Anne L NDE

Experience Description

While white water rafting, the raft rolled over and got caught up in rapids. I wasn't wearing a life vest. At first I was panicked, aware that I was going to die because I couldn't possibly get out of the situation.

Once I accepted that I was going to die, time stopped. I was in complete darkness and surrounded by love. For the first time in my life, I was at complete peace and without any anxiety. I understood that everything was one. Then I had a life review. At the end of the life review, I heard a voice say, 'Choose.' In that instant, I understood that I could stay in complete peace or I could choose to return. My first thought was, 'This place is really nice, I' m not sure I want to go back.' But then I knew that this current time is a very important time to be on Earth and that I would come back. The difference was that I would be reborn and need to relearn how to walk, talk, and think. That would be hard. Understanding this, I chose to return to my body.

Suddenly, I was back under water, in pain, and thinking, 'How am I going to get out of this?' The voice returned and told me, 'Stop fighting the water. You have very little oxygen left in your muscles. Relax, go with the water, and in a minute you will be able to get out.' So, I did what the voice told me to do and that is what happened. I don't know how much time passed but suddenly, my foot hit something and the voice said 'NOW!' I pushed against it as hard as I could and I hit the air. I took a breath in so violently that I wanted to throw up. People were scrambling up and down the banks, screaming, 'There she is!' A man in a kayak paddled to me and took me to the shore.

I didn't speak about what happened for years because I didn't know how to put the experience into words. I was afraid people would think I was crazy. The experience taught me the only thing that matters is love. We can best show love to others by helping and through acts of service. I do not fear death and at times have had dark nights of the soul. The illusion of being seperate from our creator is painful and difficult.


Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1996

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Drowning. Life threatening event, but not clinical death

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? No. 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I don't know. The entire experience felt more real than every day consciousness. This reality seems less vibrant than the other one I experienced. It is as if we are cut off from aspects of our real selves while in our bodies.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning. Time as we understand it, did not exist.

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. Everything was dark, but the emotions were much more intense.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could hear but not with my ears. It was more inside my head.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

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

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

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place. It was completely dark, but it wasn't scarey

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Pure love and a sense of bliss and oneness.

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

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe. I was at one with the universe.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control. I reviewed all of my accomplishments and understood that I had accomplished all I had come to accomplish. I was given a choice to accomplish more by continuing this lifetime.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life. I was given a choice.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Agnostic
Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I mediatate and pray daily

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Agnostic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. I was a very angry person before my experience.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I have dedicated my life to helping others

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 heard a voice

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? Yes It was simply an understood thing that I had been here before

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I felt it

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I knew the voice that I heard was God

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes We are to be of service to each other. The only thing that matters is love

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. I understood that if I chose to leave this lifetime, that I would be reborn.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes It is our true and only nature

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. I am more compassionate

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am more compassionate towards others

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It took me many years to assimilate my experience in order to translate it into words. While in the other world, information simply came to me and I knew and understood everything as soon as I questioned it.

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 more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes My intution is very strong and guides me daily.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Love and how we have served others is the only thing that we take with us when we leave

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I didn't share it for many years. Most people I tell admit that they are very touched by my story.

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 rea.l I became very depressed because life on this dimension is very difficult and painful. I wanted to return home as soon as possible and questioned why I didn't leave. I was angry that I came back.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. It was more real than my everyday reality which is an illusion.

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

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? No

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? None