The woman, who only introduced herself as Theresa, claims to have left her body after a swimming accident in 1997 left her fighting for her life. Theresa shared her memories with the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF). According to her account, she went swimming at the deep end of a swimming pool when she lost her grip on a pool noodle.
Theresa said: “I panicked, wailed, and splashed around. I tried three times to reach the surface.
“The water in my mouth and throat kept me from screaming, ‘Help me!’
“I felt a fear like nothing I had ever known. Pure terror took hold of me as a million thoughts rushed my mind.”
Theresa said she then slipped under the water as the world around her turned to darkness.
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Most scientists, however, agree there is no medical evidence to back claims the afterlife is real.
Many NDEs are characterised by similar out-of-body experiences or visions of light and angelic beings.
There are most likely natural explanations such hallucinations triggered by insufficient oxygen in the brain.
Dr Sam Parnia, director of critical care and resuscitation research at NYU Langone School of Medicine in New York City, said during an OZ Talk: “People describe a sensation of a bright, warm, welcoming light that draws people towards it.
“They describe a sensation of experiencing their deceased relatives, almost as if they have come to welcome them.”