This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/highstrangeness by /u/Delta-Ed on 2025-02-02 13:20:18+00:00.
I’m not even sure how to start this, but here we go…
I went on a weekend trip to the woods with a group of close friends. We wanted to do something different—an “inner journey” type of adventure. We focused heavily on meditation, trying to explore consciousness on a deeper level. What happened next completely shattered my perception of reality.
After hours of meditating face-to-face with a friend, something strange started to occur. We began communicating—but not with words. It was like our minds were in a private room together. Anytime I had a thought, it was as if I’d spoken it out loud; my friend reacted instantly, and vice versa. It felt completely natural until we finally realized we hadn’t spoken a single word for nearly an hour.
That realization triggered something deeper in me. My body began to tremble, and every time I blinked or closed my eyes, I saw a tunnel of light. It felt like I was fighting to let go of my physical body, with the fear of actual death looming over me.
Then it happened—I blasted through the tunnel of light and was engulfed in a vast, empty blackness. Just… nothingness. I floated there, convinced I had somehow died. I genuinely believed I was gone.
Suddenly, a massive screen appeared, like a giant movie theater screen. What played on it was the entire story of my life—from birth to what I thought was my demise. It even showed EMTs trying to revive me on the floor of our cabin (though that didn’t actually happen in reality). The soundtrack? A beautiful composition made from every song I’d ever heard, woven perfectly into this “life movie.”
When the film ended, I heard applause—like an audience clapping for the conclusion of my life. Then the screen faded, and I was left alone in the dark void, trying to accept my fate.
Suddenly, I was snapped back into my body. I gasped for air like someone who’d been underwater for too long. My friends were still meditating, but now they were “playing” with this strange telepathic connection, laughing and reacting to each other’s thoughts—just like what I’d experienced earlier.
But I was not okay.
The intensity of what I’d been through pushed me into what I can only describe as a state of psychosis. Imagine someone who just realized that reality isn’t fundamental—that everything we know is, at best, a fragile construct. Add a sprinkle of mania to that, and you’ll get the picture.
I couldn’t control myself. I was painting on walls, scattering snacks everywhere, acting like none of it mattered—because, to me at that moment, it didn’t. This wasn’t real.
Then things got weirder.
Out of nowhere, everything would freeze—like someone had hit the pause button on reality. Music stopped mid-beat, conversations halted mid-word, even the sounds of the forest outside fell dead silent. This would last for 4–8 seconds at a time.
During these “frozen” moments, I felt like I could step out of my body—like I was the only thing still “alive” while everything else was suspended in time. I’d look around at my friends, frozen mid-laugh, mid-movement. The loneliness during those pauses was crushing.
It took me about a month to feel even remotely normal again. To “human,” as I’d put it.
Now I’m left wondering:
What was that black void? Has anyone experienced time “freezing” like that? Was this some form of ego death, or something else entirely? I’ve heard whispers about the Gateway Process but haven’t dived deep into it yet. I’m curious if any of what I experienced has been documented or studied before.
Has anyone else gone through something like this? I’d really love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or insights.