Ann S NDE

Experience Description:

I had a difficult birth with my first child - she was induced and the birth lasted almost two days. When I finally got into the delivery room, things started to go wrong. I heard them talking about tachycardia, and then something about my oxygen level and fetal problems. I wanted to stay and help, do what I could to make things go right with the birth, but I was suddenly out of my body and somewhere else.

It wasn't a bad place, just filled with people in line and very dark. There was a clicking sound all around us. I asked what the sound was, and why we were in a line. The 'person' a light, in charge, told me that we were in line to be born and this would show us what was coming and how it would all end. The clicking happened every time someone was born, and when it was our turn we would get a flash of our lives, live our lives and then come back home.

I was so excited, I was going to be a human, I was going to be real, and I was going to get married and have a family and do all kinds of wonderful things!

Finally, it was my turn. I stepped into the world, and I saw everything that was going to happen with me, the good and the bad, the child that was just being born, and the choice I could make about living and raising her or stopping now - and then the bad things were shown and I was asked to choose.

Of course, I'd been so excited to have a chance that I chose life, and everyone agreed with that choice. I was shown the future lifetime and then I could see the end coming, and all I could think of was when it ends, I want another chance, another go around, because it was so wonderful.

The clicking stopped, I was brought back to consciousness and so far life as progressed pretty much as was told to me.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1966

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth Life threatening event, but not clinical death Birth of first child - oxygen dropped to critical levels, heart went into tachycardia.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I lost awareness of my body

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 Yes, it was brighter, more interesting, with much more anticipation and excitement.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? All the way through the experience, I was very aware of what was going on.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening all at once Life wasn't in a matter of minutes or hours or days, we had a whole flash of life shown to us, and then we got our chance to live it.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more so

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was dark, with incredibly brilliant lightness in front of us.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. The clocking stands out in my memory.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes Person in the light who talked to me, and others in the line with me - all of us excited and waiting for our chance to live and die and come back home.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? Neither

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Where I went to was rather dark, but there was light in the persons around me.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Unfamiliar, strange place

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Excitement and anticipation.

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? United, one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither Had a review of the life yet to come, with only a bit of review of the life I'd had until then. What I learned was that it would be a good thing to totally experience life, enjoy everything that could be enjoyed, deal with the pain and stay aware of every moment.

Did scenes from the future come to you? From personal future I saw the wonderful things that would happen with my family, the fun and the excitement of building our lives and home and learning everything I could possibly learn. I also saw the child with the brain tumor and her struggles, and my husband's descent into dementia and a divorce that I had no control over. It has all come to pass, but it's not over yet!

Did you come to a border or point of no return? A conscious decision to 'return' to life

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Conservative/fundamentalist Latter Day Saint (Mormon)

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Went from 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' to Wicca, with a view of the whole world as being linked - we've all been there and seen what's coming, as has the world around us experienced her own life.

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Went from 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' to Wicca, with a view of the whole world as being linked - we've all been there and seen what's coming, as has the world around us experienced her own life.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? Unidentifiable voice

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I had a chance to see that my life would start and live and end, and what I did with that life was mostly mine to do with as I wished. I could enjoy it and revel in the earth and all the delights of an earthly existence or I could be miserable. My choice!

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes More intense, more willing to go the extra mile and to stay involved when it would have been very easy to give up during hard times.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain My family has a strong history of precognitive dreams and experiences, and of being able to tell what each of us are thinking. So far it's worked pretty well, but I don't know how involved with the childbirth experience it was.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It made me very happy and also made me keep on learning about everything I could, and experiencing life to the fullest.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Still real. I think it has helped me through some of the tough times to know that it will all come to a successful close.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No