'I Recognized Jesus' Woman Recounts Near-Death Experience That Changed Her Life

Waco, TX — What began as a routine horseback riding lesson in 1989 turned into a life-altering journey for Ellen Wier, a then-12-year-old girl from Texas who would go on to become a psychologist and music therapist. Now, decades later, Wier is sharing her remarkable story — one that includes a near-death experience, a vision of the afterlife, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Wier’s ordeal began when she fell from a horse during a lesson. “The cinch wasn’t tight enough and I fell off,” she recalled. “I tried to hang on, but the horse kicked me in the right temple.” The impact knocked her unconscious and left her in a coma for five days.

While doctors worked to save her and her family prayed for her recovery, Wier said she embarked on an otherworldly journey.

“I remember being on a wooden raft surrounded by pink clouds,” she said. “I felt very loved and connected. I saw Jesus in front of me and a protective figure beside him, dressed in long brown robes, barefoot and bald. I didn’t recognize him, but I felt completely safe.”

Wier described moving through various realms, each more vivid and filled with light than the last. “I was taken into a realm of golden light. It was all love — the most beautiful, connected, warm feeling you could have,” she said.

As the experience continued, Wier said she was brought back to the wooden raft and offered a choice — to stay or return to life.

“I wanted to stay,” she admitted. “But then I was shown the trajectory of my father’s life, and I saw that he wouldn’t fulfill his purpose if I didn’t return.”

That moment changed everything. “I chose to live,” Wier said. “And in that moment, I felt this expansion, this warmth, this complete love. I knew it was a gift.”

Doctors later told her family that her survival was nothing short of a miracle. Only one other person in Texas had ever survived a similar brain injury — a boy who was left in a wheelchair. Ellen walked out of the hospital and into a new chapter of her life.

She dedicated herself to healing through music and psychology, ultimately becoming a music therapist and psychologist, just as she had envisioned during her coma. “I knew I came back for a reason — to heal others and give gratitude every day for the gift of life,” she said.

Dr. Jan Holden, a nationally recognized expert on near-death experiences and editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, said Wier’s story shares many hallmarks of documented NDEs — such as the sensation of leaving one’s body, encountering spiritual beings, moving through realms of light, and being given a choice to return.

“About 80 to 90 percent of people report experiences they equate with heaven,” Holden said. “Even those who describe distressing experiences often return with a renewed sense of purpose and deep appreciation for life.”

Holden believes these stories reveal a universal message. “Many near-death experiencers come back saying the purpose of life is to grow in our capacity to love — to express and experience love at every level.”

For Wier, that realization became her life’s mission. “We are all here for a reason,” she said. “Everything — even pain — is a lesson. It’s an opportunity to expand our soul.”

And as she returned to her body decades ago, she said she could hear music — the very thing she would one day use to help others heal.

“I’m so grateful to be here,” Wier said. “I get to use music and love to help people. That’s what I came back to do.”