Barb Z Probable NDE

Experience Description

I had gone into labor with my first child about 11:00 am on Sunday. At the hospital, I refused pain killers. Labor continued throughout Monday, Tuesday, and into early Wednesday morning. The nurses repeatedly asked if I wanted painkillers. I kept refusing. The entire experience had been excruciatingly painful, but I was able to keep a semblance of control. The nurses asked me again if I wanted pain killers about 2:00 am on Wednesday morning. I accepted. The pain killers turned my experience into a blur of unrelenting intense pain. I think my own mind was more effective than the drug.

The next thing I remember was that my husband was next to the gurney as they wheeled me down a hallway. I don't remember seeing anything at that point.

Suddenly, I was above my body looking down at it. My first reaction was surprise. This was immediately followed by a great sadness because I knew I would never know my child or live a long life with my husband. I also felt calm and peaceful. I used the pleasant and distressing descriptor above because it was the closest. I was aware that I was dying or dead. We passed a window and I noted that it was still dark which meant it was before 5 am. I knew I'd never see the light of a day again.

We turned a corner in the hall. One of those pushing the gurney said to the other, 'Get him out of here,' referring to my husband. Someone pushed him through a door. At that point, the men with me began running down the hall with me. One shouted, 'Faster! We're losing her!' They turned into the delivery room where the doctor was. I watched them move my body from the gurney onto the table. Then I was aware of the doctor saying, 'Put her down, put her way down. I don't know what we're going to find in there!' I intensely wanted to see my baby.

The next thing I remember was being in a room with my daughter in a bassinet next to me with a nurse nearby. It was 7:30 am. I did not have a caesarean section. The doctor apparently worked for over 2 1/2 hours to get her out.


Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: June 17, 1970

NDE Elements:

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

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? No 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 think I'd say it was a different consciousness and alertness. It's more accurate, I think, to say more curious and aware; aware, perhaps, as a cat is aware when stalking a mouse.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Huh. Probably from when I first was aware I was out of my body through the time when I was wheeled into the delivery room.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual. From the awareness of being out of body until the time I was in the delivery room, things seemed to be more intense and faster. Of course, the men with me were obviously distressed and moving faster so I'm not sure if what I experienced was reality or a feeling that things were going faster.

Were your senses More vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Both thoughts and senses, both sight and hearing were more intense.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Hearing was more intense/louder

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? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Sadness and calmness/peace.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

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. In the delivery room, my feeling of regret and sadness turned to a strong need to see my baby just before the doctor said 'put her down', etc.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Atheist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Atheist

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 completely unaware of out-of-body experiences. There was a feeling of this experience being all one thing and at the same time, two different things. It was an on-earth reality and this out-of-body reality which was not part of normal on earth reality

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am not afraid to die because I believe there is some kind of existence after death. For how long? What kind of existence? I don't know.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? Uncertain Interesting question. I remembering feeling a kind of experience of continuity like being part of something. I was a blip in or being a drop of water in an ocean. Hope that makes sense.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God does not exist

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God does not exist

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

Did you believe that our earthly lives Are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are 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? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists Uncertain. The reason I say this is the vividness of the experience and the fact that out of body is not a normal experience.

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? Moderately 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 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? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life. I learned that our on earth life experience is not the only one. Being out of body is a different way of existing. How long that can exist or if is the the main or only way of existence for others, I don't know. Does it go on or is it the path to an after life existence (Heaven or Hell, some would say, I don't know

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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. It is as if that experience is in bold print as opposed to regular print of all other experiences.

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? Only what I said above.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told my husband within days. He's skeptical.

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. I knew immediately from the experience that it was real; perhaps the most real experience in my life and that has not changed.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real There is no why. It just is.

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? Can't think of anything.