A healthcare worker who had a near-death experience (NDE) while drowning admits she would do it again after discovering the ‘secrets of the universe’.
Anna Stromquist, 43, went on a family vacation to Hawaii in 1996 at the age of 16 and went to the beach alone.
Despite the area being closed off, no lifeguard on duty and Anna – from Atlanta, Georgia – not being a good swimmer, she went into the water to cool off because it “didn’t look” unsafe.
Panic soon began to set in as she struggled with the powerful waves, before “giving up” due to a lack of energy, with a voice saying, “This is what it’s like to die.”
Anna Stromquist, 43, went on a family vacation to Hawaii in 1996 when she was 16 (pictured). She went swimming alone, even though the area was closed without lifeguards
She almost drowned during the near-death experience. Then a ‘voice’ spoke to her and put her at ease. That life-changing moment changed her career path and her life forever
Currents and waves pushed her towards the seabed and despite her efforts she simply could not get her head above water.
Anna is 43 years old, lives in Georgia and works as a healthcare professional
She ‘struggled’ with the swirling movements and did not know whether she was going up or down.
“It felt like time had stood still because it all seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes,” Anna explained.
“I heard this voice deep inside telling me I was dying, and suddenly I felt total peace.
‘It was like I was taken somewhere else. I was immediately connected to everyone who had ever died before me and I saw this secret of the universe that they had all seen.
“It was that death is natural and would come for all of us – but that’s okay, because it’s the secret to living a peaceful afterlife.
‘Throughout life we are all connected and that also applies to death (with the relationships we have built). We are never alone when we are born or when we die.
‘Suddenly, after my out-of-body experience, I was back on the beach – as if the ocean had spit me out.
Anna says that the eleven characteristics of near-death experiences are similar to those felt during out-of-body moments, which occur during intense pain or deep meditation.
‘I was disappointed in a way because I was in such weightlessness, but then my lungs were burning from the salt water and there was sand in my mouth.
Anna described the experience as ‘physically exhausting’.
With no one else around and many questions left, Anna didn’t talk about her ordeal for years—until she realized her calling.
Now she dedicates her life and mission to researching near-death experiences and speaking about them on a spiritual level with others who have experienced them.
In a TikTok clip, which has racked up more than 26,000 views and hundreds of likes, she discusses the reported “commonalities.”
She begins by revealing that there are eleven “universal” characteristics, including points of light, a sense of peace, visits from deceased relatives, joy, and an empathetic bond with humanity.
Anna also mentions the ‘secrets of the universe’ shown and a ‘360 life review’, which reveals how others were affected by our life decisions – good and bad.
Her final points include the realization of a more ‘familiar’ reality, the decision to come back or not, a distant sense of the meaning of life and returning with ‘supernatural powers’, such as being able to see angels, those who his deaths and psychic predictions.
With no one else around when she almost died, she was left with many questions at 16 (pictured) and did not speak about her ordeal for years before realizing her calling.
Now she dedicates her life and mission to researching near-death experiences and speaking about them on a spiritual level. Anna is on the left in the photo
Users have flocked to the comments to share their own experiences, with many confirming these points to be true.
“As someone who has had an NDE, I can attest that many of these were true for me,” one person commented.
Another user added: ‘I didn’t want to come back. I cried when I knew I had to come back. Nothing mattered. The peace was indescribable.’
“I’ve been through most of them, not all,” said a third person, while someone else wrote: “I wanted to stay.”
“It’s hard to hear that individuals have the choice to come back,” a fifth person said.
The spiritual wellness advisor says the eleven characteristics of near-death experiences are similar to those of out-of-body experiences, which occur during intense pain or deep meditation.
While they are similar in revealing the universe’s greatest truths and secrets, they do not have the same intensity as when a body is about to die.
Users have flocked to the comments to share their own experiences, with many confirming these points to be true
But for the 43-year-old, she claims her experience has meant she no longer fears death.
Anna added: “I’m grateful that it happened because I’m no longer afraid (of the inevitable).”
‘But I’m afraid of losing people and that my family will lose me. It has reduced the fear of death and of course I have a physiological will to live and a desire to survive, but I am at peace knowing that when death comes it will reconnect me with everyone.
“I have come with the message to enjoy life and live it to the fullest because there is only a small window between life and death.
‘I would like to have another near-death experience, but I don’t want to risk injury or damage.
“I know in my heart that death is not scary because it is connected to my life and family in more ways than one.”