Bonnie M NDE

Experience Description

I was playing baseball with the neighbors in the backyard. I was at bat. A neighbor pitched the ball and it hit me directly in the forehead. I fell to the ground and instantly I discovered I was out of my body and up in the treetops. I was looking down at the neighbors' mother who was leaning over my fallen body trying to bring me back to consciousness. It was delightful. I remember thinking how great it felt to be out of the body. The tops of the trees seemed like a friendly place to be. It was completely familiar to be out of the body. Then, I returned. I was back. After that, I have never been concerned with dying.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1969

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident. Direct head injury. Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening. I was hit in the head with a baseball. I passed out and left my body. I don't know if the injury was life threatening in any way.

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 the neighbors' mother attending to me. I remember that she didn't bring the incident to my mother's attention, which I thought was strange. I had seen her there but she didn't tell my parents about it. I don't know if it was because it was her child who had knocked me out. 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 felt free, liberated, and expansive.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? All during the experience

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual Time was suspended. Even though there were events unfolding below me, I can say that the space I was in, had no time.

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. I could see all the way to the ground even though I was very high up in the air.

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 elation and wonder.

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? 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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

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

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic I was a devout child, very interested in being close to Jesus.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I became more devout, putting a picture of Jesus on my dresser so I could look at him every day.

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

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated I am very spiritual, and remain devoted to Jesus. I don't attend Catholic mass now but am considering recommitting to it.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I was raised Catholic so had been exposed to the concept of eternal life and the reality of spirit. But, the concept is different from the reality of actually floating in the sky, free of the body.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I became convinced of the reality of eternal life.

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 definitely exists

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 definitely exists

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? Unknown

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 probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes Being out of my body made it immediately clear to me that I am a spirit in a body and that I will endure forever.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Slightly 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? Unknown

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? Large changes in my life It happened when I was a child so I think it has shaped my entire life. I think to this day I still experience myself as both in my body and yet free of it.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain I think I developed a kind of detachment from the things that other children cared about after the experience.

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. The memory remains crystal clear to this day. It was a marker experience of my life.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I have multiple non-ordinary gifts but I don't know if I had them when I was a young child before the experience or not. I am a spiritual healer. I am a medium. I am clairvoyant. These gifts were cultivated later in my life but I think they relate to the experience.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The knowing-ness that came from it, that we are spirit in form. That we are always alive.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I don't recall if I told my sisters or mother at the time. I don't think so. I think the first person I told was a cousin. She was intrigued. When I got older, I told a number of people, but to a person they all discount it as a feature of being knocked unconscious. Perhaps because the more elaborate elements of other NDEs are not part of my experience, and I certainly wasn't at death's door, I have discounted it myself in some ways. I don't discount it being real, but rather as not being a full NDE. But, reading similar experiences on this site made me wish to record it here.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I nearly died at age seven of appendicitis, complicated by pneumonia and I sometimes wonder if I had a brief experience then, as well.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It was as real as any experience I'd ever had, but more vivid.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Nothing has changed in my belief of the reality of the experience.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Once, during a very intense breakup, I felt I couldn't cope with the loss. I felt myself starting to come apart, in a way that had never happened to me before, as I am very grounded. I was in crisis. I looked out the window, and in the lights outside, I saw the face of Jesus. The light was playing with the trees in such a way that his face appeared. It was unmistakable and I felt myself come back together. The sight of him restored me to myself and in all the time since, if ever I am fearful or in emotional pain, I picture him there and know that he will protect me.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I am lucky it happened.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I don't think so.