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I had suffered a bleed from a cerebral aneurysm and was in hospital, in intensive care. At some point while there, I was travelling, following a very bright light. This presence was communicating with me, telling me not to be afraid and that I would no longer have any worries or cares. We were in a green field, filled with beautiful flowers, a tree and a brook. We arrived at a small white bridge that went over the brook and I was ready to cross it but the presence stopped me and said, ‘You can cross the creek, but you have three small children on this side’. I chose not to cross so that I could be with my children.
Background Information:
Gender: Female
Date NDE Occurred: 'June, 1966' NDE Elements:
At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Cerebral Aneurysm 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I had a cerebral aneurysm and was hospitalized. I was not aware of much for quite a while. After I got home my family said the doctors told them that I had been given a 10 percent chance of survival.
How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful
The experience included: Out of body experience
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 At the end.
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? At the end.
Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual
Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
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 field of vision was extensive and the brightness of the colors was intense.
Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out
Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain
Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them
Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I didn't meet any other humans. There was just a ‘presence’ that was with me. I didn't know the identity of the presence. The presence said, ‘Don't be afraid, you will no longer have any worries or cares’.
The experience included: Light
Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin
Did you see an unearthly light? Yes The light was very bright but not blinding.
The experience included: A landscape or city
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Not a distinctive location, just a beautiful field with colorful flowers, tree and brook and white bridge.
What emotions did you feel during the experience? Calmness, yet I knew it was important.
Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness
Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness
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
Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe
Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control
Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future
Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will God, Spiritual and Religion:
What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate
Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No
What is your religion now? Liberal
Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No
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
Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:
During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I have no doubt about there being something else after death. I also realized after the experience that I felt the loss of loved ones but knew they were in a much better place, so my grieving became very different.
Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I believe I am now more caring and sympathetic to others. After the NDE:
Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I knew it was very real but I thought at first others would think I was crazy. After I had read an excerpt from a book by E. Kubler Ross, I thought that if I told my doctors about it they would suggest there was some scientific reason for it. I still think anyone that hasn't had this experience would not believe it.
Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I think I have a little bit of extra sensory perception or ESP for short.
Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The whole experience was very meaningful. I had no fear of death afterwards.
Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes About ten years later my best friend lost her father and I told her. At the time I didn't know if she believed me but some years later she said she was in church, a gentleman shared a very similar experience with her, and she called to tell me about it. I think she had been influenced by our conversation years earlier. I also have shared just a little of it, with someone who lost a child. I think it brought them some peace. I am very careful who I share it with because, if they are grieving the loss of a loved one, I don't want them to think they can take a shortcut by ending their own life.
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 it was real but I thought if I told anyone they would think I was crazy.
What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real No matter who tries to explain it away they will never make me believe it was anything other than ‘definitely real’.
At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No
I had surgery to relieve the pressure on my brain and was in intensive care. I was in a coma. I didn't know until I got home that the doctors told my family I had been given only a 10% chance of surviving. At one point, I became aware of a light that was with me that I will refer to as a presence. The presence was communicating with me and assuring me, I was safe. It led me through a beautiful field with flowers, trees and a creek. The presence was telling me I would no longer have any worries or troubles and it was so calming. We got to a white bridge and I was ready to cross it when the presence said that it was okay for me to go over, but I had three small children on this side. I remained on this side to be with them. I didn't tell anyone about my experience for many years because I knew they wouldn't understand and would think I was crazy. When I was in a waiting room one day, I picked up a magazine that had an article by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. I read her descriptions of bedside experiences. They mirrored ‘my experience’ and I felt so relieved to learn that there were others who knew about this. I know this experience changed my outlook on many things, especially regarding death. When my grandmother, who I was very close to, passed away, I realized I felt sad because I'd miss her physical presence but felt happy to know where she would be. Since then I have sat with an aunt, my mother, mother-in-law and father-in-law, my other grandmother while they passed away. I was also with my brother and his family. As we were standing around his bed, he was very peaceful and said, ‘Daddy’ and ‘Don’.My most recent loss was that of my son. I miss him so very much but there is still a sort of calm feeling within me because I know he is okay where he is.
Date NDE Occurred: 'May 31, 1966' NDE Elements:
At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Cerebral aneurysm that had burst.
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 As above.
At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? As to my actual physical being, I was neither conscious or alert.
Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast
Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No
Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No A presence that communicated with me, as I have explained above.
Did you see an unearthly light? Yes This is hard to describe. It was bright but not blinding.
Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm It was a beautiful field with flowers and trees and a creek and then a bridge. Maybe not "distinctive" like a house.
What emotions did you feel during the experience? Peace. Freedom. Awe.
Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy
What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate United Church of Christ
Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I am a Christian but don't feel guilty about not going to church. I do not consider myself to be ‘religious’ but have a very deep and abiding faith in God.
What is your religion now? Liberal United Church of Christ
Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am a Christian but don't feel guilty about not going to church. I do not consider myself to be ‘religious’ but have a very deep and abiding faith in God.
During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes Not to fear death. I've had an illness since and sat with so many loved ones as they died. It was only because I knew they were going to be okay that I could sit with them.
Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes In general I knew I should be kinder to everyone but I don't want people to take advantage of me. After the NDE:
Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain At the time, I had never read or heard about near death experiences. I thought people would think I was crazy or put their own interpretation on it.
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 whole experience was meaningful to me. About 25 years later, I was seriously ill and heard the doctors say they didn't know if I would make it and it bothered me that the presence hadn't come for me. I wondered if it was because I had not crossed that bridge before that I would not get a second chance.
Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes It was many years later - maybe 6 or 7 years. We were at a family camp and one of my children asked if I believed in heaven. I said I didn't know if there was heaven for sure but I knew there was something after a person dies. I didn't go into detail because of their age. Also when a close friend lost her father 8-10 years later, I told her about my experience and I didn't know what she thought about it. Last year she called to tell me about a man in her church who told the congregation about his NDE and she had remembered what I had told her all those years earlier, so she must have taken me seriously. I've been careful over the years who I tell about it.
What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I just knew I knew it was real. I did not think anyone else would understand though.
What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Only I know how very real it was to me. It was NOT a deep dream or the result of some pre-conditioning of what I might have expected to happen.
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