My near-death experience: the day my view of death changed

Some events change the way we see the world. For me, that moment came in 1994, when I was 19 and experienced what is known as a near-death experience.

For a long time, I struggled to find words for what happened. Even today, some of the sensations seem impossible to describe accurately. What I know is that the experience profoundly changed the way I think about life, death and spirituality.

Before the experience, I did not believe in life after death

At the time, my outlook was largely scientific and materialistic. I thought death meant the end of consciousness. I was not particularly interested in spiritual questions and had no firm belief in an existence beyond death.

As a child, I had sometimes felt unusual impressions in certain places, including places connected with people who had died. I did not attach any spiritual meaning to them. I thought they might come from my imagination, childhood fears or memories.

1994: an accident changed everything

That day, I was with friends on a mountain road in Haute-Savoie, France. Everything happened very quickly. After an accident, I found myself on the ground. I remember confusion, people nearby and voices coming from all around me.

I remember someone crying, the commotion and a person trying to revive me. What stays with me is that, despite how serious the situation was, I did not feel the fear I might have expected.

A peace and love I cannot fully describe

I remember a light, an extraordinary warmth and, above all, an indescribable sense of well-being. It was more than a pleasant moment or a feeling of calm. It felt like complete peace and immense kindness, as if every worry and fear had disappeared.

The word that comes closest to what I experienced is love—not love in its usual sense, but something much wider, enveloping and unconditional. I had never felt anything like it before, and I have never experienced it with the same intensity since.

I perceived what was around me, but not with my eyes

I was aware of people, voices and emotions around me, but it did not feel like ordinary sight. The phrase I return to is: “I could see, but not with my eyes.”

I do not have a definitive explanation. I can only describe what I remember and how it felt to me.

A voice told me it was not my time

At one point, I heard a voice. I could not see who was speaking, but the words were clear: I should remain among the living; it was not my time yet.

The voice reminded me of my late grandmother. I cannot say for certain that it was her; that is simply the impression I have kept. I did not want to leave the state of well-being I was in. I remember an inner hesitation between remaining in that extraordinary peace and returning to the people around me.

Coming back: a sudden return to physical sensation

At some point, I felt that I had made a decision: I had to come back. I remember trying to gather momentum, as if I had to make an effort to find my body again.

Then everything changed. I felt intense physical pain and became aware of my body again. After that absolute peace, the contrast was striking. It remains one of the strongest memories of the experience.

Afterwards, I could no longer see death in the same way

Before the accident, I thought death put an end to all consciousness. After what I experienced, that certainty was shaken. I do not claim that my experience is scientific proof of life after death. Near-death experiences are interpreted in different ways, and everyone is free to hold their own beliefs.

Personally, my convictions changed. I began to take a serious interest in spirituality, energy and experiences that are not always easy to explain. This was not just curiosity; it grew out of an event that had changed how I understood existence.

A sensitivity that became much stronger

Since then, some sensations I already knew have become more pronounced. I sometimes feel drawn to particular places—a church, a natural setting or a cemetery. A grave may catch my attention without my knowing why.

It is not necessarily a voice or an image. It may be a physical sensation in my hands or body, or in my breathing, as if something were drawing my attention. I cannot say with certainty where these feelings come from. I experience them as part of my spiritual journey.

From this experience to my work with Materan

My interest in spirituality did not appear by chance. This near-death experience is an important part of its origins. Afterwards, I began exploring these questions and gradually developing my practice. Over time, that personal search helped shape the path that led me to Materan.

I am not sharing this story to persuade anyone to believe in a particular spiritual reality. I simply want to explain why these questions matter so much in my life and work.

What this experience left with me

More than thirty years have passed, yet the memories remain: the light, the warmth, the feeling of love and kindness, the unusual perception of what was around me, and above all the extraordinary peace I have never forgotten.

I understand that others may interpret my story differently, and I do not ask them to share my beliefs. I know what I felt. Even though I cannot explain exactly what happened that day, I know that it changed my life.

Before, I was convinced there was nothing after death. Today, based on my own experience, I personally believe there is something more.

This is a personal account of a subjective experience and the beliefs that followed. It is not presented as scientific proof of life after death or as proof of a supernatural cause for the sensations described.

This testimony reflects my personal experience and beliefs. Each reader is free to interpret it in their own way.

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