Experience description:
In the year my story took
place I was doing research and teaching at a university situated in the
mountains of the province where I was born. I frequently traveled to the
capital city to visit my family and I would return by bus to the university
on Sunday nights. The bus was usually empty by the time we traveled through
the final section of the mountain chain.
On the night of my experience I
traveled by a bus that, in the final stages of the trip, went through
elevations where one could see valleys covered with pine trees and oaks.
On the night in question there was a
full moon of exceptional beauty and luminosity that rose in a corner of the
sky. It's light was of such intensity that it was nearly possible to read
the faint words of a newspaper. The valleys below were illuminated with a
blue light that allowed one to see the details of the landscape and the
silhouette of the pines.
I was seated by a window in the nearly
empty bus, absently looking out at the strange view, when I was overcome,
without warning, by the event I am referring to.
The first thing I felt, or rather at
the beginning, it was a sensation of inexplicable ecstasy that I had never
felt before in my life that increased in strength until it almost became
painful. I lost perception of where I was and ceased to hear the noise of
the motor. I then experienced a feeling of incredible unfolding of a reality
impossible to explain that I can only describe as a melding of my
consciousness with everything that was around me; like the physical
integration of my being with the physical substance of the forest and the
totality of nature.
I do not believe there is a way of
expressing with words the feeling of joy and euphoria; of complete happiness
and a super expanded consciousness I experience at that time. This feeling
was so powerful I felt it possible to die from their strength. My chest
felt very heavy and to my astonishment tears flowed from my eyes. I was
unable to contain my agitated breathing. A sensation of ecstasy and
rapture, a current of overpowering happiness completely overcame me at that
time and I wanted it never to end.
From that moment I felt myself soaring
out of my body. I saw myself outside my body, without knowing or having any
consciousness where it my physical body was. I saw everything from a great
height and I felt a type of vertigo and a slight sensation of fear at
feeling so high up and moving at an enormous speed At the same time I felt
great happiness similar to how a child feels when riding the horses of a
carousel; a sensation of incomparable power, of euphoria and contentment.
Each detail of the landscape below was visible as if my eyes were endowed
with powerful telescopes. Nothing in the scene changed during moments that
seemed like hours and even the moon continued shining upon me and lighted a
landscape of overwhelming beauty that exuded a kind of peace and serenity
that I could clearly see in my indescribable flight or unfolding. And just
as my experience took me to its apex, all of a sudden it ended without my
feeling the slightest sensation of transition or abatement from one state to
the other.
I wouldn't be able to tell you how
long the experience lasted were it not for the fact that, when it was over,
the bus had gone over 2 kilometers.
When we arrived at the university,
already late at night, I couldn't get into the dormitory. I couldn't sleep
that night and I kept trying to reflect upon what had happened, deeply
disconcerted but without loosing the extreme joy and ecstasy over what I had
experienced.
I would like to say that at that time
I had never taken drugs nor alcoholic drinks. I don't take any sleeping
medications nor psychotropic drugs, nor have I ever taken them even today at
age 60. I have never been, even now, a religious man and have practically
never gone to any church of any denomination. I'm simply a man, just as I
was at that time, with a solid scientific and philosophical...and even
humanistic...background, but nothing approaching a mystic.
After reflecting on the experience, I
can extract several conclusions. They are the following:
1. I had no premonition of what was
going to happen at that time. I traveled without paying much attention and
looked absently at a beautiful nocturnal landscape.
2. I wasn't tired or sleepy.
3. The intensity of the experience
got stronger until it became so painful that the sensation of joy and
extreme happiness were almost insufferable.
4. My pulse rate stayed elevated for
several days. I lost my appetite and went for several days without eating
or needing to eat.
5. The feeling of "unfolding"
or disintegration of my personality and the fusion with everything was
overwhelmingly real. Reality itself cannot prepare one for what happened.
6. The reality of the experience was
absolute. I completely lost all notion of where I was and my surroundings
completely disappeared. I could not hear anything going on around me,
nevertheless, I am completely sure that my sense of hearing was never lost
at any time.
The results of this experience were
noteworthy and long lasting.
1. My character and conduct changed
from that day on. I felt I had a greater capacity for understanding the
actions of my fellow beings and I became more tolerant of the faults of
others.
2. My
arrogance and predisposition towards treating others with disdain became
much less.
I became much more simple, social and
cordial.
3. I returned to God later on,
although I almost never went to church and do not pray. The absolute
certainty of God's existence and the assurance that Jesus was his son and
messenger sent by Him to save us became part of me.
4. The absolute faith in our
transcendence over death became a part of me and I lost all fear of death in
the sense that death is seen as the complete disappearance of the self.
5. Although what I'm going to say may
seem strange, from that moment on I felt compassion towards people who do
not feel within themselves the presence of God.
This is my story. It's not about a
Near Death Experience, like I would have years later. I was completely
conscious when I had it, everything was transformed for a little while into
a state that could be called hyperconsciousness or something far beyond
consciousness. There is nothing I have ever experienced that can even come
close in comparison with this.
I have never told this to anyone
except to a woman who a few many years later.
By the light of a life that has been
almost completely lived, with the passage of nearly 30 years since the
event, and after thinking about it for decades, having visited many
countries and had many adventures, I firmly believe that that night, by some
incredible, inexplicable and unmerited grace, God put His finger upon my
head.
Was the kind of experience difficult
to express in words?
Yes the intensity, the overwhelming reality and beauty are impossible
to translate into words.
At the time of this experience, was
there an associated life threatening event?
No
At what time during the experience
were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?
See my account above. My consciousness and alertness during this experience
was magnified. Even today I feel overwhelmed and even fearful when thinking
about having experienced this event.
How did your highest level of
consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal
every day consciousness and alertness?
More consciousness and alertness than normal
Did your vision differ in any way from
your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of
vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of
solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?
Yes I could see everything although I didn't focus in any particular
direction. My field of vision was extended to a point that's impossible to
understand. The colors were normal but the detail of objects was extremely
intense.
Did your hearing differ in any way
from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability
to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
Yes I ceased
completely my hearing of the noises around me in the physical world. During
the sensation of flying through an open space I could hear, not only the
sound of the wind that blew at a great height, but also the brushing of it
against me.
Did you experience a separation of
your consciousness from your body?
Yes
What emotions did you feel during the
experience? Marvelous and
indescribable.
Did you see or visit any
beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?
Yes See my description of the event.
Did you have any sense of altered
space or time?
Yes Although the experience evidently only lasted a few minutes, I had
no sense of time during it. It could have lasted hours or minutes. The
time space was completely "porous." I had the sensation of traversing
thousands of kilometers or none.
Did you have a sense of knowing
special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?
Yes See my account.
Did you reach a boundary or limiting
physical structure?
Yes See my detailed account of the event.
Did you become aware of future events?
Yes
I acquired the occasional capacity of seeing things
that will occur.
Did you have any psychic, paranormal
or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to
the experience?
Yes That perception is absolutely intuitive and immediate, without
prior analysis.
Have you shared this experience with
others?
Yes See my account. I related this experience a little afterwards to
a very spiritual woman who I loved and who died a little afterwards. I have
never told anyone else.
Did you have any knowledge of near
death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?
No
How did you view the reality of your
experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:
Experience was definitely real
How do you currently view
the reality of your experience:
Experience was definitely real
Have your relationships changed
specifically as a result of your experience?
Yes See my account
Have your religious
beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?
Yes I firmly believe in life after physical death. God is part of my
life.
Following the experience, have you had
any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced
any part of the experience?
No
Did the questions asked and
information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your
experience? Yes
Although brief, yes they do.