Experience description #1:  

I've been hemming and hawing to myself for several years now about whether to share this experience - I didn't think of it as an NDE, but I guess it is sort of an OBE as well as ADC.   

In August of 1988 I was staying on the couch of a friend while I was visiting.  I was just awakening in the morning when I started to doze off again a little, and felt like I was sinking into a dream state.  However, the 'dream' feeling was replaced by a sense of being in a very different place, consciousness-wise - far realer and far clearer than ordinary consciousness.  As I started transitioning into this state of heightened awareness, I became uncomfortably dizzy on the couch, and started to hear a loud humming noise, like electrical current passing through overloaded wires.  Although I don't recall leaving my body, I definitely remember returning to it later - with a thump!  I don't know if that would perhaps make this qualify as an OBE.   

I was first aware of blackness (or perhaps more aptly described as a 'soft nothingness') surrounding me, but then it lightened and I realized that I was on the border of what I thought it best to refer to as the 'Soul Pool'.  It was warm yellow light that seemed more like a substance out of which everything was made, rather than being a light shining from somewhere per se.  As the realization dawned on me that I was 'there', I was also perfectly aware that I wasn't dreaming.  There was a sense of unbelievably complete love and joy everywhere...and the magnitude of the love was such that it felt like the ground of all being.  I saw a face beginning to manifest out of the golden yellow light and it morphed into the face of my friend Anthony, who had died about four years previously.  Even before the face had started to form, I knew who it was because of the easily-recognized 'essence' of my friend.  Anthony 'solidified' into an incompletely-manifested upper-body version of himself as a convenience to me, but he transmitted to me that it was only a 'placeholder' to make it easier to comprehend for anyone still living in a body on earth.   

There were uncountable others in the soul pool, who seemed to have come to the edge (I was very much aware that there was a border between where they were and where I was, and had been told firmly but lovingly that I must not advance forward any further towards this invisible border) of the soul pool to check out what was happening.  Although there was no verbal communication, there was otherwise a rich telepathic level of communication that was constant, and it was much clearer than words.  From the whole soul pool I felt great joy, love, and even mirth.  Communication was instantaneous...or rather, it felt like my questions and the answers were happening simultaneously.   

My friend Anthony 'told' me that he was aware of the numerous fervent prayers I had offered up for the welfare of his soul since his death.  He conveyed to me that although my idea of praying for his soul after death contained a kernel of worry about the fear of his soul being lost or somehow in danger, which was actually an earthly distortion, that nevertheless the intent behind and the energy behind my prayers were VERY much appreciated, and that...this is difficult to express...all prayers are heard and they do a much greater good than anyone praying on earth can appreciate.  It is, as Anthony explained, 'True Good Work'.   

He then told me that he was going to give me a hug.  I asked if it would hurt my physical body to do so, and Anthony then said that if I moved slowly and carefully, I could 'press in' to the soul pool but not cross myself over the border, kind of like the way a water strider insect can rest on the surface tension of the water without actually going into the water.  The danger was that the vibrational level of the soul pool (or the 'All Love' as Anthony also termed it) was much faster than the vibration of a physical body, and that there was the danger of 'frying the circuits' of my physical body still on the couch (I did not see my body, but was aware of it) with the increased level of the soul pool vibration, and that if I crossed into the actual soul pool, I would no longer be able to return to my physical body because the connection would be severed.  Anthony made an analogy of flooding an electrical appliance built to use a 110v current suddenly being flooded with 220v.  So we did kind of a slow, cautious hug.  When I hugged him I felt a sudden desire to fly into the soul pool totally and never come back, but he cautioned me to slow down, and many others in the soul pool conveyed this need for caution too.   

As I sank into the hug I was completely flooded with a piercing love more perfect and unconditional than anything I had ever experienced on earth.  I was reminded of the statue of St. Theresa in Ecstasy, with the tenderly smiling cherub aiming a dart right at St. Theresa's heart, and now I realized why the cherub in that statue was smiling!  I understood that this 'All Love' was the ground of being (which is why it felt so familiar) and then recognized that it had made itself felt to me in small, diluted ways during my waking life.  Just momentary glimpses of our true home.   

I also felt a great understanding about the how and why of the universe and of 'All That Is', but I knew that this would be hidden again to my conscious mind once I was focusing my attention once again on the ordinary physical world. Anthony showed me the reason for his choice of his sickness, and then we both exploded in laughter because he said he was reminding me of something that I already knew very well, and that just being alive in a body meant going into a state of temporary amnesia in order to make physical life 'real' to our consciousnesses. 

As I came out of the hug Anthony cautioned me that I had 'over-energized' my physical body slightly during the hug but that it would only produce temporary discomfort or skin sensitivity, and perhaps temporary heart arrhythmia once I was fully back in my body.  Then I pulled out of the hug and then instantly felt as though I was slamming backwards into my body, lying face-up on the couch.  I got up slowly, feeling weird and heavy in my body.  There was a place on my lower back which felt sensitive, and when I looked in the mirror over my shoulder I could see a roundish area about six inches in diameter on my lower back that looked like it had been sunburned.  It was very tender to the touch, and thinking that it was a kind of burn, I simply applied some aloe vera gel from my friend's aloe plant.  It lasted only about as long as a sunburn would, and then the skin in that area peeled and regenerated as it would with a bad sunburn.  I also had four or five quick little incidents of heart arrhythmia over the next two days, but this eventually seemed to have re-regulated itself. 

I felt a great longing to return to the soul pool almost the moment I was back in my body, and was trying to bring back the feeling of the light and love I had just felt.  After eating breakfast I felt much better, but the sense of having been cradled in absolute love - the afterglow, if you will - remained with me for several days, and the whole experience set me on a very different path in life. 

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  Yes

Basically the part difficult to express in words proceeds from trying to render content which was telepathic and nonverbal in nature, into words.

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?            No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  No audible voices, but VERY clear "consciousness to consciousness" communication.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           No sound heard other than the initial humming noise/feeling - see above.  But the essence of my friend was unmistakable, even before I could 'see' him or 'hear' him.

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           Probably not.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            Yes

I was hugged.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?   Familiar in that there was no mistaking the presence of my (deceased) friend.

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  Love, but on a much clearer and powerful level than anything I've felt otherwise.

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?  Probably not.

Did you see the deceased?         Yes

He 'formed' himself into his familiar life appearance, but my friend explained to me that it was for my convenience, and that he was no longer bound to any physical form.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Mostly transparent - head, upper body visible.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       Upper half.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       Anthony appeared to be the age he was when he died.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            Beyond healthy; 'radiant' is a better description.  In the last weeks of his life, he had been emaciated from the ravages of his condition, and had been in a state of dementia.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           Probably not.

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        Uncertain.  Seemed outside time.  The experience *seemed* to last several hours, but I think it was probably quite short in 'real' time, like a few minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         The beginning was rather gradual, but the end of the experience came very suddenly.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Filled with love, joy, curiosity, and even humor.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  1) That the physical body is fundamentally an illusion, but nevertheless a very cherished and beautiful one which appears solid to the living. 

2) That "All love" is the fabric of creation. 

3) That my numerous prayers for the welfare of his soul I had said were very much appreciated, and although there is no actual danger after death from anything other than our own illusions, that the strong energy of prayer always benefits all of creation.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was probably real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           It felt 'realer' than anything else I've experienced in life during ordinary consciousness.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   Uncertain

It began when I felt like I was dozing off, but it rapidly progressed from feeling like a dream to feeling like a much greater reality in which I was far more awake than I could be during my best, most alert states in ordinary consciousness.

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           Felt much more open than during 'ordinary' consciousness...was delighted to be able to have an opportunity to perceive what I perceived, from the point of view of still being alive in a body.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

Total shift of attitude, which resulted in the disappearance of the high level of fear I had always lived underneath until that point.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      1) The best was the learning as regards love.  2) The worst part was the feeling of returning to my body again and of being separated from the 'All Love'.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:            Yes.  The changes have become a tree whose branches and roots pervade my life.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     Yes!  Much more joyous, much more attuned to love and compassion rather than previous attitudes of mine which seemed to always center on being judgmental towards others.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     That things are much simpler than I had previously believed.  And obvious!  So much of what I learned during the experience is very difficult to explain in verbal terms.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Joy, peace, and the feeling of being absolutely loved, but also I had to sit and kind of scratch my head and wonder about it all.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

There was a tremendous sense of familiarity - almost obvious familiarity - to the point at which I was laughing because it was so familiar.

Did you become aware of future events?       No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Yes

Great increase in sensitivity to the emotions of others; much clearer discernment between my own psychological projections and being empathetic to others; occasional clairvoyance or clairaudience; and a pervasive sense that 'all is one'.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Uncertain

I don't remember 'leaving' my body, but rather suddenly found myself at, for lack of a better word, at the border of the 'soul pool'.  There must have been a separation of consciousness from my body, though, because I definitely recall the feeling of returning (slam!) to the body!

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?       Yes

There was a countless number of souls present - I could identify them as distinct energy patterns using a perceptive faculty that in ordinary waking consciousness I cannot access or even conceive of.

Did you see a light?           Yes

It was everywhere.

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            Uncertain

Have you shared this experience with others?         No       not until now.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes 

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

It was, though, at best, a description of what really can't be put into words. 

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    Thank you for your hard work!

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION #2

I was in bed with a fever and had had flu symptoms for about two days.  I took a nap in the afternoon, and dreamed of a gurney with a deceased person covered with a yellow sheet.  The dream became *very* vivid, and lucid.  In the dream I was able to look around the room where the gurney was, and to my astonishment I noted that I could see up through the ceiling to the upper stories of the building and through the floor into the basement, and my x-ray vision extended laterally as well.  I looked around the room and saw that there were long metal tables with drains at their foot and various medical-looking instruments.  I knew somehow that on the gurney was the body of my eldest sister's father-in-law, whom I knew to be in the hospital though I didn't know why he was there or what was wrong.  I had a distant 'acquaintance' relationship with this person and didn't really know him though he had always seemed nice enough.  There was...I guess you could call it a feeling...in the room, a sense of profound peace and of surprise and elation.  Then I woke up.  Five minutes later my eldest sister called to let me know that her father-in-law had just passed away about ten minutes before.  I was still a little sleepy and feverish and blurted out to my sister: "Did they cover him with a yellow sheet?".  She didn't answer immediately but said "Why did you ask me that?" and I told her about the dream I had just had.  She confirmed that the sheet that he had been covered with was yellow, in the morgue of the hospital.  To me it was weird, not that I'd had the experience, but why such an intense experience regarding somebody I didn't really know?  I just decided that for some unknown reason, the man had just shared the peace of his death with me.  I was glad to share it with my sister.  She told me to not tell her husband, because as much as she wished I could, he was just not the kind of person who receive that kind of news well at all.  So I kept quiet about it and just wished them condolences at the funeral.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?            Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

But there was an almost palpable sense of joy and surprise conveyed to me in the dream.

Did you see the deceased?         No

Well, I guess I could say 'yes', but he was under the sheet on the gurney, no features revealed, and it didn't seem important at the time to look at the body on the gurney as much as attend to the peace, joy and delight that were being communicated.

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Under a sheet.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       Outline of a covered deceased human body.

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        Since it was a dream - probably just a couple of minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Both were rather sudden.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Powerful peace, joy, love, contentment, and a sense of surprise.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was probably real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           It *was* just a dream, after all.  Nothing to prove (other than the confirmation that the sheet was yellow).  But I *believe* it was real.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   Yes

It was dreamlike since it was a dream, but then...it became not dreamlike, and very real-feeling.  A lucid dream.  

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           It felt like an unexpected blessing given to me, so I had a profound sense of gratitude and delight.  This continued somewhat after I woke up, though through the filter of the fever and aches I had been enduring.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Uncertain

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best was getting a sense that I'd just been privileged and honored by being allowed to witness a joyful mystery.  The worst part was waking up and feeling just as sick as I had when I had gone to sleep.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Uncertain                 

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     Peace of mind.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Uncertain     

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?     No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Yes The yellow sheet which covered William.  See above.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Peace and joy and repose, though it weirded me out slightly after I'd talked to my sister and she told me about the yellow sheet.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

I felt like I was in a state of clarity unlike ordinary consciousness for just a little while, and that it was a privilege and a gift to access such peace and love.  In that state also, the 'whys' and 'hows' of the universe seemed to be easier to grasp, too, a state of mind that altered back to ordinary consciousness upon waking.

Did you become aware of future events?       No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Uncertain

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     My sister only.  She believed me, though she cautioned me to not disclose this to others, not even her husband.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No  I did have a fever at the time, and was in bed.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes  I've shared a few other experiences today.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    Thanks again!

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION #3

I was doing laundry at a public Laundromat.  The previous week had been very exhausting for me since a hospice patient I'd been caring for as a volunteer had passed away from cancer.  It was the first day since he had died that I'd had any time to myself to just regroup and do ordinary things like laundry.  At the time I was very absorbed in what was playing on the TV in the corner of the laundry - some news item I no longer remember - with my thoughts about as far from Roger as possible at that particular moment.  Suddenly, I became softly aware of Roger's presence in the room.  I neither saw nor heard him, but I could feel his presence as unmistakably as if he were physically there looking at me.  If there was any actual 'location' to the presence it was sort of above and behind my head and to the left.  I turned around but didn't see anything.  It took me a few seconds to wrap my mind around the disconnect between feeling Roger right there as real as anybody, and not seeing him or hearing him, and also knowing that he had died four days previous.  There were no words exchanged, nor particular messages, but just a quiet, radiant joy.  In fact, it felt not just like Roger as I'd known him, but the 'totality' of Roger, like all his reincarnation selves too.  I remember at the time thinking humorously that it was the Super Roger.  I felt incredibly warm physical sensations, and rushes of energy all through my body.  I experienced a profound, quiet joy.  What was communicated to me was beyond words, just pure love and joy, and also a sense of hilarity, and great relief to be finally out of a sick body.  The feeling remained with me for about fifteen minutes during which I felt as though I were basking in the light of a perfect kind of love.  Then it faded quickly.  I was left with a quiet feeling of reassurance and love.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  Yes

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?            Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            Uncertain

Did you see the deceased?         No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        About fifteen minutes.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Love, joy, relief, peace, hilarity, and tenderness.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was probably real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           By that point in my life I'd had a few experiences like this, and was more prepared to acknowledge that it could be real. Plus, his presence was SO vivid!  But it was more like consciousness visiting another consciousness, one of whom was embedded still in a physical body, and the other one not.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           Bittersweet, because even though I was very pleased to receive such good 'news', I really missed that guy!

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

I felt like he was there, just on the other side of the air...or something.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best part was the certainty and unmistakeability of Roger's loving presence.  The bad thing was that, of all places where one might expect to have such a profound experience...for Pete's sake!  A Laundromat??????           

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes     I walked around for a week after that with a big grin on my face.

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?     No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            The experience softened the hard edges of my grief.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes

Slightly.  Please see above.

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

It was as though the Veil had lifted for a few minutes.

Did you become aware of future events?       No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Yes

Yes, but the experiences had become much more acute three years before, as the result of another experience (please see my 1988 experience)

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

However, 'time and space' seemed a little more...fluid...than usual while his presence was in the room.

Have you shared this experience with others?         No      

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes 

I've posted two other experiences today.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    Thanks again for all your hard work and research.  I'm pleased to be able to augment it, in however a small way.