Cassie M NDE

Experience Description 2645:

I was in the hospital with severe asthma. The doctor and a nurse had come into the room to do arterial blood gases (blood test to determine the relative amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood). The doctor felt my pulse. I heard him say there is no pulse. I had been sitting straight up on many pillows. I saw myself fall sideways onto the nurse. I must have lost consciousness for a moment, because I then became aware that I was floating at the top of a corner of the hospital room. I felt an amazing feeling of release ('dying' of asthma is not a comfortable feeling) and happiness and peace. A feeling I did not want to leave behind, although somehow I knew I would have to go back. I did not know where I was (or care) and did not understand where 'back' was (or care). I saw a crowd in the room doing some sort of medical procedure. I was not aware of hearing anything. At some stage, I was on ground level, at the back of the group of medical people, trying to see in. I couldn't see anything, but that didn't bother me.

Then I don't remember how I got there, but I was in a corridor racing along with a hospital trolley. I was not on it: I was flying above it. I was aware of the ability to 'fly' at a tremendous speed. The hospital was a collection of double-story buildings and an older, three or 4 story building, connected by long corridors. My ward was a long way from the intensive care unit, which was in the taller building. The medical people went further on into the corridor (towards the lift to the ICU, I realize now, but I didn't know or care who was on the trolley, or where it was going). I went outside the building and through the window of the ICU (I don't know if it was open or shut) and met the trolley and the medical personnel handing over to the ICU staff. I didn't hear them or care about them. The next thing I know I woke up in ICU, I didn't know where I was or what happened to me. I remember the pain of the CPR and the defibrillator. Apparently, they tried for a very long time to get my heart started again.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: January 1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Asthma attack with respiratory and cardiac arrest.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? No time - it was equal at all times during the near-death experience.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Neither

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Neither I knew things were different, but nothing more detailed than that. I could fly, but wasn't thinking, ‘People don't fly.’

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Neither

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't recall sound at all.

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? 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? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Clearly mystical or unearthly realm The light.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Hard to explain. All good feelings. Happiness, warmth, release, joy, peace - total peace - nothing really seemed to matter.

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? No longer in conflict with nature

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? A conscious decision to 'return' to life

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes It has made my Catholic faith more real to me.

What is your religion now? Moderate Though much more oriented towards conservative Catholic these days

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes It has made my Catholic faith more real to me.

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 Only the knowledge that I would have to go back.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain Not my relationships directly, but it has given me a deeper understanding of people, of sickness and of death, and this impacts on my relationships.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain Some aspects difficult to communicate. My feelings, the feeling of watching something medical happening from on high. Other aspects (the basic description) easier to communicate.

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 felt that my time had not come for a reason. I felt that there must be important work for me to do while I am still on earth. I was not afraid of death.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I don't remember the first time I shared it with others, but knowing me, I would have shared with the ICU nurses. I definitely shared with my ward nurses, who I knew quite well, when I was transferred back to the ward. I have never encountered any reaction other than acceptance, and acknowledgement that it was probably a real experience.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had an earlier, less spectacular one when I had pneumonia a year or two earlier.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It was different than a dream. I 'knew' it was real. It never even entered my head that it wasn't real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I have never forgotten any part of this experience. There are few experiences that would remain totally clear after 26 years. I just know in myself it was real, and nothing would convince me otherwise.

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? No.


Experience Description 2572:

I was at the pool, but I became too sick to teach swimming. I was dropped home by the head swim teacher. I don't remember a lot of the afternoon, just that I wanted to lie down and die. My mother eventually got me to the emergency department of our small, local private hospital. I don't remember how I got there. I do remember the doctor being amazed at how fast my heart was beating - he had never seen someone with such a fast heartbeat. I remember my mother being there with me. Sometime during the evening or night (I was told later), I had turned a dark shade of purple, and they had called the doctor. I was unaware of this. Occasionally, I would drift back into consciousness when a nurse readjusted my oxygen mask. There seemed to be no time, just a sort-of sequence of events.

I became aware of being in a dark, dark, black (like outer space might be) tunnel. I was traveling fast towards a warm, bright, beautiful light. This light I felt was Jesus. It was anything I could ever need or want. I wanted to get to the light and stay there. I remember feeling annoyed at some stage because someone seemed to be pulling me back (though not in a physical sense), I eventually recognized it as being my family doctor calling my name. I really, really did not want to come to him; I wanted to go to the light. I felt or 'knew' that I was being told to go back. I was very sad to go. I became conscious again - the doctor was putting stuff into an IV in my arm. He had cut my arm open to access my vein. He told me I had to stay awake and keep my oxygen on my face.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1st or 2nd April 1980

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Life threatening asthma and pneumonia.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the out of body experience - in the hours before that - I would say I was at best semi-conscious most of the time.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Neither

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster than usual During the experience there seemed to be unlimited (though black, dark) space around me, even though it also felt like a tunnel. There seemed to be no time.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Neither

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Yes I don't think I was actually hearing with my ears. I didn't perceive sound as such, I sort of knew what was being said.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes There was a tunnel, it was very dark all around me, there was light at the end and I was traveling to it - I guess that is how I perceived it as being a tunnel.

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Uncertain I felt that the light was Jesus.

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? Yes The light was very bright, but also had warmth and joy and everything - I only wanted that light, nothing else mattered anymore.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Peace, joy, longing, irritation at the doctor calling me back.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No longer in conflict with nature

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

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? Moderate Minimal practice of my Catholic faith

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No Not specifically, not that I can tell.

What is your religion now? Moderate Much more involved in my Catholic faith

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No Not specifically, not that I can tell.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? Definite being, or voice clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

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? Yes I felt that the light was Jesus. Before I came back, I felt that He told me I needed to go back now.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain Uncertain I was so young - still learning relationships - I can't say for sure, but an experience like that must help to form me and the way I live my life.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain So much of the experience is beyond anything I have even known that it is hard to convey the whole experience to someone who hasn't experienced a similar thing.

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? The light and the speed in which I seemed to be traveling towards the light.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No As soon as I was well enough to talk. People seemed to think that meant I was close to dying that night. I had no concept at the time that I was close to death. I felt it was a real experience. I didn't read anything more into it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No I hadn't even heard of it before this experience.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I knew it was real. I couldn't remember most of what happened to me most of the day before it, and for at least another day after it, but I could clearly remember every detail of my experience.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I still remember it as if it happened to me today. It is all very clear, even though it was a long time ago, 27 years ago.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No Though I did later have a respiratory and cardiac arrest from asthma, and experienced a totally different out of body experience.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? No.

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