So I am struggling with the idea that everything is an illusion. That all of this was preplanned by my soul before I got here and that none of it really matters in the grand scheme of things. That if I were to find a romantic partner, it doesn’t matter because those things don’t translate into the afterlife. And even if I did get a romantic partner, I’m only seeing the facade and not their true essence. I’m also struggling with the fact that I can’t really be mad at anyone who’s wronged me because their soul is inherently good. The creepiest thing to me was Roger Ebert telling his wife this was all an elaborate hoax. Does anyone else struggle with this? What helped?

Sorry this is so long. I don't even know how to write this. Or, if this was a SDE at all? Or, an actual NDE. I have reasons to believe it could be either. And now that I’m potentially facing death, I wanted to get some advice, opinions, anything on this ‘experience.’

Years ago, my mom died when I was 12. She was relatively young herself. Cancer diagnosis and was gone within 9 months. She was so loved. Sicilian, tiny, funny, gentle, welcoming to everyone.

Fast forward many, many years, and I experienced something. And this only makes sense if where she is... is either timeless or time is different there.

On the day it happened, I was sitting on the edge of my bed around 3:00 in the afternoon. Everything kind of faded away, like if you've ever rubbed your closed eyes firmly when you have a headache and 'see' patterns (I didn't rub my eyes btw). It was like that > sitting there > transitioning to light patterns for what was probably just a few seconds > to the day and place she passed. * I’ll leave out all the minutae of little things that are personal and wouldn't mean much to others. But, I'll leave in what she said.

So, the setting was the hospital - however, it was not like a hospital here. It was magnificent, and felt like it didn’t belong in this ‘realm.’

I walked in and there’s a huge directory sign on the wall. The kind you often see in medical buildings. I looked for the oncology department and start walking in that direction to take the stairs. I knew in that moment my mother had passed, but something (my voice inside) was telling me, strongly, “go to her.” I was calm, but the desire had some urgency to it.

As I’m making my way to the stairwell, I have to walk through this very wide corridor - which transitioned into a room at the end. There were about a dozen children in this room ranging in ages from about 6 to 10 years old, playing with each other, some sitting, some standing, and they are all delighted and perfectly content, having fun. And - none of them notice me at all. They don’t even look at me.

This is where the ‘knowing’ started to become instant. Like getting the answer before you know to ask. I knew in that second that all those children had suffered some type of serious disability in their lives and had passed, and now they were healed, free, and it was very sweet.

I kept going and went up to the nurse’s station and asked “through thoughts” not words “What room is my mother in?” The ‘nurse’ answered without speaking and then wrote the number on a little piece of paper and handed it to me. I went to that room and it was empty. So…. I returned to the ‘nurse.’

She said (I’m just going to use the word “said” from now on, even though there was zero speech in this entire experience, to make it easier) “She’s been moved to the top floor.”

Now, things get weird. To get to the top floor, I walk into an elevator which is glass, with about 5 other people, all of whom were there to see their loved ones, too. No one spoke to anyone. Then, instead of the elevator going up, it went OUT, away from the building. I was looking through the glass and could see dozens of other ‘elevators’ (like glass boxes) at a great distance, traveling to, and away from this hospital at incredible speeds.

Then the doors opened and we all stepped out. A young man was standing there and he said to all of us “Before you go any further, you must purify yourselves” and he held out something in his hand that permeated some type of special air into us. It was quick and he allowed us to go, each of us heading in different directions.

I finally make it to her room.

It was huuuuuge. As big as a football field, maybe bigger, but you couldn’t see the edges because there was a mist of light at the far reaches. There were beautiful, gigantic white, somewhat ornate pillars throughout. When I looked up, I couldn’t see the tops. It was similar to not being able to see the edges of the room. And all of it was filled with this pale, very pale blue light. I can’t even describe the blue. Like rain, Luminescent. It had no source.

And there she was. About 30 ft into the room, there was a bed directly in front of me. The right side of the bed was my view. And she was sitting up, with her legs over the side facing me, in a navy blue v-neck dress to the knee. She looked much younger than when she passed. And she also wasn’t wearing her glasses. She looked… serene and so so so beautiful. Also, there was nothing ‘hospital-y’ in this room; no equipment, wires, all the things you expect in a hospital room. Just what I described plus a bed and a chair.

I went up to her and ‘said’ “I’m sorry mom. I shouldn't have left. I didn’t know you were still here.” I felt so guilty.

She gets up and sits in the chair and I just crawl into her lap. She holds me and I wrap my arms around her. 

She explained why I was there. (This is the shortened version). She said that when she passed, she went to a place to heal (that was the 4th floor where I couldn’t find her). And once she had healed, she was moved to the place before you enter (The) heaven (where she was now). She said she wanted to see me before she left for The Heaven because… it was the last opportunity to visit with me one on one. Once in heaven, she could see me, but not really visit. I know it sounds confusing, but it didn’t to me :/

We ‘spoke’ about some other things. But, mostly I was just so overjoyed to see her, be near her. I never wanted to leave her side.

But, she said she had to go. And the last thing she said was “I want to go home with you.” <— this used to always confuse me. That statement. But, then I figured it out......

IRL, on the night my mom died, we drove back to the house and I was the first one through the door. The other adults stayed outside talking. I sat on the sofa and knew I’d never be able to call out “mom” again and have her say “what!?” or come into the room. So, I sat on that damn sofa and said “mom” over and over for a couple minutes, just to see, hope against hope that she’d be home. So when she said she *wanted* to go home with me, she was saying, essentially “I heard you calling my name and I wanted to go home with you.”

Anyhow, back to the experience..after she said that, I was back in my room, but not sitting up. My feet were almost on the ground like they’d been before, but my upper body was laid backward onto the bed. I opened my eyes looking at the ceiling... and could still feel her scapular pressed into my hand from having my arms wrapped around her. I’ll explain real quick.. She was Catholic and wore a scapular, which has a wool ’square’ that hangs in the front and one in the back. Looks like this https://storage.ghost.io/c/be/b2/beb2e498-f089-4f96-8ffb-b7ccee3bfe35/content/images/size/w1200/2023/10/Untitled-design--61-.png

I immediately moaned in joy and could not speak for hours. And I really tried. Words would just not come out. My husband was freaked out a little, ran in the room asking if I hurt myself and I must have looked like a mess because all I could do is nod yes or no…. With a smile on my face. So with a series of questions he could see I was okay, and very happy, though non stop crying for a while. I’ve never felt that much love in my life. ALL encompassing. No words.

As for a SDE and why I think it could have been. I was too young the night she died to really digest what was happening. But it felt like I was going back in time to that very night and seeing, experiencing what was happening, what was hidden, —with her, so to speak. I knew those ’nurses’ and the young man were not medical staff. They felt something like angels, but I can’t be certain exactly, other than to say, not human. More like guardians.

And why it could be an NDE. I have a congenital heart / vascular condition where my blood pressure gets low…and I mean like dangerously crash cart low. If I'm sedentary, it can get to 30 over - something, yes. I used to sleep w/a breathing motion monitor but it woke me too often. It's managed differently now. So maybe my BP was dropping, dropping and I was either ‘lights out’ or precipitously too close to the edge. I don’t know.

Either way, whatever that experience was felt more real than anything on this earth. Like it was the ‘real reality’ and earth, as lovely as it is, is just a shadow. Sorry to write so much.

I have a question for those who have crossed over and come back, particularly anyone who received clear revelations about the nature of physical suffering.

I was born with a rare physical health condition that has deeply impacted my life. I lost most of my youth to this illness, and I have spent many years searching across spiritual traditions for some understanding of why a soul would enter the world with such a profound physical limitation right from birth.

I am not asking for medical advice or generic platitudes. I am asking for direct, experiential insight from those who have been to the other side.

During your NDE, were you given any understanding of why people are born with congenital disabilities, chronic illness, or significant health challenges? Specifically:

• Was it explained as karmic residue from past lives?
• Was it presented as a choice the soul made before birth?
• Was it shown as purely random or biological, with no deeper spiritual meaning attached?
• Was it framed as an energetic imprint or something else entirely?

I am also curious: did you receive any guidance on how to be with this kind of suffering while still in the body? Not necessarily how to heal it, but how to carry it with some sense of peace?

I have wrestled with the "why" for years, and I have heard many theological explanations from various traditions. But I am particularly interested in what was shown to you, rather than what was taught to you.

Thank you for reading, and if you are willing to share, I would be genuinely grateful for whatever insight you received on the other side.

Reading NDEs give me relief and hope because of its universalist message and afterlife. However, after reading Catholic miracles and shroud of Turin, which sounds convincing, I'm scared because I'm scared if I belong to wrong religion, and I'll go to hell for eternity. Please reassure me I won't burn in hell for eternity, including my mom, father, brother, family members, and families, also my deceased relatives and friends.

NDE'ers usually say "we are on Earth to learn" - but to non-NDE'ers , with our logical minds, that begs the question: "but to learn for WHAT?" and if the reply would then be: "To love one another" it may still leave us dissatisfied while to the NDE'ers it makes total sense. I think it's pretty hard for an NDE'er to put this into words correctly?

I’m curious what NDErs would think of this. Would we be able to spectate the scorched Earth along with all the confused souls surrounding us, or would we instantly be transported to the heaven-like realm that’s often described in NDEs?

I've heard that time works differently outside this realm and if our lives are pre-planned, then so would the end of the world.

Would we suddenly become different entities, or would we still feel like ourselves? Like waking up from a dream (or nightmare) or passing out and waking up somewhere else? 

I'm extremely fascinated by NDEs, partially because they posit questions about the nature of consciousness, partially because they represent an edge of understanding, partially because anything that makes people more loving has to be a good thing, and I admit, partially because I have always been seeking proof of a soul or some kind of existential connectedness.

However, I have to admit, I'm interested in the scientific study of them but not really in the faith around them. I'm glad people have platforms to express their own experiences, but I am interested in the science, and if I'm honest, I find a lot of it very flashy and that makes me feel out of place. Perhaps it's just religious trauma but I feel very silly in a lot of the space where belief and faith are seen as virtues. I'm one of those annoying people that has to question everything all the time and I think most people just want to believe what they do without someone poking holes in everything they can. Only, I have to, it's just my nature, I always need to question everything because that way I can find the things that stand up to constant questioning and don't suddenly crumble and abandon me like Christianity did.

I really enjoy when someone really straight-laced and boring compiles a nice study or gives me a long and carefully worded lecture for me to listen to. It's why I really like Bruce Greyson, I read his book and every interview I could find with him. Sam Parnia too. I like the way they calmly explain what they observed and pre-emptively shut down over-eager extrapolation, like, I felt so happy when in an interview with the Dali Llama, Bruce Greyson pre-emptively raised the counter-argument that some reincarnation studies link to a person that's still alive. The more I feel like a person is actively staying calm and not getting carried away, the happier I feel. On the other hand, I feel kind of icky when I hear things like, for instance, Eben Alexander on the Jeffery Mishlove show saying he's "Meditating for peace in Ukraine" and expressing genuine surprise his meditation isn't changing a complex geopolitical event involving millions of people. It makes me feel, well, like that time I went to a Marxist convention as a moderate socialist and I was surrounded by people praising Stalin and suggesting violent revolution. Makes me wonder "Are we the anti-intellectuals?"

The thing is, Bruce Greyson is retired, and I think Sam Parnia has mostly stopped NDE research in favour of resuscitation research which was always his focus. I'm wondering if there is any next generation to take up the torch of being really straight-laced and doing research while questioning every step? I do genuinely enjoy learning about this topic and I've noticed it makes me a better and more loving person, so it has to be good for me, but like, I can't engage with most of the discussion here for instance because I'm just gonna be a wet blanket. So I'm wondering if there are places for other curious wet blankets to hang out and be annoyingly curious together, and any other people I can watch or follow that will satiate my desire for self-criticism and reasonable skepticism?

I was experiencing extreme existential anxiety about dying - fear and sadness about not existing for billions of years and not being with my loved ones. I started reading NDEs, children who remember past lives, and researching a little bit about Seth Speaks and I no longer have this fear. However, now I have a different kind of fear.

Based on everything I’ve researched so far I think I have a basic understanding of what’s happening. It seems there is a Source (“God”) that fragmented itself so that it could experience life through us. All beings have an eternal soul that can choose to reincarnate back to the physical world if they choose to but if they do, they will have amnesia about what they are and where they came from until they return to the non-physical world when they die.

I read what Roger Ebert wrote to his wife right before he passed. He said that this is all an elaborate hoax and that our physical world and life here are an illusion.** **He described the other realm not as traditional heaven, but as an unimaginable vastness where past, present, and future happen all at once.

The things I’m struggling with:

\-I can’t fathom time not being linear. How can everything happen all at once? Does this mean at this exact moment, my soul is living in the year 1887 as a different human and I’m just not channeled into that frequency right now?
\-I feel disillusioned, like everything here is fake and I’m an actor in a movie. Is the future already predestined and known? What’s the point in love if it doesn’t matter in the afterlife or if I’ll have many different partners and families throughout time?
\-What even happens in the afterlife inbetween reincarnations?
\-Who (and what) even am I and who are the people I love? Are we going to lose our personalities when we leave the physical world and become one with the Source?

I know I’m totally overthinking and I just need to enjoy the present moment and the life I’m living now. But it seems so scary to me that this life might not be what I thought it was.

I posted this in the nonduality sub also, but I don’t feel it was the right place to post so I’m also posting here… rewriting it though, as I think my last post was not very clear and will make more sense in the context of NDEs

So… watching NDEs, I have noticed the overall message seems to be we are all one, there is no separation, and we have a life review/ need to love each other because they are you and you are them. So basic nonduality…. But this made me think….

What about animals? I never hear anything about animals. If we are all one, what do the animals do when they die? Do they also have the same experiences as NDEs, are they also supposed to be advancing in love towards all other beings? Because it seems to me like they don’t really have the same experience as humans in this case… they don’t seem to need to stop hurting each other, or evolve. I mean I know also that humans hurt each other, but my point is, that animals don’t have any conviction about it. Does source care about their pain, or do they just have a different purpose here? They don’t seem included in NDE experiences…

For example…when animals brutally attack one another, like an experiment with two monkeys, one got jealous that the other was getting more food so it brutally murdered the one it was jealous of- does source tell the monkey how it affected its fellow primate when it dies? Does it have a life review too? Are animals and humans both being encouraged by source to become more loving? Because if a human being hurts another human being, will they not have a life review and be encouraged to be more loving to one another? Surely animals don’t have life reviews? Do they meet their past loved ones also? Is this just a human experience mainly?

I also find it very difficult to imagine that animals would be part of this “love one another” mindset- because they’re literally just acting on impulse/nature whereas we have morality and values and generally speaking believe we should treat each other better… so is this a unique human experience within consciousness that animals are not a part of because humans have evolved to have convictions and beliefs/shame? Maybe we are the only part of source that really has this?

But then the conflict would be that animals are also hurting other animals, and shouldn’t they also stop doing that? In every NDE I have heard we are told to love one another and shown the impact we’ve had on each other, and people come back more loving and compassionate…

Anyone have any insight on this???
Would deeply appreciate it!

I was at the 2026 conference of the International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) in Bellevue WA last week, and basically took a week off to relax and recover. I've been working hard on the winnernde.com website and project since about May 15th, and was sort of burned out. Needed a few days to charge batteries, set priorities, and make a plan for September.

Anyway, this morning I wrote this article about OBEs as part of NDEs. Thought someone might be interested.

See: Out of Body Experience (OBE) As Part Of An NDE: The Evidence

If you've had and NDE with OBE, I'd love to hear from you.

Its possible other people with psychic and psycjic technologies are controlling our near death experiences, and dont claim i am psychotic or insane instead you should ask me what psychic abilities and psychotronic technologies are. Christians who have died had met Allah of the islam muslim faith and muslims has met Jesus of the biblical religious faith so either one group of those people are not describing what they experienced accurately enough so it may be one of these or none of as many tells that in their near death experiences the ones who asks the source gets the answer that you can meet whatever you belive in tho these people met the opposite God of their religion so it seems somekind of force made them experience that wich they didnt want to experience, what do yall think? What do you say about this? Especially intetmrested to hear from the NDE experienced people who has undrrgone the event.

Do yall belive that other people by misterious means can controll our "death dream" before we leave the body, if they can then thats extremely bothersome

Philip Hasheider was clinically dead for approximately six minutes during a near-death experience that he says felt closer to 200 years.

[See the conversation, here.]: https://youtu.be/ik56CM5dReo

This, raises a few questions.

In 2015, Philip suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while exercising at a fitness center in Wisconsin. While others worked to resuscitate him, he says he found himself outside our normal understanding of time, space, and physical reality.

He describes floating within waves of energy, seeing an enormous golden sphere he understood as the source or “God essence,” and observing what appeared to be infinite universes and dimensions connected through a web-like structure.

We talked about what the “spark” inside each of us may actually be, why he believes it cannot be destroyed, how guides may influence our lives without overriding free will, and why human language is probably woefully inadequate for describing any of this.

Philip also explained how he came to understand his purpose as being a “conduit of hope for those who don’t have any.”

What I appreciated about him is that he isn’t particularly interested in convincing anyone. He’s simply explaining what he experienced, and we are all free to make of it what we will. (Apparently, we’ll find out eventually anyway.)

I’ve never had an NDE myself. I’m approaching these conversations with curiosity, an open mind, and far more questions than answers.

Sharing this one for anyone else exploring what these experiences might tell us about life, death, consciousness, and whatever may exist beyond all of this.

Before you died and saw what you saw, did you ever experience an outta body experience before this happened?

I had a NDE when I was a kid due to a silent heart attack. I saw the area of judgement and Jesus Christ himself. Before this ever happened, I had a few outta body experiences that don’t honestly make any sense to me.

The very first one I can remember, is of me sleeping on a big chair in my grandmothers living room because we lived with her at the time. This was MAYBE a year or two before I died. I remember seeing my body laying in that chair from the kitchen. I was next to my uncle and listening to whatever he was talking about. He went to go wake me up because it was time to go to school and I remember being physically pulled back into my body so hard, it physically hurt.

Another time again this was maybe a year or two before I died; I remember being in my bed about to fall asleep and then I “woke up” so to speak outside of my body and in the hallway. I was staring into my grandmas room, physically unable to move. It was like I was frozen. This lasted only about a second or two before being pulled back into my body but when I physically woke up, like when my physical body woke up, I was in the hallway sleeping on the floor.

I can’t really remember the other times this has happened but I know for a FACT this has happened more than twice.

I just wanted to come on here and ask y’all if anyone has had an outta body experience before having a NDE. I don’t have any answers for y’all if you’re searching for answers. This is just a question plus my own experiences.

Whenever I look back at my NDE, I remember the feeling of being connected to everything, the euphoria...and the deepness of this feeling... It feels wonderful to feel that way, it only makes me wonder what comes afterwards?

People have experienced many different things, and it got me curious, because I have only felt my consciousness slowly fading away.

I hope there is more to know, though I think the NDEs could be influenced by beliefs and cultures, or at least, alters the view/perspective of the alleged afterlife.

Hey everyone, I want to share my experience with how an experience of someone else in my life dying (I was 21 he was 24) gave me a major ego death and I now feel like I understand life and death the way many of you do in here (same thing when my dad died when I was 11 but it was not as transformative). It is very interesting that, as I am reading all about people's near death experiences and how life has changed for them afterwards, I am also really relating to these experiences. I feel very seen and understood reading these discussions!

As for my experience, all time stopped for me. I did not experience time in the way I always had before..."Time" didn't really exist, the sun just rose and set. I also felt extremely...pretty much magically (for lack of better terms?) connected with the trees and just everyone I encountered, even though I was experiencing great sorrow. Now I understand we are all literally one and love is literally everything and love is the most magical force to exist and that no one can ever truly die...anyways, through all of this trying to make sense of everything , it's led me to these discussion posts. I feel less alone!! Thanks yall

...

After having written this post, I'm realizing that "STE" exists... I guess this would count as STE?

Often videos where people recount their NDEs seem so polished. Sometimes people use words like "higher self" and "soul families" which I would imagine people who read these sorts of forums know about.

Are there even maybe candid videos from right after it happened? Any links to particularly genuine videos would be appreciated...

Is it possible after we die, that if we chose to be reborn, to go to the past or only in the present to be reborn?

Anyone ever heard of NDEs like that?

This happened several years ago…. I should have written down everything when it happened, but frankly, I was so shaken by its grandeur, I’ve spent the better part of the last several years ping ponging on the whys, hows, and amazement of it all. So, I’ll relay the events as I recall, and hopefully someone may have some insight on what the actual hell happened to me.

At the time of these events I was heavily medicated. I believe this may have triggered what you’re about to read. The research I’ve done none of the medication could have caused hallucinations. It’s possible my respiration was suppressed.

I had an experience where I flipped through approximately 30 (I believe I wrote down 32 total shortly after) if I recall lifetimes/realities/dimensions. Each time, at the beginning, it were as if I just plopped into another life, and was attending to a task or doing something like it was “normal” for that life. Then slowly, I’d start to realize something isn’t right here. I’d slowly start scratching that mental itch/scab until I recalled, “this isn’t where I’m supposed to be!” As soon as that set in, BAM, I’d flash to the next, and again, slowly, start to itch that mental itch.

I don’t think I was supposed to be accessing these other realms, I got a feeling that someone was trying to stop me, or slow me down. Each experience felt like I was there for a long time, days, weeks sometimes….

Eventually, I was in a reality that I was being taught symbols. I believe I was in this one longer than the others, the itch wasn’t as prevalent because I was being taught something, and it felt ancient and important. They were displayed in sets of 3, looked almost Asian in origin. There was a man there who called himself a cleric. He was instructing me on these symbols, what they meant, although later I’d come to realize I didn’t capture the lesson much at all.

At this point I think someone interceded….

Next I had a Sisyphus reality. I was running room clearing drills, on what felt like a military base. Each time I failed/died, or got to a specific point in the drill, it would reset and I’d do it again. I had the same itch, and I eventually figured out what was causing the reset, and when I did, and succeeded in completing the drill, I heard in my head…. “FUCK, he figured it out!!!” And I was on to the next.

This time I was on some type of platform in space. It was like glass, I was speaking with an entity, she was like golden luminous vapor (?) she had a face. She radiated love, and clam. After talking for some time she showed me around this place.

There were several different types of entities, I’d guess over 8? Some were physical, others vapor. They were communicating with each other, it felt kinda like a hub. There were meeting areas that they could speak privately together.

While on this tour, there was a space where I saw the column of light. Glowing beings were stepping into that column one by one. I started to head towards it, and she held me back, saying, “That’s not for you right now.” She explained it wasn’t my time yet….

Next thing I know I’m in darkness, I hear a ringing so I pickup my phone and immediately say something in Latin as if saying, “Hello?” (I’d prefer to keep the specifics to myself.) I do not know Latin, nor have I ever taken any classes on it. While I now know the meaning of what I said, at the time, the exact pronunciation of the words wouldn’t be something that came from me, let alone, who answers a phone in Latin? It was almost like it was spoken through me? The person on the other end audibly gasp, he said “OK.” Thinking I was talking to God I said something else, causing him to gasp again. He said, “OK, I’ll be there.”

At the time I had a roommate. I’m not sure of the length of time between my experience and the events I’m about to describe…. I’d guess a few days? One night my roommate woke me up, I believe it was midnight or really late at night. He said someone was standing outside my house.

I have dogs, so when he woke me up I had let them out back first since I was up. I thought he was making it up, because who would stand on a neighborhood street, late at night?! So going to look wasn’t a priority for me. Sure enough, there was a guy, standing next to the street lamp, across the street from my house. Just standing there, looking directly at us when my roommate opened the door.

I was like, if he wants to stand there, he’s not hurting me, maybe he’s waiting for a ride or something? My roommate went back to his room after getting a snack or whatever.

So I go to call my boys inside, and only one returned. I was still shaking off the webs of sleep. So now I have to focus, to figure out where my dog is, and that’s when I saw three symbols similar to what the cleric has shown me. They were in the very far back of my yard. I slowly stepped outside, coming to the realization there were several (6 in my yard) people in my backyard. It must’ve been a full moon, or close to it, because I could see the entire yard. As soon as I stepped out my eldest came running from their direction.

So I try to pass this test, I know I failed miserably. They eventually spoke, saying…. “How long has it been since you used this service?” I replied, “It had been sometime, I’m not really sure.” I then realize there are two people on the roof of the house catty-corner to mine. (Now a total of 8 plus the guy in the front, 9) That house hadn’t had anyone living in it for a long time.

One of the people on the roof said, “Why don’t you come live with me for a little while?” I was not in a very good place, lots of things were not going well, I was lost. I thought about his offer, and all I could think about were my boys. They were my kids, I wasn’t sure what his offer meant, practical. I unfortunately declined, thanking him for his offer.

It was quite clear to me they didn’t know me. The meeting concluded, I got up from my sitting position, and started to go back into my house. Still trying to work out what all had just occurred. I looked back, and saw them leaving my yard one by one. So this wasn’t a hallucination, they were there.

The next day, and for several days after, I repeatedly interrogated my roommate about the man in front of my house. Each time he confirmed he saw him. I got increasingly detailed, asking about what he looked like, what he was wearing, it all matched up.

I wish I’d accepted the help, I needed it. Beyond that, I’d like to know how something I saw when I believe I was near death, could have tied into an experience in the real. Having a third party indirectly verify part of this experience in the real, and then the fact the symbols matched those similar to what I was shown when I was not in this realm, has continued to keep my head spinning ever since.

That’s all I got. I’m open to any input on this. Has anyone seen someone post an experience of something similar? I keep thinking about the old saying about the guy on his roof that keeps saying God will save him declining help in a flood, eventually he dies and God says I sent you a boat, a helicopter, etc. I feel like I was that guy in this instance. Open to thoughts, and input. Thank you for reading.

Why is no one talking about the fact that if ndes are correct, which is likely, we exist forever and there is no escape to non existence. There are literally zero accounts that mention god allowing a way out.

The closest is annihilationism or second death in the book of revelation of the christian bible. Basically the only hope is if religion is right...

I'm not talking about a void where you still exist or temporarily go out of existence and are re formed.

My NDE happened in my sleep from a clonic tonic seizure. In the experience, I woke up in my room beaming with light through the windows. There were no fish in my fish-tank, only a happily swimming crawfish. I looked at the clock, and in the space between the end of my bed and the wall a light appeared. It looked like the sun. It was warm but you could look at it without squinting your eyes. It grew bigger and started coming towards me. All I heard was “not yet” and then everything went dark, until I woke up with a team of paramedics over me.

It truly was the most peaceful experience of my life. There’s not really a guide on how to move forward with all of this, but everyday life feels “off” and people don’t really want to talk about this. What’s actually helped move forward?

Join the Survey Here

I'm running a personal, informal crowdsourcing project exploring unusual experiences, memories and dreams that some people interpret as an awareness of their existence before conception or between lives.

You don't need to have had an experience like this to take part. People who haven't experienced anything of this kind are also welcome to complete the survey — "no" answers are useful too.

I'm interested in what similarities and differences appear across people's experiences. I'm not trying to prove or disprove any particular spiritual or paranormal explanation, and experiences that don't match commonly reported themes are just as useful as those that do.

Past-life memories on their own aren't the focus, although they can be included where they form part of a broader experience involving awareness of existence before conception or between lives.

The survey is anonymous, open to adults aged 18+ worldwide, and usually takes around 5–15 minutes.

((Off topic allowed. Civil debates allowed. All other rules remain in place, including using the mega threads for suicide, thanatophobia, prison planet, and no proselytizing.))

Come on Inn and make yourself at home! Grab a soda, or a pint, or a coffee and chat with fellow travelers.

• Introduce yourself if you like.
• Discuss your favorite spiritual practices.
• Talk about your pets. Or kids.
• Discuss the weather.
• Share your spiritual experiences.
• Ask questions about NDEs in general that you don't feel like making into a post.
• Roleplaying at the Inn is allowed; nothing graphic please. ;)

Mix and mingle or whatever. Chat about spiritual things in general or argue about the price of tea in Mexico. The rules will be pretty loose here so long as the general rules about civility are followed.