Caroline R NDE

Experience Description 2068:

I was playing with two friends. We were on a back porch. There was a metal rail around the porch. It had just rained and everything was wet. They had an old-fashioned window air-conditioning unit sticking out the back window of their kitchen. There was a rusty metal bar coming from the back of this unit. I jumped up to sit on the metal railing and I reached over and grabbed the metal bar from the unit. It shocked me, I started vibrating, and I couldn't let go.

During this time, really probably only a matter of seconds, I left my body. I do not remember a tunnel or light, (I wish I could be hypnotized now to see if I did experience something like this) but I did experience a 'life review'. I was in a room and there was like a giant wheel, or TV screen and it showed every second of my life, the good and the bad things. I don't remember much of anything else. Then my friend touched me, and when she did, it broke the electric shock. My arm was numb and sore for a few days.

This was the entire experience. The unusual thing about this was I didn't know what had happened to me and had not even heard of this until college. I've been reading on and off about near-death experiences ever since.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1964

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident Life threatening event, but not clinical death It was an electric shock, so I do not know how powerful it was.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain 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? Normal consciousness and alertness It was almost like vivid dreaming.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I really don't remember.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster than usual Well, I was in the other place apparently only seconds, yet my whole ten years, EVERY EVENT, I saw clearly in detail. Time was just different.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? More so 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 don't remember.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Uncertain I'm not sure, seems as if there was somebody in the big room with me.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? Neither

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Unfamiliar, strange place

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I don't remember pleasurable ones, if anything I remember being upset seeing the negatives of my life.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Neither

Did you have a feeling of joy? Neither

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? Neither

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? Neither

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Conservative/fundamentalist Christian (Methodist)

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist Basically same

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? Neither

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I was young and did not understand what had happened to me until many years later - college age. I read about near-death experiences. For years after that I did not know I had a life review, until I read about someone else's, then it was like, 'Wow, yes, that's what happened to me!' It was exciting.

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? I've answered this, only that I was bothered by the negative things I saw.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Not at the time. Lately, I've only told about five people. They listen like they want to believe me, I'm not sure they do.

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 don't remember how I felt right afterwards because I didn't know what it was. I thought it was a dream.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real It's been too long, but I do still remember it happening. It was real.

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? Much too long.

Experience Description 804:

I was playing at the home of a friend when I was about ten years old. We were on her back porch, which had an iron railing around it. Hanging out of the nearby kitchen window was a (now old-fashioned) window air-conditioning unit. It had just rained and everything was wet. I sat up on the railing and put my hand on a metal brace hanging from the unit. I started getting electrically shocked, and started shaking all over, (like you see in the cartoons!). Anyway, my friend started calling my name, and then when I couldn't move, she touched me. This broke the current apparently and she got shocked. I was probably only shaking for a few seconds. During this time, I had a 'life review'.

I wish I could remember more details about it, (I'd like to be hypnotized to see if I could go back there). It was like a dream, but someone took me to a place and reviewed every moment, every second of my life up to that point. I remember later being amazed that in just a few seconds I could see ten years, but I could. I could see every good thing and every bad thing and every experience I ever had. I think there was a wheel of some sort, (but I may have read this somewhere and imagined it). At the time I don't remember telling anyone about what happened to me, because I wasn't exactly sure. I do remember feeling like time was completely different in the place where I was.

Years later, when I first heard of 'near-death' experiences and began reading about them, someone wrote of 'life-reviews', and I was like, 'Wow that is exactly what happened to me!'

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: Around 1965

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening Not really sure how dangerous, was electrically shockedNot sure of the question, the accident was possibly life threatening.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

Did you feel separated from your body? No

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was conscious and alert.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning TIME, apparently time wasn't the same, because I was able to see my whole life in seconds, yet I remember afterward not understanding how that could be so.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? Don't remember.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain Don't remember.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I don't remember them, but they guided me.

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain Don't remember.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control I wish I could remember more, obviously. I was so young; I just remember I was amazed that I saw everything!

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:

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

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain I was young, and did not understand it for years, (what it was) - until I started reading about near-death experiences many years later. I wish I could remember the experience more vividly.

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? Worst was seeing the bad things I had done in my life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No I don't feel like it's enough to share, but it was VERY REAL.

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