Cristina NDE

Experience Description

Good morning. My name is Cristina and I am 33 years old. I want to share with you my experience.

Let's begin saying I am a Christian and I always believed in the Lord. I went to mass and catechism when I was a child. Then, growing up and having to work, I did not attend as much as I was used to. Already in 2005 I was certain about the presence of the Lord. I went in a church to pray after I learned very bad news about several persons in my family and I remember I was alone in front of a religious painting. As I was praying not to get a kind of disease, neither me nor my relatives, despairing and crying, I felt an arm across my shoulders that was giving me strength and peace. There I felt all would be good. It was a real sensation of comfort by some presence I could not see with my eyes. I met my relatives that very same day and the results of their tests were good. I knew my prayers were heard.

On September 2004, I had heart surgery. I was born with heart issues and it was time to fix it. Doctors were puzzled that nothing ever happened to me since my heart had serious problems. I always felt healthy. I have always being busy with heavy work like bakery and restaurant cooking. The day of my surgery, I felt very confident and I had recited several rosary prayers and had with myself a few holy cards. They made me feel relaxed. Although my surgery went well, it didn't fix my heart issues. Once out of the hospital, I was weak. I was changing therapies without any good results.

Eventually I was brought to the emergency room on December 7, 2014. Given the rush, I could not grab any holy image to carry with me. My hospital room, like previous times, was without any holy cross on the walls. On December 10, I underwent minor coronary surgery where I had problems from in the past from a leaky artery. But I wasn't minding that much because I felt ok. I was talking and joking with everybody so I didn't pray. It was as normal as going to a grocery shop for me. But when they injected me with a contrast medium, I didn't feel ok any longer. I could not breath. I was totally awake for this surgery because they used local anesthesia. I could tell a nurse with my eyes that I didn't feel good and the nurse understood immediately that I wasn't fine. So it begun that surgery whose each minute I remember with the suffering it involved. After a couple of hours it was finally over. The surgeon's last words were that they prolonged my life, even more that they saved it. He said that this was the best Christmas present they could give to me. I was happy and I felt ok again. As usual, the staff left me on the bed for about half an hour after the surgery, just to be sure before taking me back to my room. As I was lying there, I was talking with the nurses who were cleaning the surgery room. All the surgeons greeted me and went away to dine because it was late. I felt good thirty minutes after my surgery. I was waiting for the nurses to come take me to my room. They were late because they had to carry an elderly patient first who had to be treated. I remember everything. As they were passing me, I greeted the first nurse that I knew because was she was in my ward. Then I saw that elderly man staring at me.

The next thing I knew, I was in the midst of bright green hills below a blue sky. The colors were so vivid and bright that I have never seen anything like that in my life. I wasn't a person, but a spirit. I could not see my arms, legs, or other body parts. I felt other presences as light beside me. It was the most beautiful feeling I ever had. I wasn't afraid. I wasn't wondering where I was. I wasn't thinking that I am a Christian and just had surgery. I thought none of this. I only knew I was at peace, a feeling of eternal peace. I felt as if I had reached a peace that was more than I ever thought possible. It wasn't the end, but the beginning.

Suddenly, it was as if we closed our eyes on one place and then we are in another. I know this is hard to explain, but it was so. When I opened back my eyes after a second, I saw a powerful light on top of me. I was on a bed and persons were yelling my name. I could not tell where I was, nor who they were. I only know that I said, 'I WANT TO GO BACK THERE.' I did not know what and where that 'there' was. I didn't know where I was at that moment. After a few seconds, I recognized a nurse holding my hand so I begun to understand that I was again in the surgery room. They had just defibrillated me because I had a cardiac arrest. I understood I had been in Heaven for real because that sensation was real like that feeling of peace was. They rushed me into intensive care with the defibrillator still on me.

From there it was a nightmare. There was a big scare that I could go into cardiac arrest again. Everybody said it was a miracle that I was alive. Hearing this from the doctors was more touching because they are naturally skeptical. It the nurses had taken me first before the old man, I would have been in an elevator without any defibrillator within reach and I may not have waken again. I have been lucky. In intensive care it was a nightmare. I did not want to go without saying goodbye to my boyfriend and parents. I wasn't scared to die because I would have been in a better place but I didn't want my boyfriend to suffer. So in that bed I begun praying the Lord and I realized I hadn't a rosary with me. I managed to stay calm and I stabilized only once my boyfriend brought me his St. Rita's ring. I was holding it tight and I felt better.

My experience was no dream. It felt real. I am not scared to die but of causing grief to the persons I love. This earth is just a transitory place and I wonder why the Lord gave me a second chance.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 10 dicembre 2014

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Heart attack

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal I was in a different state of consciousness. I knew whom I was but confusedly, as if I did not want to remember.

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning As if, there was no time

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I saw an elderly patient being transported, passing by me...His grey eyes.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I was watching those eyes and I could hear people talk but it was as if in a trance gazing at that elderly man.

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? Yes It was a light and I could feel presences of light around me.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm A place where I felt safe

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt immense peace, as if I was at my final station. In life, I was always struggling to get something, even if it were just a meal. There I had a feeling of eternal peace.

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? Scenes from my personal future It was as if those lights around me could make me see my future, of which I am not scared at all now of what is after death.

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain Once out of the hospital, I felt I had to thank the Lord

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

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 I believed in God but now I really know about his presence and project

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

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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? Yes God exists and created paradise

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? Are meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes This life is transient. True life is there. Even if we live 100 years, it's just a small break. I see life as a purgatory and I see death as our real life.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death

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

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Greatly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are possibly 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? Greatly compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Slightly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? I am not scared of death I am not scared of death

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain I see people differently. I see many bad traits in persons.

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. I am scared of the fact I am not scared of death

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain Lately I may have clues but I am not sure about this

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? My only fear with death is to make my loved ones suffer while they stay here. I wonder why me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Immediately...already in the surgery room I was talking about this.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain From movies but I never heard of green hills

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It was all real; actually, it felt like more real than this life

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real It was real

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain I felt his presence in the past

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Maybe talking