Tessa T FDE

Experience Description

While waiting for traffic to clear so I could pull into our driveway, a van traveling 55 miles per hour slammed into our car without braking. The impact threw our car into oncoming traffic. Our seat backs broke which left our seats reclined while twisting and mangling us in the ordeal.

On first impact, my husband and I both saw a flash of yellow. In my mind, I thought, “So, this is how I’m going to die.” When we were knocked forward, the car spun around, slinging me into the passenger door frame where I hit the airbag. I remember thinking, “Wow, that actually felt good, like a puffy cloud.” In reality, that impact left my whole arm black from bruising.

The beginning of my experience was the flash of yellow and the soft hit of the door. I later found out that this was the moment we had the second 55 mph head-on impact from an extended cab truck that was much higher off the road than our car. In no way should the impact jolting us in the opposite direction at lightning speed have felt good to any living being. God had intervened at the moment of the yellow flash to spare my pain; this I know even though I did not see Him.

When the truck hit us, it spun the car yet again to where the front was momentarily facing up our creek bed. When the car was in this position, it was as if time slowed way down. I felt and saw my spirit leave my body from my diaphragm area and shoot outward up the creek bed. I was analyzing this scene as it took a couple of seconds for me to realize that this was my spirit. It was bright yellow, almost white, and had a white glow all around it. From the back of my spirit, which I was looking at from my human eyes' perspective, there was a silver cord. This cord looked metallic but functioned like an elastic bungee cord. I was looking closely at this cord, as if the cord itself was a living being. Once I got a close look at it, I heard a loud zipping sound and saw the cord retract my spirit back into my body at near lightning speed.

Then, I felt the third impact. We went nose down into the ten-foot-deep creek bed, which was excruciatingly painful. We then realized the truck had landed on top of our car, pinning us in the creek, where we stayed for an hour until rescuers cut us from the wreckage. My experience is so different from many other stories where people see their human body from above or outside of it looking back. I was right at the brink of death, but the silver cord held tightly to me and my spirit. Although the wreck was so intense it actually knocked my spirit out of my body. The G-forces our bodies sustained were so intense that we only had a 10% chance of surviving, yet we both did. We were injured extensively, but we lived to tell others about God’s grace.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: 5/12/2025

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
We were stationary waiting for traffic to clear to turn left into our driveway. A woman hit us in the rear of our car going 55 mph and then that knocked us into the oncoming lane where we were immediately hit 55 mph head on. We were then spun around and dragged into A creek ravine that was a 10 ft drop nose down. The truck that hit us (second impact) then landed on top of our car pinning us for an hour.

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? Right at the moment the lady was about to slam into our vehicle and then again at the point of the third impact.
My thinking and cognitive function were normal all day up until the point of impact. From A-C with A being impact 1, B being impact 2, and C being impact 3, I had an altered consciousness between A and C.

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? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
Time seemed to stop while I was gifted the ability to view the whole scene unfold.

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 I was confused about the entire process and had to take time to process what it all meant afterwards due to pain and trauma from the wreck. My vision before was normal and during the experience it was like being or heading to a different realm.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience What I heard was the zipping sound of the silver cord. That was loud. Normally I have 50% hearing loss in day to day life.

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? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes
I was the light, my spirit was radiant.

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
Just the fact that my spirit was in my creek beside of my house which isn’t where it belonged and the creek seemed slightly different like it was the pathway to the everlasting.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? At first confused, then analytical as I always am, turning to acknowledgment that my spirit was actually not inside of my body any longer and barely hanging onto my earthly body by this silver cord, so amazement and puzzled all at the same time.

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 no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes
The end of the cord.

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- Other Christian
I believe in God, had prayed occasionally but not as much as I wanted or needed to. I wasn’t involved in church at the time. I previously attended church regularly. I did watch some YouTube videos pertaining to Christianity though, just not many.

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
I read the Bible more now, as well as other religious books. I watch YouTube videos on the Bible also

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian
I have always believed strongly in God and that Jesus is the son of God who died on the cross to save us from our sins.

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
This was a very fast response from God in saving us. It’s actually astounding when one looks at the scene and facts. I never heard of the silver cord prior to my wreck and a doctor at month 3 post accident explained there is a church hymn talking about it which prompted me to look in the Bible for answers. It is in there I just hadn’t seen it.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
I feel as if I must share my story so others will know we are not just carnal beings that live to die, that we live to LIVE again.

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? Uncertain
I became aware that we are spirit beings and created beings at that. I know that I was on my way to be with God so I don’t think of it as mystical per se.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
If MY spirit exists then His has to even though I didn’t see him.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain
I knew I was entering a different realm but I hadn’t gone far enough to see into that realm yet.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
Definitely an after life. I actually saw my spirit which is unique in the fact that few get to do this. My spirit was headed out of my body towards something or somewhere but it came back quickly.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Yes
After this experience my husband said to me “I don’t know how we survived that” and I instantly had a vision of 7 angels wing to wing in a circle around the front driver/passenger portion of our car with a look of determination on their faces. They were like an unbreakable chain around us and once danger was gone they were done with their job.

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
I felt love when my spirit was leaving.

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
My husband and I are even closer even though I didn’t know that could be possible. My relationship with God has also changed and He has my attention.

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

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Knowing there is an Almighty God who cares deeply for us and has saved our lives more times than we will ever know, it’s just sometimes we DO know. Being able to see my spirit, what it looks like (one side of it), what color it is, and how it attaches to the human body.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
Day 3 post wreck with my husband who believed every word.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes
I’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos although not the full video and have read some things pertaining to them.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real
I was in so much pain that it didn’t compute with my brain until day 3 that this happened, and it was then that I remembered.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I haven’t changed my view on the experience nor the reality of it. I don’t make up imaginary stories and believe them, that would classify a certain kind of mental illness which I don’t have.

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

Anything else to add? No