RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
February 1, 2016 at 2:35 am
(This post was last modified: February 1, 2016 at 2:41 am by Athene.)
No, I don't find this man's story remarkable or compelling enough to challenge my views on the possibility of a supernatural being's existence.
Incidentally, I had a near-death experience as a teen, after I and several other swimmers in the same vicinity got sucked into a rip current off the Atlantic coast. I spent the first moments trying to disentangle my hair and limbs from a hefty stranger who was attempting to use me as a life-preserver. After a wave separated us, I believed I had still had a shot at swimming to shore.
I was wrong; I was too far out. I could only manage to swim a few strokes before a huge wave crashed over me and knocked my body under. I re-emerged, gasping for air. The cycle repeated, until I was simply unable lift my legs well enough to swim anymore; I had almost nothing left. All I could manage to do was tread water, and just barely so. I was exhausted and became overcome with grief upon the realization that I would in fact be dead within mere moments of the next wave hitting me.
My focus did shift suddenly, and I became calm, but I did NOT see any white light, flashing colors, my own body, tunnels, strange beings or spirits, hear any voices, or sense any presence outside of my own. The single 'unusual' thing I did experience was what's commonly referred to as life flashing before one's eyes; clearly visualizing random events from my childhood, much like a movie montage. The next thing I knew, I was coming to and coughing/throwing up seawater on an orange rescue raft. The hefty guy and a few others were hanging onto the sides.
I never ascribed the life flash to anything supernatural at any point, because I assumed it occurred as a result of tremendous stress and lack of oxygen. There are scientific theories that offer perfectly reasonable explanations as to why and how things like this can occur. Here's one:
Incidentally, I had a near-death experience as a teen, after I and several other swimmers in the same vicinity got sucked into a rip current off the Atlantic coast. I spent the first moments trying to disentangle my hair and limbs from a hefty stranger who was attempting to use me as a life-preserver. After a wave separated us, I believed I had still had a shot at swimming to shore.
I was wrong; I was too far out. I could only manage to swim a few strokes before a huge wave crashed over me and knocked my body under. I re-emerged, gasping for air. The cycle repeated, until I was simply unable lift my legs well enough to swim anymore; I had almost nothing left. All I could manage to do was tread water, and just barely so. I was exhausted and became overcome with grief upon the realization that I would in fact be dead within mere moments of the next wave hitting me.
My focus did shift suddenly, and I became calm, but I did NOT see any white light, flashing colors, my own body, tunnels, strange beings or spirits, hear any voices, or sense any presence outside of my own. The single 'unusual' thing I did experience was what's commonly referred to as life flashing before one's eyes; clearly visualizing random events from my childhood, much like a movie montage. The next thing I knew, I was coming to and coughing/throwing up seawater on an orange rescue raft. The hefty guy and a few others were hanging onto the sides.
I never ascribed the life flash to anything supernatural at any point, because I assumed it occurred as a result of tremendous stress and lack of oxygen. There are scientific theories that offer perfectly reasonable explanations as to why and how things like this can occur. Here's one:
