It was early evening and I was in bed.  I became aware that my body from toes to head began to vibrate or feel an electrical current.  This continued for a short period of time when I heard a strong baritone voice call my name and say "James, I'm taking you up".   

When I heard my name being called I felt myself being pulled from my body and I floated up to the ceiling of my bedroom. I could clearly see my body sleeping in my bed.  From the ceiling I went through the second floor and roof and was outside the house.  I went at great speed to a place that is hard to describe.  I arrived to a very bright room with men dressed in white.  They told me that I had to be purified before I could go any further on.  I don't remember what they did to purify me, but remember being told that I would now go on to the voice that originally called my name.  I swiftly went through the white tunnel and toward the bright light.  I was very scared.  I believe that I may have been crying out of fear, because I was very much aware that only moments ago I went to sleep in my bed and now I was in a place I knew nothing about, and I was certainly NOT asleep!

I was then seen by the light who talked to me. There are NO words that can begin to describe this event.  Even today I have no way of passing this story on because there is NO language or story telling that could convey what I experienced. 

The Light Being gave me a mission that I was to carry out in this life.  I was told that I would return to my body and I was sent away from the bright light being.  I was at great speed propelled downward to the first white room, the one with men in white robes, the place where I was first purified.  I was told that I ought to forget this memory, that I was never to tell the specifics of the instructions given to me by the Light Being.  I think the being was God, perhaps Jesus.  I was told never to reveal the mission or to consciously remember what the message from the Light to me was/is. 

I then was sent back to my body.  I re-entered my bedroom at great speed and hovered for a moment by the ceiling.  I then slowly descended to my body and the electrical or vibrating sensation began again.  I felt my body felt very heavy and was greatly weighing me down.  I then regained my body consciousness. 

I called out to my family and my parents came to me.  I told them that I had left my body in the bed and that I thought that I had met God or Jesus.  My father told me that it was probably all the stress from surgery or perhaps the effects of drugs used in the hospital, although I had NO medications at home at all for the past 3 days.   

My mother did not say much about this.  I did get the feeling that I should no longer speak about what happened, I thought or felt that people would think I was crazy.   

This experience happened to me several years before Dr. Moody wrote his first book.  In hindsight I am certain that I did indeed leave my body and enter into an other world.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No      

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Uncertain      I was recovering from surgery at home after the usual hospital stay for surgery.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    When I was with the Light Being.  Everything was much clearer and sharp than in regular life.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            When I was with the Light Being.  Everything was much clearer and sharp than in regular life.

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  Yes     When I was with the Light Being.  Everything was much clearer and sharp than in regular life.

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            Yes     When I was with the Light Being.  Everything was much clearer and sharp than in regular life.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I experienced some fear and confusion at first, but then became more comfortable with what was happening.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Yes     Very large white circular tunnel with a loud swishing sound. Very "electrical"

Did you see a light?           Yes     I spoke with the light and the light spoke to me and gave me special information about myself and my future.

Did you meet or see any other beings?           Yes     A room with several men dressed in white robes. I did not know them.  I was told I needed to be purified before going to the light.

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

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

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?            Yes     The tunnel, the white room with the men in robes.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes     There are no human words of any language that I could use to explain this.

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Yes     I was given a mission in life.  I was told that I was not to share this with anyone, and over the years have not.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain      I was told very clearly by the light that I was not to go any further as it was not my time to die.  If I went further I could never go back to my body.

Did you become aware of future events?       Yes
            Very accurate.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     Yes     I know when others are going to die.  I receive occasional visits from deceased loved ones.  I have a sixth sense I did not have fully until this happened.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     Just with 1 person besides my parents. My parents knew immediately about the experience. I told a friend 25 or more years after this happened.  My parents were a bit negative.  My friend was okay with it, but did not ask any more questions about it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    No      

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    I viewed it as a Real experience because I Know that I was awake.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?   

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real            The past 39 years have not changed my knowing that this experience was real.