I have experienced a kind of sleep paralysis four or five times. [See our May, 2006 article under OBEs for more about sleep paralysis.] I wasn't able to move or speak, and it felt like I was being suffocated.

About a month back I had this experience. I was sleeping at night when I felt as though I was floating out of the window, as though I had no body. Oddly, this didn't seem to surprise me. I saw a bunch of flowers coming closer to me; they were small and white, like Jasmine. I entered into the flowers without any fear. I was kind of enjoying the experience.

When I was among the flowers, I saw that I had entered a tunnel and that the tunnel's surface was made of the same flowers. For a few seconds or minutes (I can't estimate the time) I was just floating, deeper and deeper into that tunnel.

Then a thought came to my mind, that this tunnel was leading me into a new world, a world which is not a part of the world where I was living. But I was ready for that new world. I kept floating into the tunnel and gradually it started broadening.

Again a thought came to mind: "When will this tunnel end." Soon after that, I realized that the tunnel had ended and I was in another part of the universe. In the far distance I saw a cloud-like image. It had a mammoth radiant light in its center, and its edges were a dark color like black and grey.

The sight of that cloud made me realize that I was at the entrance of heaven, and I thought that if I moved any closer towards the cloud, I would be dead and have no chance of going back. So I just drifted myself back without any effort, since it was all being controlled by my thoughts.

When I came back to my conscious state in few minutes, I was dazed. After some time I began to feel normal. But whatever it was, I can never forget this experience. Now I feel closer to God and the fear of death has left me.

Anonymous
India
Please respond to john@beyondreligion.com

Posted June 27, 2006