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NDERF 2652 Marianna C NDE 5115
https://nderf.org/Experiences/1marianna_c_nde.html
1975
1975-07-17
2011
F
Marianna was swimming at a Mediterranean Sea resort beach with her sisters and cousins on a beautiful day in July 1975. She stayed in waist-deep water enjoying the waves when they began to grow higher and stronger. Despite warnings to swim to shore, the waves lifted her up repeatedly, and she lost contact with the bottom. She remembers trying to swim back with her sister, holding hands briefly, and seeing men with ropes swimming toward them.
Marianna was pulled down into the water where she experienced bright lights that turned into multicolored vision like a kaleidoscope, then into black darkness. She described being pulled down through a spiral tunnel with colors ranging from white to multicolored to black zones, entering a pain-free and struggle-free zone without any sense of time. Initially experiencing fight and flight responses, she evolved into a release from struggling, feeling a peaceful, calm, floating sensation in an exhilaratingly calm and peaceful place. During the experience, she felt incredible peace, joy, and unity with the universe. She passed through what seemed like a spiral tunnel and saw brilliant light that was initially bright white, then multicolored like a kaleidoscope, then black. The void and darkness gave way to feeling surrounded by mystical light. She encountered a definite being or presence of mystical origin and came to a barrier she was not permitted to cross before being sent back. Marianna woke up on the beach sand surrounded by many people asking if she was okay. Her sister was safe and helped her up. They walked back to their family picnic area where her mother, having heard about the near-drowning, came running to her. The experience reaffirmed her Christian beliefs, showing her that after extreme struggling and suffering, passing to the other side is rewarded with peacefulness. She has never had nightmares about the experience and was finally able to share her story after seeing similar accounts, seeking affirmation that she's not alone. Biblical Assessment: Marianna's near-drowning experience contains numerous elements consistent with biblical accounts of divine encounters and the afterlife. The progression from struggle to peace parallels the biblical promise of rest for the weary (Matthew 11:28). The tunnel and brilliant light align with descriptions of God as light throughout Scripture (1 John 1:5), while the multicolored vision could represent the glory and majesty of God's presence described in Ezekiel 1:26-28 with its rainbow-like appearance. The incredible peace and joy reflect the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and the peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). The barrier preventing her from crossing represents God's sovereignty over the appointed time of death (Hebrews 9:27). Significantly, Marianna reports that the experience reaffirmed her Christian beliefs and taught her that suffering leads to peace on the other side, consistent with biblical teaching about eternal rest for believers (Revelation 14:13). The absence of any unbiblical elements like reincarnation, psychic abilities, or new age concepts, combined with her strengthened Christian faith afterward, makes this experience highly compatible with conservative evangelical theology. While she didn't report seeing Jesus or angels specifically, the divine presence she encountered and the spiritual transformation align well with biblical accounts of God's intervention in life-threatening situations.
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Other
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9
Weak Evidence
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Near-drowning incident with life-threatening situation
General descriptions of lights and tunnel, no specific veridical details
written_account
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5/25/2025
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