
Total immersion in a timeless bright Light of intense love.

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 Prior: pretty much my usual self During the vision: completey transformed and immersive

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience My hearing was as in waking, not changed. Do not recall sound within the Light, though there may have been

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? Uncertain
A Friend who loved me, but Hadn’t met him before.

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
Brilliant light containing Love, brilliant yet totally bearable.

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
The Light was unearthly.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Love amplified

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

Did you suddenly understand everything? Everything about the universe
It seems to me in retrospect , nothing is of importance, except this Light.

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? Unaffiliated- Agnostic
Tendency towards Christ -Christianity

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
More tending toward Christianity

What is your religion now? Jewish
Spent several years at Catholic Worker Farm in my 2Os. Had one astral projection experience.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
I believed that this Love was alive somewhere, perhaps after death, but never thought I would experience it. It was shocking to my mortal self in its intensity. All encompassing of my out of body being but so comfortable, so much peace and joy. Like swimming in an eternal sea of Love.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
In a strange way, all things are as they must be.

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
I encountered a young man whose intense welcoming hug took us together into the brilliant light.

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.)? Uncertain
The people at the beginning of the dream. Said “he’s here”. I’ve taken this to mean Jesus, someone who loves me intensely, whose hug brought me peace, joy, and love that was immeasurably beyond my human experience of such.

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? Yes
I now understand what is meant by “ I saw the Light” Light the surpassed all understanding.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes
I felt that this bright light is there , in the afterlife, that it is a Reality and attainable.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
I can only think that a higher being, perhaps Jesus, brought me into this Light.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes
The Light the many have described. I experienced it in a dream.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain
I do not understand why I was given this insight. It did not “ fit in” to my daily life, and I did not know what to do with it. I do relate it to any mention of the brilliant light people have experienced but have trouble describing in NDEs.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
I felt as if this Light was accessible to all. However, this “Spirit” of a young man, brought me into it with his loving “hug”.

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? Yes
All our concerns, suffering, worries seems trivial when compared to the experience of this light. That is why I have had trouble incorporating it into my other life experiences and learnings. A love and profound meaning beyond my understanding.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes
Yes, I was aware of being unable to describe the beauty and love experienced in this light, as a human. Almost a frustration of being unable to contain or experience it in body or mind in earthly self.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life
Believe in life after death.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain
My problems seem more trivial.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes
Yes, it was beyond any words I have to describe the degree of Love that was felt within me and in the Light

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
This was more memorable than anything at that time. Or any time.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
I have had a number of intense dreams, perhaps 3 or 4, throughout my life. One in which I’m sure I travelled astray. One in which I saw a “heavenly place”. Once in which I took a “test” given by spirit entities.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Yes, these have given me a belief in the astral plane. In universal heavenly places that others have experienced.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
Years have gone by. I’ve shared with people who I feel will not belittle my experience.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes
Read about them. Mostly.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real
I can only say it felt more real than day to day reality

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I feel I was “given” as in a gift, this experience

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
To the best of my ability

Anything else to add? Now I think hugging other people is one of the best expressions of unconditional love.