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1. Dreams and NDEs as Detachment From the Physical Body
Both dreams and near-death experiences (NDEs) can involve a sense of detachment from the physical body. In some dreams, particularly lucid dreams, people may experience an out-of-body sensation or feel as though they are observing themselves from a third-person perspective. A common feature of NDEs is the out-of-body experience (OBE), where the person perceives themselves as floating above their body or observing it from a distance, often during moments of medical crisis.
2. Nick Gabaly’s Dream NDE
The following is Nick Gabaly’s dream NDE testimony sent to Kevin Williams by email.
I’ve been reading your site for about a few months and have been very impressed with it’s contents. All of the experiences of others has really given me a new form of spiritual awakeness. I do, however, need your opinion on what I believe to have been an NDE (through dreaming) about two weeks ago. Basically what happened was, after I fell “asleep,” for the lack of a better term, I remember “waking up” only to find myself in complete darkness. I’ll assume this darkness was the Void. I was not afraid, nor did I see anything else around me. All was silent and I was quite content to just sit there forever, thinking nothing odd and even being curious about my new situation. I knew I was not dreaming in the conventional sense of the word, since I was not merely a passive observer. It also wasn’t a lucid dream. I’ve had plenty of those in the past and they were all different in the aspect that I knew immediately that I was definitely dreaming. This was completely different.
I waited in the Void for what seemed like a few seconds after my “awakening” and saw a bright light take shape from out of the corner of my right “eye.” It was far away, a bit bigger than a pinprick though. I remember saying, “Ooh, that’s the tunnel” and knowing God was at the end of it. It kept vanishing for a split second at a time, and every time it came back, it was closer until finally I “physically” moved through the remainder of the journey and arrived at the top of the tunnel. Right in front of me was an open “portal.”
Immediately inside of it, I recognized a beautiful looking figure glowing the most intense blue I’ve ever seen. Eventually he allowed me to see him as how I’d always imagined him. It was Jesus. Directly behind him I saw God, but only as a ball of the most brilliant bright light. The sun is only a pale yellow shadow compared to his brilliance. Yet it didn’t hurt to look at him. I remember thinking that if these had been my mortal eyes I would have been blinded. Yet I was completely drawn to this light with such a longing that I didn’t want to leave.
They appeared to be suspended in a bright blue sky with swirling white clouds around. When I tried to cross from the tunnel into the light, I was stopped at point where Jesus was standing. At first I thought he had just physically blocked my way and I had bumped into him or something. So I tried again and again, about five more times, before realizing that there was just no way he was going to let me pass to the Other Side. I was neither disappointed nor angry. Just intensely curious.
I can’t even describe the way I was stopped. I didn’t bump into any physical force wall or anything, nor even bump into Jesus. I would approach and just be halted. But it didn’t feel like being halted. There really aren’t any words for it. I was just gently stopped.
I never felt any infinite love nor any infinite knowledge being transferred to me in any way — just an intense peace. After failing in all my attempts to be with them, I backed off from the portal and just tried to catch glimpses of God behind Jesus. I kept thinking that I could see him a bit better if the Lord moved a bit. He did so as I thought this, but then promptly moved back in front to bring my attention back to him. We sat there for a while just staring at each other. I guess he was waiting for me to say something, but instead the only thought that came into my mind was, “I wonder why he’s not saying anything?”
After about a minute of this “staring contest,” I found myself backing away from the light and rocketing back down the tunnel. The light grew smaller and smaller until only a crack of it remained. I kept thinking, “Please don’t take the light from me.” It quickly receded and vanished after that. After I reached the bottom of the tunnel, I ended up being dumped into a “normal” dream, per se. Though it was one that I knew I’ve had before.
As an aside, I was not aware of any physical body, but I was more like a “puff ball” of energy. I was not breathing. It felt more natural to not breathe. I was neither cold nor hot — just the perfect temperature always. Nor did I have any sense of time or space — just contentment and peace.
After I woke up back in the world of the living, I found the aspects of my regular dream to be fading quickly as I would expect. However, my journey to God left me with complete recollection. There is not one detail that I cannot remember even to this day.
I don’t know if they were waiting for me to say something and just got tired of me, or whether they just wanted me to know that they were real. Either way, I had prayed previously for an audience with God and Jesus to ask for advice and guidance on my life to teach me to do good in his name and for his glory. And yet, the only thing I could think of was to wonder why there were just standing there, not letting me in, yet, not saying anything either. I guess I blew it.
Any thoughts or interpretations would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to post it if you see fit. Thanks.
Nick at Nick.Gabaly@lps.state.nj.us
3. An Analysis By Kevin Williams
Your experience contains many elements commonly reported in NDEs, mystical experiences, and spiritually transformative experiences, even though it occurred during sleep rather than during a life-threatening event. From an NDE research perspective, it is especially interesting because it combines classic NDE elements with dream-like features while remaining exceptionally vivid and memorable. Your experience began in complete darkness, often called “the Void” in NDE literature. Many experiencers describe entering a state of absolute darkness that is not frightening but profoundly peaceful. Rather than feeling lost or abandoned, you felt content, curious, and perfectly at ease.
The appearance of a distant point of light that gradually approaches is one of the most recognizable NDE elements. You immediately identify it as “the tunnel” and know that God is at its end. This intuitive knowing is significant. NDErs often report knowledge that seems to arise instantaneously without reasoning or explanation. You do not infer that God is present – you simply know.
One of the most striking aspects of your experience is the appearance of Jesus standing before the Light of God acting almost as a mediator between you and God. This imagery parallels Christian theological concepts in which Christ serves as the bridge between humanity and God. Your experience is especially interesting because Jesus does not speak. Instead, his role is purely relational and symbolic. You noticed that the light was unimaginably brilliant yet completely comfortable to look at. This paradox is frequently reported in NDEs. The light is described as brighter than the sun but never painful. Your intense longing to enter the light is another classic NDE element. Experiencers often report that being near the divine presence feels more natural and desirable than earthly existence.
Perhaps the most profound feature of your experience is the inability to enter the realm beyond Jesus. Many NDEs contain a “barrier” experience. This barrier may appear as a fence, a river, a wall, or a gate, for example. Crossing the barrier generally means physical death and no return. In your NDE, the barrier is invisible and cannot be described physically. You simply cannot proceed any further. This resembles many NDE reports where individuals are told it is not their time to die yet. Instead of being verbally told this, the message is communicated to you through direct experience.
One unusual aspect is the absence of spoken words. Yet the silence itself appears meaningful. Some NDE researchers have noted that communication in spiritual realms often occurs through direct knowing, intention, or presence rather than speech. The “staring contest” may actually represent a profound exchange that transcends language. You wonder why Jesus is not speaking, but another interpretation is that the lesson itself was contained in the encounter rather than in verbal instruction.
A particularly moving moment occurs when you plead, “Please don’t take the light from me.” This reflects a common NDE reaction. Experiencers frequently report sorrow when leaving the divine realm and returning to ordinary consciousness.
One of the strongest indicators that your experience was perceived differently from an ordinary dream is the quality of your memory of it. You state that “There is not one detail that I cannot remember even to this day.” NDE researchers have repeatedly found that NDE memories are often exceptionally vivid, are stable over decades, and more real than ordinary memories. The central message appears to be that you were allowed a brief glimpse of a transcendent reality and then gently returned because your journey in the physical world was not yet complete. I hope this helps.
