Ana R
OBE
Greyson Scale: 8
#33177
- CountrySpain
- GenderF
- AgeCollege Age
- Date Experienced11/28/1986
- Date Submitted11/27/2025
The experience included
See a bright unearthly lightDevelop psychic abilitiesOBE, Out of body experienceLikely experienced clinical deathReturned against their will
Experience Description
One night, I was sleeping with my diagnosed sleep apnea when I felt myself leave my body, floating out through my head. The sensation was smooth and painless, as if I were abandoning a shell on the floor. This was not the first time it had happened to me. The first time, also while I was asleep, I felt myself exit through my head, saw my body on the floor, and after a few seconds returned. The second time, I didn't fully leave; I was stuck halfway and immediately went back into my body. So, I was neither surprised nor scared when on that third occasion I floated above myself. However, I suddenly entered what seemed like a dark tunnel and began moving through it at an incredible speed. At first I thought, how strange, this is different from the other times. I felt very curious, along with an inner peace and serenity that are difficult to describe. I remember thinking, I am dying, it was like a certainty. I also remember the phrase forming in my head: It had to come, and it came.
I continued moving at high speed through that pitch-black tunnel for a time I could not quantify, although that feeling of acceptance, curiosity, and a profound peace I have never felt again in my life continued to accompany me.
Suddenly, I began to glimpse a very, very faint light in the distance. It was like a glow far away. A light that intensified as I got closer. My curiosity soared and I became certain that if I reached it, there would be no turning back, that it was the light I had heard about, and that death would be inevitable. Then I remember thinking, but how can I be dying? I reviewed the possible ways a 20-year-old girl could die. None fit my situation; it couldn't be an accident because I remembered perfectly having gone to sleep and saying goodnight to my parents as I did every night with a "see you tomorrow" and a kiss. At that very moment, while I was wondering how it was possible that I was in such an extreme situation (I was unaware then that I had sleep apnea), I felt as if an invisible rope grabbed both of my legs and pulled down with tremendous force. And I woke up sitting in my bed with my heart pounding uncontrollably. Interestingly, the return was instantaneous, considering that the entire journey there had lasted, in my perception, a very long time.
Background Information
Gender
Female
Date NDE Occurred
11/28/1986
Near Death Experience Elements
At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event?
Yes, Lack of oxygen due to sleep apnea, Life threatening event, but not clinical death
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?
Normal consciousness and alertness
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?
I maintained the same level of consciousness the entire time
Were your thoughts speeded up?
No
Did time seem to speed up or slow down?
Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual, The speed at which I was moving was so impressive that one cannot clearly estimate how long the journey toward the light lasted. However, the return was instantaneous, which leads me to think that time was not linear but was altered
Were your senses more vivid than usual?
No
Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience
I did not feel any appreciable differences
Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience
I did not feel any appreciable differences
Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere?
No
Did you pass into or through a tunnel?
Yes, Instants after leaving my body, almost immediately, I entered a dark tunnel and moved through it at an enormous speed
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?
A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin
Did you see an unearthly light?
Yes, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel that intensified as I got closer to it
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?
Some unfamiliar and strange place, The tunnel with the light at the end seemed to me a distinctly strange place because of the sensations it produced in me
What emotions did you feel during the experience?
A great sense of inner peace and curiosity
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?
I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will, I felt that a kind of rope was tied to my legs and an incredible force, causing me no pain only surprise, was pulling me downward and making me return
God, Spiritual and Religion
What was your religion prior to your experience?
Christian- Catholic, Christian by upbringing, but not practicing
Have your religious practices changed since your experience?
Yes, I am much more interested in spiritual topics. I have more respect for the religious beliefs of others, even if I do not share them.
What is your religion now?
Christian- Catholic, Christian by upbringing, but not practicing
Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs?
Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience, Due to my Christian upbringing and what I had read about the possibility of consciousness persisting beyond death, everything was perfectly consistent with my experience.
Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience?
Yes, Major changes in my life began when I shared it with other people. Until then, the change was relative.
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?
Yes, Somehow I was certain that life continued beyond death
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?
I focus much more on my spiritual life and feel a much greater connection with people around me. I feel more empathetic, reflective, and intuitive.
Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?
Yes, I tend to forgive more easily and to put myself in the other person's shoes. I am no longer afraid of death.
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, I remember the experience with absolute clarity despite 40 years having passed since then.
Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?
Yes, I have had dreams and intuitions that I consider premonitory due to their low probability.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?
Yes, the feeling of infinite peace. I have never felt the same way. When I want to relax, I try to return to that state, though I have not succeeded.
Have you ever shared this experience with others?
Yes
Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?
Yes, I had read Raymond Moody's book.
What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened?
Experience was probably real, I had many doubts about what had really happened.
What do you believe about the reality of your experience now?
Experience was definitely real, I see it as something very real for several reasons: because its memory has not changed over the years, because I have compared it with other people's experiences throughout time and the world, and through conversations with doctors and experts on consciousness.
At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?
No
Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience?
I was very struck by the speed at which I was moving and that the return was immediate. I have thought a lot about the physics of the event without understanding it. I would also like to highlight that I returned not by my own decision or because someone told me to, but when I could no longer explain to myself the reason I was dying. I have not read that detail in any other person's experience.
Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?
Yes, They seem exhaustive; I believe they cover all aspects.