A NASA scientist who says she has died three times claims to have experienced the same afterlife on every occasion. Ingrid Honkala, 55, from Bogota, Colombia, said her near-death experiences occurred at the ages of two, 25, and 52.
Her first near-death experience happened when she fell into a tank of icy water at home. Instead of panicking, she felt a deep calm and her awareness seemed to separate from her body. She recalls seeing her mother several blocks away and communicating with her through awareness. Her mother later confirmed the memory.
The second experience occurred during a motorcycle accident at age 25, and the third when her blood pressure dropped during surgery at age 52. Each time, she says, she returned to the same peaceful state, feeling unified with life itself and immersed in a vast intelligence filled with love and clarity.
Honkala, who earned a PhD in Marine Science and worked for NASA and the US Navy, said the experiences led her to believe that consciousness may not be produced solely by the brain but could be something more fundamental. She also reported encounters with 'Beings of Light' that communicated through awareness.
She said the experiences removed her fear of death and influenced her scientific career, as she wanted to understand the nature of reality through observation and research. She now speaks publicly about her spiritual experiences after years of focusing on her scientific work.
