Donna NDE

Experience Description

Everything in my life had culminated to a point where other options were not working for me. I found an outdoor extension cord and tied it to the opposite side of the door located upstairs. There is only the master bedroom upstairs which is what I utilized. I was hysterical and crying, believing that I had no other option. I was hoping it would not be too painful. I wrapped the cord around my neck and tied it in the back. I started going down the steps one by one and felt the tightness begin around my neck. It wasn’t too loose and wasn’t very tight. I leaned back on the steps behind me and went down another step.

One moment, I was on the steps. The next moment, I found myself in a dimly lit tunnel. I could see a light at the very end, but it was not bright. I remember thinking I needed to walk in that direction. As I began to walk I noticed there were other people walking in the same direction. It’s as if I knew they were people but I could not see faces. They appeared as only silhouettes. They were shadow-like but somehow I knew they were other people like myself. It wasn’t overly crowded but there were quite a few of us there. I remember feeling the need to walk forward and stay with the other people.

It was devoid of emotion. I didn’t have feelings of either happiness or sadness. I was just going through the motions of what I needed to do, which was to walk forward. I could feel my legs moving underneath me but I never looked down or back. No words were spoken among those of us who were there. I recall looking around trying to identify others in my proximity. I don’t recall coldness or heat at all. I just remember the necessity to continue to walk toward the dim light.

First I remember feeling as if I were being pulled back to my body. When I actually returned, it felt as though I was slammed back into my body so hard that it was actually very painful. It was like I had fallen. As I open my eyes, I saw my husband standing over me screaming, 'What are you doing?' I slowly and sleepily only opened my eyes and had no clue where I was. I’ll begin mumbling, 'Where am I? Where am I?'

I tried standing up but my calves hurts so badly that I could not stand. The first quarter of tongue was completely numb. I was extremely nauseated, weak and exhausted.

When I finally realized where I was and what had happened, I could hardly believe how quickly it came about. But more importantly, how quickly the experience had occurred. I remember thinking that maybe I had had a dream. But I had completely stopped breathing and I knew it was not a dream.


Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: February 18, 2018

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes. Suicide attempt. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR 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. My consciousness and alertness seem to be a combination of mine in addition with those around me. It is as if we were communicating without speaking.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was at my highest-level seconds before I slammed back into my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual. It felt is though it took a very long time for me to walk the distance that I did. At the same time, somehow I knew or thought time was sped up.

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. My vision during experience was crystal-clear clarity. I knew without even specifically looking at the others there that I would not be able to see their faces or who they were.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I do not recall hearing anything while there. In fact, nobody was talking to one another yet we all seem to have a culminating knowledge that we needed to walk forward.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes The tunnel was dark but not so dark that I could not see around me. It was dimly lit. I don’t recall the ground but it seemed as if it were dirt or earth that was flat. The part I was permitted to see of the tunnel was as if it were made out of concrete and have been carved out.

Did you see any beings in your experience? I sensed their presence

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? Yes The light at the end of the tunnel was not right at all. It seemed as though it were a night light someone left one in the event they needed to see their way through this tunnel.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place. The unfamiliar and strange channel I was in seemed as if it were part of earth. However, it wasn’t a part of earth that physical humans can access.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? As bizarre as it seems, I don’t recall having any emotions at all. I wasn’t happy; I wasn’t sad. Yet, I was not worried or concerned either. It’s difficult to explain but it was almost as if I was completing a mindless task such as folding towels. Only here, I mindlessly completed the task of walking forward. I knew or felt there was something else going on.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Other Christian Raised as Baptist but practice non-demoninational since adulthood.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. Beliefs that I held prior to this experience consisted those who were absent from their body were present with the Lord. I never imagined a tunnel or the lack of feelings that I had during this experience. And I have to say, I believe that the others who were walking had also committed suicide. I don’t know why I believe that or think that or even know that.

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? No

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I sensed their presence

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 There seem to be the unification of thoughts and or communication.

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? 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. I can not specifically state that it was verbally inferred. I do recall somehow knowing that I had to get to the end of this tunnel to eventually get to where I needed to be.

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? Slight changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I don’t feel as pressured to be right all the time. Those things seem to matter less to me now than before. Disagreements have reduced significantly.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Attempting to describe seeing the others there, the consistency of what the tunnel was made of and the feeling when I came back into my body was extremely difficult to put into words.

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 genuinely don’t recall my thought process while preparing to do this. And I don’t recall much about the experience when I came back. I vividly recall everything that happened while I was there. It’s as if it were etched in my brain.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes It’s difficult to explain. It’s almost as though I can feel what other people are feeling; as if I can sense their sadness, anger, and jealousy.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The only part of my experience that maybe significant is the fact that I felt all the people who had taken their lives were going through that process.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes A few hours.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I read a book called 'Heaven is for Real'. My knowledge after reading that book did not affect my experience at all

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. At first, I believed it to be a dream. As I came to my senses, I realized that it was not a dream. When I was told I was not breathing, I knew that it was real.

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

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? Because I was not raised Catholic and had no knowledge of their beliefs, I somewhat feel that there may be a purgatory. If someone takes their life, it’s as if the scales have to be weighed in order to find out their final destination. I can’t describe how I know this.