Bren L NDE

Experience Description

In July 1993, I turned too sharply in a cul-de-sac while riding my bike. I was not wearing a helmet at the time and sustained a Grade 3 concussion from the accident. I experienced brief, retrograde amnesia which has mostly returned to me, but I also experienced an NDE from the point of becoming unconscious to the time that I came back to consciousness again.

That summer, I was trying to keep active and in shape by riding my bicycle on a regular basis. It was the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I remember lugging my 10-speed out of the garage, through the house, and through the front door because it was too hard to get through the back yard. I remember pulling the bike past my younger brother who was playing with a tent in the front yard.

It was a bright and warm summer day, ideal for bicycling. I wanting to push myself physically that day, so I was trying to go as fast as possible around the neighborhood.

When I fell off of my bike in the cul-de-sac, instantly my consciousness was brought somewhere else. I don't recall being able to see as much as I could sense what was happening. I had knowledge that I was somewhere else, a sense of remembering who I was, and knowing I had a greater purpose. I just know that I have one because I am hear for a reasong, but I don't know necessarily what it is.

I had the feeling of others around me. I don't know if they were human or not, but they felt familiar. I didn't have any close relatives who had passed on, so they were certainly not relatives I was able to recognize.

I was embarrassed that I had died too soon by falling off of my bike and that's what the culmination of my existence amounted to. I asked if I was dead. I was told, "no" and that I would have to go back. My experience was very brief, but quite profound. I felt no sadness in hearing this, but it was more like an understanding of being reminded that I had more to do.

I came to on the asphalt, remembering that I had been on the phone. I began remembering my experience as I was riding in the ambulance. I had the sharp recall of the NDE while being x-rayed and was almost in tears as the realization dawned on me what had happened.

Thirty years later, I'm still left wondering what my purpose is. Perhaps it's contacting you?

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: July 1993

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Direct head injury Life threatening event, but not clinical death. I sustained a Grade 3 concussion from falling off of my bike without a helmet.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

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. It was an immediate, ongoing continuation of consciousness; there was nothing different about my being, just my surroundings had changed. I knew that I was somewhere else, but with an edge of knowing a bit more like an intuitive knowing.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the entire NDE.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Barely any vision. Spatial sensing, definitely. A sensation of pale warmth, ephemeral.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I am unable to discern any difference to hearing; it was as if someone were speaking to me normally. Functioning as expected.

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? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain. I felt like I was in a light of some kind, but it was everywhere.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. All that I knew was that I was no longer existing as I had been normally. I was not where I had been.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Embarrassment, relief, understanding, validation.

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? No

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 barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will. I felt like I understood that I was not done here on earth. I wasn't sad being told that I needed to go back.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Other or several faiths. Spiritually seeking at the time; I was raised without religion and was originally atheist as a child. This experience cemented my current beliefs.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I was exploring Christianity at the time of my NDE, but do not consider myself Christian. My beliefs have evolved since my experience, and still are.

What is your religion now? Do not know. No particular religion other than my own experiences.

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. The experience that I had seems similar to others which I had read about, but I didn't experience any particular ecstasy or pure love that seems to come hand-in-hand with most experiences that I've compared to mine.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am highly interested in consciousness studies and parapsychology as a result, trying to figure myself out with verifiable comparisons and information. The experience has definitely shaped me into a Fox Mulder, I suppose; the truth is out there.

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 encountered many Beings.

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain. We're here for a reason, but the reason eludes me.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes During the NDE, I had an awareness that my accident had brought me to this location.

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? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. I keep experiencing things that I cannot explain which appear to reinforce this experience.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain If my relationships haven't changed since I was sixteen, that's another cause for concern, but I definitely use my intuition far, far more when seeking out new friendships and relationships.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes While I was not blind during this experience, I felt a lack of the sense of sight to a large degree.

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 as accurately as 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 Multiple out of body experiences, useless prophetic dreams about mundane things, dreams about the dead, synchronicities.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? No, it's all meaningful and important.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I've told very few about it, and have been reluctant to share more, due to wanting to be seen as not crazy. I don't think those with whom I've shared this have acted strongly in either way.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes My knowledge was what I'd seen on television at the time; we had a few more years to go before I had my own computer with an internet connection.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. The memory is as real as any of my other memories and I'm not sure why it happened.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I will second-guess myself from time to time due to the amount of time that has passed since this event, but I remind myself that it's indeed a thing that I have experienced.

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? None of which that I am aware. This feels fairly exhaustive.