A NASA scientist who claims to have died three times says she experienced the same peaceful afterlife on every occasion. Ingrid Honkala, 55, a marine scientist who has worked for both NASA and the US Navy, said her encounters with death began at the age of two and continued at 25 and 52.
Her first near-death experience occurred when she fell into a tank of icy water at her home in Bogota, Colombia. Instead of panicking, she described a deep calm and a feeling of her awareness separating from her body. She recalled seeing her small body floating lifelessly and feeling like pure consciousness, unified with life itself.
Ms Honkala also said that during that incident, she sensed she was communicating with her mother, who was several blocks away. Years later, her mother confirmed that she had felt an urge to turn back and found her daughter unconscious in the water tank. The maid, who was meant to be watching over her, had been listening to the radio and was unaware of the accident.
Her second near-death experience was in a motorcycle accident at age 25, and the third occurred when her blood pressure dropped suddenly during surgery at 52. On each occasion, she said she returned to the same state of peace and interconnectedness. She also described encounters with 'Beings of Light' that communicated through awareness rather than speech.
Ms Honkala believes her experiences shaped her career in science, as she sought to understand the nature of reality. She now says she no longer fears death, viewing it not as a distant place but as a deeper layer of reality beyond physical senses.
