Anabela Maria C NDE

Experience Description

My father was cutting an olive tree with a chain saw. When I saw the tree falling towards me, I could not escape. I only had time to turn away and crouch down. One of the tree branches hit me in the back. I felt it had crushed my back and I felt a lot of pain. I told my parents that I no longer caught more olives. I got up and started walking towards home that was more or less 100 meters away. I could hardly see or hear. When I arrived at the house the door was closed. I told my parents, who were with me, that I was thirsty.

Then everything went dark. I started to slide at high speed through a tunnel. It had dark parts and other parts that were colored. Then I was was instantaneously sitting on top of a hill of very perfect and clean grass. I was level with the sun. I was wearing a white robe that covered my knees and was barefoot. A half-dozen meters away, I saw two or three trees that were not very large. Above me was a deep blue and cloudless sky. I felt a huge well-being. Neither the sun burned me, nor did I felt cold at all. I felt as if I were at home and that I had been away too long. I did not know where or why I felt this way. I was back and felt a joy that I can not describe in words. I did not remember having lived on earth. I only remembered that a tree had fallen on top of me and having a lot of pain. But I thought it had been a nightmare because in that place it was something that could never happen and again I was sure that in that place I was safe and happy forever. I felt completely free to do whatever I wanted because in that place nothing was forbidden. No evil existed, not even in my thoughts. I felt that life was something very, very precious, and I felt it would be like that for all eternity.

In that moment, I looked up at the blue sky and saw something like a lightning bolt; or rather a white light-beam coming from the sky. It looked like it entered through my head, and then I felt myself being fed directly by God. I felt literally that I was being filled with the love of God, being healed, being fulfilled with peace, happiness, joy, and life. I felt so loved by God and that was so wonderful that I have no words to describe the happiness I felt. I felt more alive and happier than I ever felt before. Then I started to hear screams and I knew that was my mother’s voice who was calling me. At first, I thought she was also coming to that wonderful place and I was waiting for her to show up. I was thinking that if I had someone with whom to share that happiness it would be better, but she did not show up. Rather, she continued to yell and then I started to get anxious. It started to get dark and I suddenly came flying through a lot of fog. Below that fog, I saw a very dark place. It seemed all burned with burned trees.

Then I opened my eyes and I was lying on the porch floor of my house with my parents by my side. When I saw that I was again on earth, I was very sad to be back. But at the same time I was happy because I knew I had been in heaven.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: Janeiro 1989

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) I was hit in the back by a tree that my father was cutting with a chain saw.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I only heard my mother screaming. I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal I felt I was more alive there in Heaven than here on earth. I felt that everything there was real, everything was good and for all eternity, something that we do not feel in this world.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? From the moment I was sitting on the grass, until the moment that my mother started screaming, and it was getting dark.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My vision during the experience was much better than I had in my everyday life.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Let’s say, that my hearing during the experience was made by thought, there I did not see anyone, no one spoke to me, and I just knew inside me what I felt.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes It was a big tunnel with dark parts, other parts were very colorful and at the end there was a big white and golden light.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and in heaven, I saw the light like the sunshine, but I did not see the sun and saw a beam of light.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm It was the top of a hill, the ground was covered with very green and thick, perfect grass, without dry or broken ends, there were only two or three trees, not very large; above, the sky, which was very blue, seemed near the ground. I did not see the sun, but it was like a sunny day without clouds, it was like a landscape of the earth, only much cleaner, beautiful and cozy.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Lots of happiness, joy, peace, I felt infinitely loved by God.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

The experience included: Special knowledge or purpose

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No Actually no, only when I was in heaven did I seem to understand everything.

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No I was only aware of being hit by the tree.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Moderately important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic Na altura da experiencia era crente em Deus e simpatizava com o judaismo. Lia a Biblia todos os dias e rezava e jejuava acho que um dia por semana.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I seek to know better our God and I felt that in this world the best picture we have of God is Jesus.

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic Depois de minha eqm tentei tornar-me mais próxima de Deus e foi na fé cristã católica que encontrei essa proximidade maior com Deus.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I believed in God, that there was heaven and hell, but sometimes felt that God had abandoned me, I had many depressions, and sometimes thought that if I died I would go to hell.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I know that God is very kind and has a lot of patience with us. I feel this life’s purpose is that we know God here in this world in Jesus Himself, so we can spend all eternity with Him in heaven.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin I just felt the presence of God through the light beam, but I did not see God.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Uncertain I felt that I could live forever in that way. However, I felt that I still had much to discover, all my needs were met, I could say that that place and God completed me perfectly; I felt one with that place.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God probably exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I was sure that God exists. I felt that love, happiness and peace came from God.

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No I knew I was.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? An afterlife probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes There I felt I would live happily for all eternity.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I moderately feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Greatly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are not meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are meaningful and significant

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes What God has given me more, over there was His great love. On earth and I do not feel the love of God with the same intensity that I felt there.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life I began to feel more faith in God and sought to know Him better. I started going to Catholic mass and I feel that Jesus is God.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I felt more love for others.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Happiness, peace, God's love, joy, life was all very, very intense, very real, very genuine, but infinitely much better than any good of this world.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the experience. At the time I had this NDE my life was very boring, so the memory of my experience stands out.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The most significant part for me was the great love that God gave me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told the doctor who saw me in the hospital; he was flabbergasted but said nothing.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I saw a program on television about the subject, in which people talked about their NDEs. I thought I would also like to have an experience like that.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I believed that it was the best thing that had happened to me.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I see it as something real that happened to me, that death does not exist, or rather only exists for the physical body we have in this world.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain Some Catholic saints, report that they were taken in spirit, to heaven, and saw some wonders that God has prepared for us there.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I feel I would like to have been there longer.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I think your questionnaire is perfect.