Today is my birthday, and it is time I share my Near Death Experience

When I was in High School back in 1992 I was in a terrible car accident where my friends and I skidded off of a dirt road and flipped upside down into a river. I flat lined for nearly 8 minutes, and I have a perfect memory of the event.. for better or worse...

I remember it as clear as day. The car immediately filled up with water, there was no slow rising like you see in the movies. It was instant blackness (as it was nighttime) and I was suspended upside down by my seat belt. My weight made me unable to release the buckle so there I hung, holding my breath in pitch blackness fully aware of how dire the situation was. The noise of the engine was gone, the music instantly stopped (I will get to to the irony of the song in a bit), all I could hear were my friends muffled communicating. Ironically I was the only passenger of the 4 of us to be wearing a seat belt, and the only passenger that was unable to reach the 4 inch breathing pocket on the floorboards, now ceiling, of the car. I could hear them calling my name as everyone was present but me. So there I was, holding my last breath waiting to die as I realized at the time the situation was utterly hopeless for me.

In the one last breath I was holding on to,my emotional range went like this, I immediately accepted what was happening and was aware I was going to die. That was nearly instantaneous. I remember actually saying to myself, "well this is how I am going to die"... and I felt absolute peace about it after only a split second of anxiety. If I can relate it to any other experience, it is like the anxiety and subsequent relaxation you feel of when you are in a plane and it first starts taking off down the runway... that twinge of anxiety that goes away once you know things are OK..... but the anxiety it is so fleeting. My next thoughts were of my family, and wondering how they were going to take it, I felt sorry that they would be grieving for me.. I remember at the time wishing there was a way I could tell them not to, and that this isn't so bad. I also remember marveling at how calm, serene and panic free the whole thing seemed. Mind you this is all happening in the span of one breath and so other than that I could hear my heartbeat slowing down as I held my breath.. then I just drifted off... Almost exactly like falling asleep, but more accurately like getting really REALLY stoned out of your gourde... I want to say how remarkably different the experience is from when you are in a pool trying to hold your breath for as long as you can until you come up, shrieking for air like the Kracken of the deep from that movie. In fact it was rather peaceful.

So as I drifted off, my friends were able scrape the floorboards for air, and come up with a plan to kick out a window and swim to safety. After they were out, they spent about 5 minutes pulling on my legs to no avail, it took my friend Eric to swim back into the car, and either cut or undo my seat belt (I should ask him which) and then drag me out. On shore I was, according to all present, most decidedly dead, however due to the accident happening rather close to the fire station, EMT was there moments after I was on the river bank.

So how did I come back? Here is what I remember, I can tell you there certainly was a period of nothingness. Then a period of what I can only describe as "cognitive reasoning/awareness" for lack of a better term...

After the nothingness, my first awareness was of what can only be described as a water slide made out of stars, much like Star Trek warp drive, but shaped like a water slide tunnel... the proverbial tunnel of light. I will only dwell on the tunnel part long enough to say that, yep there is a tunnel.. if you have questions you can ask, and yep its pretty cool.. I'm not saying its spiritual, but its there.

At this point on shore, I could not hear, or feel, but I had the ever so slightest glimpse of awareness.. sort of like when you wake up in a dream, but on a much more basic level. This awareness only came because I recognized that I could see outside the tunnel rather than just go with it. At this point I became lucid, and basically I had the thought that I had a choice to live or not..

I can tell you first hand that the acceptance of death was far quicker than the acceptance to return to life, there was a hesitation and a ponderousness...I cant remember what my hangup was, but I do remember that my body was not begging to live. After I made the choice to live, it was very much like you see in the movies, where you are snapped back to reality. I was immediately aware I had a body, I could hear, my head hurt, there was commotion, I was freezing cold... The lucid clarity I had before I made that choice to live, was immediately replaced by what felt like the most hellish hangover you have ever had... Unlike the tunnel of light, which I can write off as my body's biological reaction to lack of oxygen, etc... this is the part that gets me and I want to talk with other NDE peeps about it, that lucid awareness before I came back haunts me because I cannot explain it. Simply because my brain did not become more and more aware as this unfolded, but was completely lucid (I swear I could have done complex math) without any bodily awareness, and then once I accepted life, my body kicked in full gear but my brain went back to that near lifeless trauma state. Maybe my central nervous system kicked on and overloaded my brain?

The days and weeks that followed were a struggle, my body stiffened from the accident took a few days to be able to fully bend my arms and legs again.. I

Was I dead? Well I was certainly flat lined, and I certainly was not coming back without intervention of some sort. As a result I do not fear death when it happens again because I know how peaceful and serene the actual moment is when it comes, There is nothing to fear.. That being said I am glad to be here 20 years later still experiencing life along with everyone else who was in the car that night.

Oh by the way, the song that was playing was free bird.

reply to post by mrperplexed


Happy birthday to you Mrpereplexed!!!

Thanks for your great and very clear story of your NDE.
It does take the spookiness out of dyeing.

reply to post by mrperplexed


BTW, did your friends have more psychological problems than you, afterwards?
Was everyone else, physically ok?

thank you for sharing that.
I sincerely hope there is more to life than this earthly adventure...

Happy Birthday !

Originally posted by Pokoia
reply to post by mrperplexed

 

BTW, did your friends have more psychological problems than you, afterwards?
Was everyone else, physically ok?

I myself was traumatized for a while.. I couldn't ride in a car that was going faster than 40 miles an hour or so, but that went away after probably 3 or 4 years. Other than that, there are some philosophical changes within me but no lasting surface trauma.

For my friend that pulled me out, we are still best of friends and he has no glaring emotional issues and is physically unscathed as a result.

I have one friend that over time I have lost touch with over his drug abuse, but I am most certain that this is not a result of the accident.

And the driver we were best of friends at the time... it was hard for us to stay friends after that.. we sort of drifted apart.. For reasons unspoken, I think we both knew that nothing would be the same ever again after that.. Like an innocence was lost.. But no phyiscal or emotional damage that I know of outside the expected stuff.

Thanks for sharing your story. You were given an awesome gift. To know what is on the "other side" and to not fear it, or the transition in getting there, must give you a sense of ease with the temporary nature of life, which most of us do not have.

Interesting, just found this document the other day from the "Pleyades Library" about this matter, "A handbook of illusion", which basically try to explain exactly what this is and why it is happening... I found it a very interesting read, and despite the pdf beeing 216 or so pages i read it in under an hour. Basically, we are all "god like" beings, with the ability to move planets about at will, create matter from nothing etc, and this whole earth existence is just a game to us, which ends when we die.

www.bibliotecapleyades.net...

It was linked in another ATS post which was removed for some reason before i even had time to reply, post was probably too short.

I would recommend this read, seems to be a rare book. Of course it is probably just a story... but it seems to have a few answers and at least would hold water as a valid theory of reality.

reply to post by mrperplexed


Wow, what a completely amazing experience that you went through, from start, to finish. Other than not being afraid of the whole dying experience itself, it must have changed your way of thinking about different things in here in life. (just guessing?)
Thank you so much for sharing.

Happy Happy Birthday to you !!

Thanks for telling us of your experience. Reading about NDE's, helps me to have hope, in a world full of turmoil.

There is one NDE in particular that is very in-depth, and enlightening. A man named Dannion Brinkley wrote a book about his NDE. The book is "Saved by the Light". There was a movie by that same name also.

I know some will say NDE's are the brains way of shielding us from the pain of death. How do they explain what the person's soul sees, and hears, while they are dead? Things that are said that only those that are living heard. Or things seen, that could only be seen while being above one's body.

I truly believe the Soul leaves at death, and hears and sees what is going on around their lifeless body. I quess we will all know someday.

Happy Birthday. You were free for a while. Free Bird

Originally posted by FissionSurplus
must give you a sense of ease with the temporary nature of life, which most of us do not have.

That is most perceptive of you and very accurate.

Originally posted by zeta55
Thanks for telling us of your experience. Reading about NDE's, helps me to have hope, in a world full of turmoil.

There is one NDE in particular that is very in-depth, and enlightening. A man named Dannion Brinkley wrote a book about his NDE. The book is "Saved by the Light". There was a movie by that same name also.

I know some will say NDE's are the brains way of shielding us from the pain of death. How do they explain what the person's soul sees, and hears, while they are dead? Things that are said that only those that are living heard. Or things seen, that could only be seen while being above one's body.

I truly believe the Soul leaves at death, and hears and sees what is going on around their lifeless body. I quess we will all know someday.

Happy Birthday. You were free for a while. Free Bird

Yes, there is a lot I left out.. I figured I would save it for replies like this, but I do remember the EMT approaching my body saying, "This one didn't make it, huh?" at a time when I was flat lined... I remember that stuff more than my ambulance ride and hospital visit when I was awake... strange.

Originally posted by TabKat
reply to post by mrperplexed

 

Wow, what a completely amazing experience that you went through, from start, to finish. Other than not being afraid of the whole dying experience itself, it must have changed your way of thinking about different things in here in life. (just guessing?)
Thank you so much for sharing.

Happy Happy Birthday to you !!

It has changed my thinking, and probably in a much different way than you think.. If you are really interested, I am happy to share this over a private message, as I don't want to broadcast to the world my mindset on it.

reply to post by mrperplexed


BRAVO to you, sir! How wonderfully written!
And thank you for sharing. I can't hear enough of these personal experiences to satisfy me. I am fascinated by it.

And your story, literally, gave me chills.

Happy Birthday!!

Mr. Perplexed...Did you have a life review? Do you remember being told..."It's not your time...you must go back"?

Did you see any deceased relatives, or friends?

Here is a link to a very good site dealing with NDE's, for anyone interested in reading more.

iands.org...

Originally posted by zeta55
Mr. Perplexed...Did you have a life review? Do you remember being told..."It's not your time...you must go back"?

Did you see any deceased relatives, or friends?

Here is a link to a very good site dealing with NDE's, for anyone interested in reading more.

iands.org...

No, there was nothing like that, and I should note that my father had died just 3 years before this incident. My life didn't flash before me, or anything. Also, nothing was dictated to me about being my time, rather it was my choice.

The whole experience seemed to be "a one man journey" even as I was sharing dying with 3 other people.

Thanks again for giving us your remembrance of your experience. Glad you have no fear of death. I have not had an NDE, but from reading quite a few cases of NDE, I also, have no fear of death. I actually look forward to it. May you have many more birthdays to celebrate. Good luck to you, and may your life be filled with joy.

You experienced death by drowning and were at peace about it?? Wow.
From everything I've read - drowning and fire are two of the most painful ways to die ....

Thanks for the very interesting post.

The more I read about passing to the other side, the less I fear it.

Have a good life.

Thank you for this very nice read! I am glad to hear you are doing O.K.

If you don't mind, I would like to add my Grandmother's similar experience.

She also met her death from water. She drowned in the Ocean and flatlined as well but was brought back from CPR. Her account of it was strikingly similar to yours in that she said at the time of death it was extremely peaceful as the brain wasn't receiving enough oxygen.

reply to post by mrperplexed


I noticed that you have avoided any particular religious references.

How has the experience colored your view of the religious, or has it at all?