EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

I was out walking with friends one evening and after walking quickly for some time, we turned down one street to make our way to a friend's house to visit them.

At some point during the walk down that street, I started to slow down and had difficulty keeping up with my friends who were quite a good distance ahead of me by then.

I remember stopping in the middle of the street (as that was where we were walking at the time) and felt like I couldn't go on any further. I felt completely out of breath and energy to continue.

As I slowly looked up (I'm not sure why I was drawn to do so) all I could see was an almost-transparent, white light which immediately surrounded me on all sides. I totally lost all awareness of sight and sound. I felt as if I were inside the light itself. I began to feel uncomfortable when I realized I had lost all connection with any normal point of reference at all. It was then that I realized I was outside of my body, but I had no idea of where I might be, as there was nothing my senses could relate to. It was an extremely unsettling experience and I felt that I was beyond any concepts of �time and space� during the expeience. I was in a formless place in which all was thought, without manifestation of forms. Then, I sensed two human-like 'beings', whom I felt were friendly and helpful, who arrived on both �sides� next to me (although I had no form and neither did they) as if to guide me somewhere.

I remember asking them, telepathically just by thinking it, where we were going and they quickly answered me (without words being spoken) that we were going "Somewhere beautiful."

Just then, I remembered my body down in the street and being concerned about it, thought that it might be hit by a car as I had left it standing in the middle of the street. When I thought that, I was immediately back in my body and and the familiar sights and sounds of the street flooded back into my consciousness. I saw my friends far ahead of me and managed to willfully force my body to move towards them. Being back in my body felt awkward and heavy and I remember that one of the first things I noticed was how labored and heavy breathing in the body was compared to the lightness and ease of existing outside of it. I still think of this world as "the heavy world" after having the experience.

One other thing I took from the experience is that I feel that, at some point and in some cases, we have free will concerning a return to the body. That is, if the body has not been damaged beyond being able to sustain life. I feel that I was able to come back to my body so easily because it was in the same place and condition it had been left.

Although I had no NDE-characteristic �life-review� (which I was aware of), as a result of the experience I started to seek out and apologize to people whom I had hurt in some way in the past. Also, since then, I have been drawn to compassion as the single-most important quality for me to nurture in life.

At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   Uncertain 

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  Yes     Yes. After the experience, I kept quiet about it for a long time because I did not have any adequate words to describe it to anyone and I was not sure that anyone would understand it if I tried to.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    Throughout the entire experience.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      More consciousness and alertness than normal   I communicated by using telepathic means, without having to use any physical form of speech.

Also, I felt that at the end of the experience I had the ability to will myself back into my physical body.

I seemed to be aware of my environment completely, without the limitations of physical sight as we know it. I sensed the two beings as they were approaching me and knew that they had stopped on either side of me and also sensed that they had come to guide me somewhere.

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Prior to the experience, my vision was normal and typical. Everything physical was in its normal proportion and looked the same as it always had.

Once I was in the experience, everything changed with regard to my vision.

I found myself inside an environment totally made up of light, without any normal reference points at all. I had no vision, other than the light in all directions.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   I felt as if all of my physical senses had been stripped away and that I existed as pure, formless consciousness.

Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body?   No  

What emotions did you feel during the experience?   I felt very uncomfortable at first, due to the fact that I did not have any physical senses relaying data to my consciousness. I remember thinking, 'This is strange and uncomfortable and I'd rather be somewhere else.'

After the 'beings' or 'guides' came to me, I relaxed and was actually ready to go with them to the "Someplace beautiful" that they said they were taking me.  

Did you pass into or through a tunnel?   Uncertain   Perhaps the formless light I was in was the tunnel! I have never thought of that before.

Did you see an unearthly light?   Yes   It was all light, but not a bright light. It had a 'soft' characteristic about it.

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
The two 'beings' or 'guides' who came to me, communicated telepathically with me and my memory of them was that they were very kind and helpful.

I felt they came instantly, right after I consciously thought that I was feeling distressed and uncomfortable.

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   At the time of the experience, the 'beings' I encountered were without physical form (as I was myself at the time), so I am not certain that they might have been, or might not have existed previously on earth in bodily forms.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   No  

Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience?   Uncertain   I have no memory of any 'past-life review' during the experience, but noticed a definite, positive change in my thinking about other people upon returning from the experience.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
I clearly left behind the normal, everyday world and entered a formless, 'Void of Light' realm which was devoid of all physical senses and in which pure, conscious thought was the only means of communication.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down?   Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
I had that clear experience that I was beyond time and space and that these concepts did not exist at all, nor did they hold any meaning or importance.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?   No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   Yes
The entire realm of light I found myself in seemed to me at the time as limiting 'structure', but the concept described by the word 'structure' does not adequately describe the environment I was in. In other words, I did not sense any structure with clear borders or boundaries, just limitless light and consciousness.

Did you come to a border or point of no return?   I came to a definite conscious decision to "return" to life
I cannot remember why I chose to return to my body, only that when I thought of it (and became worried about it perhaps being injured in some way) I was immediately back inside of it, at the speed of thought and all of my physical consciousness and senses came back to me.

Did scenes from the future come to you?  No 

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (�life after death�)?   Yes   At the time of the experience I was completely aware that I was out of my physical body and separated from it for an unknown length of time and that I was fully aware and conscious of everything without being inside of a physical form.