Donna W NDE

Experience Description

After the first impact, I felt myself outside of my body. There was no pain or body sensation. After the second impact, when the vehicle became separated from the train, it was thrown up and then came to a rest on the lateral train railing. I sensed myself in a funnel-like atmosphere.

My life was regressing at a very fast pace in front of my eyes. At the same time, the most beautiful field of flowers with this awesome light was pulling me and it was the most wonderful sensation I had ever felt. I just wanted to go there really bad. The distressing part was that my young daughter was in the vehicle with me and I knew I had to stay and take care of her. I was getting close to being born on my life regression and I knew that if I returned to the womb there would be no return.

That's when I took one last attempt to breathe. I came-to gasping for air, feeling the full pain in my body. I looked at my daughter and she was screaming with blood running out of her mouth. My father who was driving the vehicle was talking, basically pleading for forgiveness for having caused the accident.

I might add, before the accident occurred we did stop at the crossing and looked before proceeding. We did not see or hear anything.

I felt as if we were in another dimension. I heard the train whistle seconds before impact. The next few days I was in and out of seeing the light and field of flowers with this wonderful sensation pulling and the reality of being horizontal, worried that I might swallow the thermometer. Somehow we all survived this accident.

Although my father passed some years later, my daughter and I are still here. The other amazing thing is that physically from the outside you would never believe we were in an accident. The scars are few and hidden. Another odd thing is my father had taken his lunch for the day and the apple was split right down the middle as if with a knife during the accident. I remember this experience often and am no longer afraid of death or anything for that matter. The town took advantage of the fact that we didn't die and was able to legally require the train system Norfolk Southern Railroad to put up much needed light and arms at the crossings.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: December 1985

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Other: I was perfectly healthy before the accident. I was perfectly healthy before the accident. The vehicle I was traveling in was hit by a freight train at high speed while we were crossing an unprotected double train crossing. My door received the first impact. I received multiple injuries and was not expected to survive the night.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No I only remember feeling briefly when the force of the impacts occurred, and then I lost awareness of my body. 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? Less consciousness and alertness than normal During the experience I was not conscious of my surroundings really. I knew the train had hit us. I knew I was probably dying, but mostly I was just seeing my life regression and feeling the pulling of the wonderful sensation. I knew my daughter was with me in the vehicle but I was not sensing her until I breathed again.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Highest level of consciousness would be when I started breathing again.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning The life regression went quickly but the light and field of flowers seemed timeless.

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. Like I said, right before the accident I felt like I wasn't really present, not day dreaming, but like in another dimension. There was no life regression or lights or anything it was just like I wasn't really present.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I didn't hear anything.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain It was more like a funnel, the part where my life regression was occurring.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

The experience included: Unearthly light

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 not only bright it pulled like a magnetic field of sorts.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I have never before or since had this experience.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I wanted to stay.

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? Everything about the universe I understood that what I had been taught religiously was non-existent and that death was nothing to fear, it was like going home. I no longer feel bad when someone dies because I know it is like freeing them.

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control My past flashed before me, out of my control. It was like seeing every part of my life in retro and really fast, like flipping a book backwards. Nothing in particular stood out nor did it pause anywhere.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? 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 Although I wanted to stay I did feel it was not the right time to do so. I decided to return. I think you do get to decide if you return or not.

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 Previously Catholic but beginning to question it.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Not important to me

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Agnostic

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 Although at the time I was already doubting the usual Western religious beliefs they were the only thing I had to go on. And I can tell you that they are totally not right.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I don't expect anything from anybody. My life totally changed after this experience. The people around me changed. Only my daughter stayed close. It was almost like I had never been with my husband or in family's life.

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? Yes Well I became aware of the fact that death is something to look forward to not fear. I also realized there is no need to fear anything. Life is meant to experienced.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes We are definitely connected to something else superior to what we know here, call it mystical or whatever suits you.

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 probably does not exist

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I have always felt or intuited things but after this experience it has become more acute. I also have this strong energy in my hands and body that I didn't have before. I readily pick up on others energy and at times I have to just leave because I can't tolerate it.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes Well I didn't really sense anything during the experience but definitely I did as time passed afterwards.

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? An afterlife probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? Unknown Uncertain Not sure what you mean. I don't think it is a life as we know it here. But it is definitely not a nothingness. It is more a life of sensational utopia.

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? Moderately 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 probably meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Unknown

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Yes I don't feel like I control my life anymore. Before I decided something and did it. Now I decide something and it may or may not happen. It is like something is navigating for me taking me where I need to go. I no longer go against the current, I just let it flow and everything works out fine.

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Yes Like I said, fear in every form is unnecessary. Take away fear and you take away hate and anger as well.

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes If you can define love as being fully accepted and wanted and happy and free then yes.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Unknown

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. After this experience, I have been able to concentrate on reaching my highest good and permitting others to reach theirs at their own pace. In other words live and let live. I no longer agree with controlling anybody. Everybody has their own path. Large changes in my life. After this experience, I have been able to concentrate on reaching my highest good and permitting others to reach theirs at their own pace. In other words live and let live. I no longer agree with controlling anybody. Everybody has their own path.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes The closer I came to recovering from my injuries the farther away my husband was. We divorced, and a whole spiral of situations occurred after this. I was exposed to phenomena I had never witnessed before.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes There are no words really to describe the awesomeness of the energy that was pulling me. There are not words to describe the impact of 4 locomotives at high speed hitting you either.

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 remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I feel things. I have premonitions. I have a high energy. Phenomena have occurred. Sometimes I wonder if I am the same person or if there is another essence in me.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I had always thought that when I was dying I would think about my husband or mother or whomever I was close to at the time and my love for them and that I would be leaving them, but that did not occur. I came back because I needed to finish raising my daughter.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I rarely share this experience with people because they mostly don't believe me. I share with my daughter now that she is grown. She was 6 years old at the time. She pretty much concurs with my story with what she felt.

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 viewed it as definitely real but I couldn't understand why it had happened. Now I have more of an understanding.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Oh it was real, my whole life changed dramatically especially in the way I think and see things.

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? I think that is all I wish to share at this time.