Experience description:

I went to a three day retreat to deal with my depression due to an abusive boss at my workplace.  I was uncomfortable at the retreat and highly anxious, as there were many people there dealing with trauma.  (If I had to describe it I would say that it was my vision of what hell would look like.  People angry, crying, overtly dealing with their traumas in an experiential manner.) I felt overwhelmed by being in a room with all the emotion going on around me and terrified.  [I can say that despite that I did get in touch with some trauma of my own that kind of explained why I was stuck in this dysfunctional relationship with my boss.  It allowed me to get out of it and leave the organization, ultimately.] I don't remember what day this occurred, probably the second, if I had to guess. (The first day was a Friday evening people and were just getting there and getting organized, that kind of thing. As the retreat went on things ramped up and the intensity of people 'telling their stories' increased, along with the emotional intensity.  After probably the initial intense session there was a break and I went back to the room where I was staying and I laid down.  I didn't go to sleep, but started praying.  (That wasn't something that was all that usual although I was active in my church at the time.)  As I prayed I saw a white light that drew me to it.  I eventually came back to myself and was a little bit weirded-out by what had happened, but felt calm and peaceful.  I didn't really know anyone who was there to any extent, but I talked to a couple of people about what I'd just experienced, and they told me I'd had an 'out of body experience'.  It has never happened to me again, but I still remember that white light, coming back to myself afterward and feeling calmer and at peace.  I'm writing about this today because I just read a book called 'Spook' about a writer's exploration of paranormal things, and it made me think of that experience.  I tried to look it up on google to find out more and if others had experienced that kind of thing, but only found things about near death experiences and people who saw themselves outside of their body.  I can't say that that happened but I definitely went somewhere else and was drawn there by that bright light.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?      No     

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

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event? No     

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?    I wasn't aware of anything to my recollection, although it is possible that others were there talking but they were not in my awareness.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  Not like any dream I have ever had, and I would say that it was definitely not a dream.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?   Yes    I was far away from my body but I did not see anything besides the white light.  It was kind of like going through a tunnel as people describe dying.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          Drawn by the light, held by the light, then peaceful.

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?         No

LOCATION DESCRIPTION:  Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures?         No     

Did you see a light?        Yes    Light drew me down a tunnel.

Did you meet or see any other beings?         No     

Did you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state?         No     

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

Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different? No     

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?     Yes    It seemed like I was in a different place

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?         Yes    Only that I felt peaceful and that things were going to be alright.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?           No     

Did you become aware of future events?      No     

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?          Uncertain     It seemed like I just came back...like maybe I was taken back-- to being in normal consciousness.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?      No     

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?     No     

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?   Not really.  I ended up feeling as though it was a God experience and God was taking care of me in my vulnerable state.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Uncertain     I think it helped me through that period of my life and I was able to break out of being stuck in that abusive situation.

Have you shared this experience with others?       Yes          They accepted it, some may have found it mildly interesting.

What emotions did you experience following your experience? Much greater peace and solace, I guess.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Best:  it was healing.  Worst:  It was weird and seemed kind of freaky.

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

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?           Yes    This was years decades ago so I can't put an exact date on it.  But the circumstances were as described.  I did not know what had happened, if the women I spoke with hadn't identified it as an out of body experience I would not have thought about it that way.  They did not seem surprised that such a thing had occurred.  It was not a lengthy conversation with them and I did not know them.

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.       I don't know what that would be.  I like that you don't categorize the experience but let me tell what my experience was.  When I looked on line I only saw 'out of body experiences' as related to astral projection or death, and I would not describe my experience as either of those.