Patricio T NDE

Experience Description

I suffered an accident when I was 11 years old. I broke my right wrist and needed corrective surgery, which was not considered high risk. At the time of the operation, the nurse administered the anesthesia, and I fell asleep. Suddenly, I began to have the experience itself.

I was floating through a very dark tunnel made entirely of earth, moving forward little by little. I did not feel heat or cold. I did not feel fear or worry. I was simply moving forward. I turned around to see what was behind me, and there were only clouds, or something like dark storm clouds, filling the tunnel. I did not feel the passage of time in that place and simply continued floating forward.

Then I saw that I was approaching a new section of the journey. The dirt tunnel ended suddenly, and a tunnel of vegetation began. It was adorned with all kinds of green plants, forming a tunnel of living greenery. Soft light filtered through the vegetation, and I continued moving forward without any fear. I could smell the plants and feel them brushing against me. After what seemed like an unknown amount of time, I saw that the vegetation tunnel was ending and that another tunnel was connected to it.

The next tunnel was made of water. It formed waves as I moved forward. I could feel the water droplets and the wind surrounding me, and I could smell the sea. After another period of time that I cannot estimate, I suddenly saw fire and an extremely bright light. It was a tunnel made of fire that illuminated everything around it. The flames did not burn me, and I still felt no fear. What caught my attention was that this tunnel did not seem very long because, in the distance, I could already see a light that was very different from the light produced by the fire. It was a light that called to me and guided me to continue toward it.

Before I could finish passing through the water tunnel and enter the fire tunnel, I suddenly felt a violent pull that dragged me backward with tremendous force. It was a force I will never forget. It was painful. I felt my entire body crack as I was pulled backward at incredible speed. I watched as I was taken back through each of the tunnels until I reached the beginning.

From there, I suddenly woke up in the middle of the operation. I had an oxygen mask on, and I could barely breathe because I had a tube in my throat. I had also vomited. My head hurt terribly, my blood pressure was very high, and my heart was beating very fast. I saw the nurse and the doctor looking frightened. I turned my gaze toward my right arm and saw that it was open, with clamps holding the skin apart. I could see my muscles, a great deal of blood, and the exposed bones with metal plates attached. Seeing all of that caused me to lose consciousness again, and I collapsed back onto the operating table.

The next thing I remember is waking up in severe pain. My entire body hurt. I saw my mother beside me, crying as I slowly opened my eyes. I said to her, "Hello, Mom," in a weak, pained voice.

She burst into tears, hugged me, and told me that she loved me and had been very worried about what had happened. She explained that while I was under anesthesia, I had vomited and choked. I lost consciousness, my blood pressure dropped suddenly, I stopped breathing, and my heart stopped. The medical team revived me after about a minute, restoring my heartbeat and breathing. According to what my mother told me, I then woke up briefly in the middle of the operation before losing consciousness again.

Six years later, at age 17, in 2003, I was channel surfing on television when I came across a program about experiences from beyond, specifically near-death experiences. Several of the guests were ordinary people. It was a program from the United States that had been dubbed into Spanish. It immediately caught my attention as people began sharing their experiences.

Then an African American man described an experience that was almost identical to mine. It was an incredible moment because I realized I was not the only person who had experienced something like this. Each person described traveling through a tunnel, although they reported many different emotions, including fear, laughter, happiness, sadness, and anguish. I was amazed that they described their accidents and their journeys through the tunnel in such detail. Like me, they traveled farther and farther through it before being pulled back.

I watched three people describe their experiences, and each one reached a different point in the tunnel.

The first was an African American man about 40 years old. He reached the tunnel of fire and was about to arrive at the intense light when he felt the powerful force pulling him back. He had been involved in a truck accident.

The second was a man about 25 years old. He described the same tunnel but said he felt fear and cried throughout the experience. He reached the tunnel of vegetation before feeling the same powerful pull that returned him. He had been injured while traveling through a national park.

The third was a red-haired woman about 32 to 34 years old. She reached the water tunnel and could see the tunnel of fire in the distance, along with the great light at the end that seemed to call to her. She also experienced the powerful pull that brought her back. Her experience occurred during a surgical procedure that became complicated while she was in the hospital.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 05/02/1998

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 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? I was alert at all times.
I could feel, little by little, smells, touch, sensations in general.

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
I couldn't know how much time passed but I felt it relatively medium time, something like a couple of hours per section of tunnels.

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 I feel that I was another person before the accident and after the accident, in terms of bodily sensations, energies that people emit or generate.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Mild, I got it almost at the end.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes
Tunnel of earth, tunnel of vegetation, tunnel of water, I did not manage to cross the tunnel of fire.

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? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes
An immense and welcoming light was at the end of the path, at the end of the tunnel of fire.

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
Tunnels of earth, vegetation, water

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Peace, harmony, and tranquility above all.

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? 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? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will
Almost at the end of the water tunnel, and before starting the tunnel of fire, I felt the blow that pulled me back to my body.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian - Catholic
Baptized in a church, Jehovah's Witnesses

Have your religious practices changed? No

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated - Nothing in particular - Religious unaffiliated

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
I was not someone connected to nature, very little in fact.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
That there is something beyond after death.

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? Yes
I feel that I returned as another person, more connected to my feelings, sensitivity towards others.

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? Uncertain
Yes, when sharing stories with other people watching a TV program, they told their experiences, and everyone described the tunnel, just like me.

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 can perceive sensations of energies that people unconsciously emit, also places that are charged with energies.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
Yes, I can feel people much more in their way of expressing their energies.

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 as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
At first I had no sensations, and as I advanced through the tunnel, I recovered them little by little.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes
I can perceive energies or I can feel energies in my body, sensations in my flesh, in my nails, hair. From people who emit those energies or places that are charged with energies.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
Immediately, with my mother and my family.

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 felt it very real, I had never felt that, daily life was different after that and I didn't know exactly what had happened or how to interpret things.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
Real to me, but I have never experienced that again.

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