Bruno D Possible NDE

Experience Description

In the country home there was an old, coal stove. During the night, I had a dream in which I tried to draw the planets of the solar system, but I couldn't.

Suddenly, I woke up in another place and was crying. It was a beautiful place that was neither cold nor warm. The ground was covered with white, round stone. In the middle, there were flowers resembling roses, but without the thorns. A bit further away there was a river whose water was perfectly transparent. The river wasn't deep. By the river, was a beautiful, white lady who asked me why I was crying.

I answered that I was unable to draw my planets. Yet I had no paper or a pencil at hand. She then came to my side and placed me on her knees. All at once, I sensed a love for me that I never knew, even with my mother. Her voice was soft as we drew the planets of the solar system. I was in a state of Happiness that I never regained since that time. Then she stood up and crossed the river. I wanted to follow her, but she told me that my time had not yet come.

I then screamed to stay over there. While opening my eyes, my father tried to open the window but was unable to do it. It was my big brother who heard my scream and then came to open the window. Finally, my father recovered some strength and extinguished the coal stove. He understood by the symptoms, that we had been victims of a carbon monoxide poisoning. We went back to sleep.

In the morning we woke up. I was looking for my planet drawings because I wanted to be sure that I had not simply been dreaming of the lady. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything. Despite my conviction of the reality of my trip, in particular the smells of the flowers and the soft sound of the river that seemed so real. I never have smells in my dreams, and I never have sounds in the background. I then told myself that I must have dreamed. Later on, while we were going to visit my grandfather, he had been building in his garden a 'Grotto of Lourdes'. There I recognized my beautiful lady.


Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 1980

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Carbon monoxide poisoning. Life threatening event, but not clinical death. Carbon monoxide poisoning of the family during the night. When my father wanted to open the window to get some air, he didn't have the strength anymore.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The whole experience hat the same level of consciousness.

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. During the experience I saw perfectly without being dazzled, despite the ground of the white, round stone.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I was hearing what the lady was saying, yet it was not sound. It was more like a kind of internal hearing.

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? I actually saw them

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 I did see a light though. The luminosity was very strong, yet not dazzling.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place. I was at the bank of this river. As the lady was leaving she told me not to cross the river. The light, water and the flowers were different than what is on earth.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? From the lady, I felt intense joy and the certainty of a kindness like I never knew of.

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 no longer in conflict with nature

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes All my friends lost their faith, because they don't know. As for me, I now have a certainty and the only place where I almost can find this feeling of well-being, is in the serenity of a church.

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience After the experience, I identified the lady as being the same person as Our Lady of Lourdes. Later I learned about the apparition of the Virgin to little Gilles, where she was playing with Gilles with a ball, in the same way she was drawing with me.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

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 this lady resembling Our Lady of Lourdes, except that her clothes have been white with just a light blue belt.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

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.)? Yes After seeing representations of Our Lady of Lourdes, I'm persuaded that it is the same person, even though this lady didn't tell me her name during the experience.

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? Yes I saw this lady that I could identify after the event.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

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

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. When the lady told me that I had to go back, she also confirmed to me that I would see her again later. Never having seen her again, I do hope that it means to see her again after death.

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? Yes The sensation of well-being with this lady and her kindness towards me.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life If it is difficult to say how I was before, except that I didn't like going to mass. Today if I'm not going to Sunday mass, my biggest fear is not to see this lady again at my death, as I have only one wish: to be able to snuggle up against her again. Likewise, when somebody is suffering physically or psychologically next to me, I feel this pain in me.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain The flowers of the landscape are not 'terrestrial' flowers and the way to communicate didn't happen through the voice; the certainty not being in a state of dreaming anymore during the encounter with the lady.

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's my oldest memory, except memories preserved through photography.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I sense the pain of people surrounding me, whether I know them or not.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? For me, the most significant part is when I was being nestled against the lady.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes The only person whom I shared it with, is my wife when I told her that I wanted to build my life together with her. She listened but never told me what she was thinking about.

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 probably real. Given that I was sleeping when the experience happened, at first, I thought about an extension of my dream.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. My dreams never have smells nor background sounds. The same for the warmth of the lady that I felt when I was against her. These are sensations that I never have in a dream. The more, research that I did as a teenager and young adult about Marian appearances, let me think that this lady is the same. Finally, this memory never blurred.

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