Béatrice P NDE

Experience Description

I had been invited for lunch at Marseille to a friend of my mother's (from work). We lived at Aix-en-Provence. I never ate oysters as they disgusted me, but being polite, I swallowed them one by one with bread (12 in all). About 20 minutes later I started to feel bad (nauseated), so I lay down in a sleeping room. When my mother came to look after me, sometime later, I had difficulties breathing and was covered with red spots. My mother decided to take me back to Aix (35 km). During the trip, I was swelling up so much that my ivory bracelet broke in two (I'm of slight build).

During the whole journey, my state was deteriorating and when we finally arrived at the base of our building, I fell unconscious to the ground at the entry. And there, some moments later, I felt a sense of complete well-being. I had the sensation that nothing could happen to me, and I heard myself telling my mother, 'let me die' without any fear. Then I found myself at about 3 meters above my body. I saw my mother shaking me in panic, but I was in the position of an observer of this situation without any stress.

Afterwards, she brought me to the emergency where I was shocked several times. My pressure was down to 4 (anaphylactic shock), and, as per the doctors, this was nearly the end of me!

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1982

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Allergic reaction. Life threatening event, but not clinical death. Je n'ai jamais cru à rien et j'ai toujours eu une peur bleue de la mort. I had an oyster allergy and Quincke edema. I didn't know that I was allergic.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I saw my mother shaking me and screaming, 'Bea, wake up!' 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 It was as if the experience was an obvious fact that one cannot question; a feeling of total clarity.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I would say that when I was above my body I felt myself very lucid, as if what I saw and experienced allowed no questioning.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

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. Let's say that, concerning feeling, I sensed a crazy thing. I was light and I felt invincible. As a sensation, it was very pleasant. It was better than I might imagine being on a cloud might be.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard everything my mother said very clearly, while I was hovering at 3 meters away.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? 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? I felt a unique sensation of life floating; of a being of lightness.

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 myself or others I felt very sure of myself as if I was where I was meant to be.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No On the other hand, since then, I had two unbelievable dreams of which the facts came true and I'm not at all spiritual.

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? Not important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain I'm still atheist. Yet, on the other hand, I found my own explanation to religious paintings, where you can see a light halo above the head of God or various saints, for me this is the illustration of NDEs told by protagonists at the time.

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly 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 Pour moi il ne pouvait rien exister après la mort mise à part le fait de se faire dévorer par des verres de terre ce qui me terrorisait !

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Especially about my beliefs, as the leaving of my body is a fact for me. I cannot explain it but I know that I really lived this.

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? No

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? Yes It changed me a lot, for me there is a before and an after. I was always very anxious about death, since childhood. Now, the fact of having brushed death made me feel extraordinary pleasant sensations.

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

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists No

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

Do you fear death after your experience? I slightly 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 probably 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? Greatly 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? Large changes in my life Let's say that I never dared to speak to anybody, but it changed me, I have the impression to know. What many ignore. My intuition developed still further.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes I have more tolerance about things that seemed impossible to me before.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

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 Je me souviens de tout dans les moindres détails...

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have premonitory dreams and thought transmission, especially with a girlfriend.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? One night I woke up in the middle of the night by a dream. W work colleague fell down her stairs and when I arrived at the office next morning, the first thing she told me when she saw me was, 'Damn! Last night I fell down my stairs.' This really disturbed me and still does.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes At the beginning, I tried to speak about it, but people laughed and looked at me as if I were nuts. I didn't speak about it anymore. However, I was eager to understand it and so I read the book 'Life after life' and then other books. With time, people started to talk about NDE's, and then I spoke about it again, but only to a few people, as I don't like the look people have, sending back their doubts while I'm telling them a fact.

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 The experience was anchored in my memory. I was certain about what I experienced without even a shadow of doubt.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Well, if you have been to a movie the evening before, you are sure that you went there, and for me it's the same. I'm 100% sure that I was above my body. It's indisputable.

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? I don't remember my return to my body. When my father died, he was in the hospital under sedation. This disturbed me. I asked myself if maybe he was not there above us, and not knowing this was terribly sad for me.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Maybe you might add questions exploring our reaction to facing the death of our relatives.