Gary T
Anesthesia
Greyson Scale: 4
#33008
- CountryUnited States
- GenderM
- AgeOlder Child
- Date Experienced7/3/1956
- Date Submitted5/10/2025
The experience included
Develop psychic abilitiesLikely experienced clinical deathMet their spirit guide in the experienceReturned without warning or choice
Experience Description
July 3, 1956 – During my surgery, I was walking down a corridor and came to a whirling tunnel not much taller than I was. I heard a noise that I can only describe as an up-and-down octave. I got close to the tunnel and looked inside. It went upward, and I could see a light at the far end. There were colored sparkles all along the tunnel, and I reached out and touched it. I heard a loud bang, and the next thing I knew, I woke up. My mother was holding my hand, and the first words I told her were that I was in a tunnel and it went upward with a light at the far end. She told me it was a dream. It was not a dream, and to this day I could still draw a picture of what it was like. I did not mention anything about this for approximately 23 years. After purchasing Dr. Moody's book, *Life After Life*, I began my study of near-death experiences.
Background Information
Gender
Male
Date NDE Occurred
7/3/1956
Near Death Experience Elements
At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event?
Uncertain, Surgery-related, Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)
How do you consider the content of your experience?
Entirely pleasant
Did you feel separated from your body?
I clearly left my body and existed outside it
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, What I can say to this day is that it seemed real at the time, but I did not feel any different.
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?
To this day, I can still recall how vivid and real the experience seemed.
Were your thoughts speeded up?
No
Did time seem to speed up or slow down?
No
Were your senses more vivid than usual?
More vivid than usual
Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience
I had never heard anything about a tunnel when someone had a near-death experience. It was completely foreign to me, and I did not think it was unusual at the time.
Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience
The only noise I heard was an up-and-down octave, like a siren but without the loudness, high pitch, or lowest pitch.
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 (or alive) beings?
No
Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light?
No
Did you see an unearthly light?
Yes, I looked into the swirling tunnel and saw a light at the far end.
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?
No
What emotions did you feel during the experience?
Wonderment, not fully understanding what was happening.
Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness?
Relief or calmness
Did you have a feeling of joy?
No
Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe?
No
Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?
No
Did scenes from the future come to you?
No
Did you come to a border or point of no return?
No
God, Spiritual and Religion
What was your religion prior to your experience?
Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated, My parents were members of a religious faith, but I was ten years old and did not know much about the religion. As a child, I was taken to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights.
Have your religious practices changed since your experience?
Yes, I am a much more spiritual person as I have grown older. Currently, I have congestive heart failure, but the end of my life here does not frighten me.
What is your religion now?
Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated, I attended church on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. But when I was in my early 40s, I asked a preacher about his thoughts on what was then called a near-death experience (around 1983). He reprimanded me harshly. I stopped attending church after that.
Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs?
Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience?
Uncertain
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 universal connection or oneness?
No
Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion
During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose?
No
During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life?
No
During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife?
No
Did you gain information about how to live our lives?
No
During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships?
No
During your experience, did you gain information about love?
No
What life changes occurred in your life after your experience?
Not until Dr. Moody's book was published did I give thought to what had occurred. Since reading the book and studying the issue, talking with family, friends, and strangers about their near-death experiences, I am convinced that an afterlife exists for all of us.
Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?
No
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, This stood out in my memory more than most childhood events. I can still see it in my memory to this day.
Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?
Yes, In certain dangerous situations, a voice would tell me "Do not..." and I would heed the voice.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?
I am grateful that it happened, even if I did not understand it for decades.
Have you ever shared this experience with others?
Yes
Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?
No
What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened?
Experience was probably real, When I woke from surgery and my mother said it was a dream, I did not believe it. I kept it to myself for decades.
What do you believe about the reality of your experience now?
Experience was definitely real, It was more vivid than any dream I've ever had.
Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?
Yes