Fiona Probable NDE

Experience Description

I had surgery when I was 19 years old to remove most of my cervix due to a finding of pre-cancerous cells.

After the surgery, I thought I was sitting up on the trolley. I felt an overwhelming calmness, acceptance and peace like I had never experienced before or since that time. It was a beautiful feeling. I was watching several nurses fiddling around in front of me. I looked down over my left shoulder to see myself completely unresponsive and lying down on the trolley. I thought, 'Oh that's me.' I realized the nurses were working on my heart to try and help me, but I didn't look at the detail. I just calmly accepted that they were trying to save me. There was no fear and I was not concerned. I looked forward and then down at my lap. I realized that there was no physical body sitting up. There was just air. I was fully aware that I was joined at the waist, so that my soul had come halfway out of my body. I knew that my legs were still joined. I still had no fear and felt absolute peace and acceptance. I was observing the room. I saw the consultant urgently rush through the door saying, 'What is it? What's the matter?' Someone answered, 'It's her heart'.

The next thing I remember, I was being wheeled along the corridor on the trolley. I was kicking my legs as I was in so much pain. I pleaded with someone to, 'Please give me something for the pain' and heard, 'We'll give you something in a moment, love.' The next thing I rememebered was drifting in and out of sleep for the next day and being monitored. I had electrodes on my chest. I recovered completely and nothing was said post-peratively or at follow-up. Back then in the United Kingdom, care and treatment were not transparent. I assumed that I had dreamt the episode until I met another person years later, who had described a very similar experience during a traumatic childbirth. I then realised that I had had an out-of-body or a near-death experience.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1986

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related. In 1986 in the UK, care and treatment was not transparent and I was not informed of problems during surgery. I will never know what happened clinically, although I am now a Nurse at that very Hospital. I heard the Theatre Staff say 'It's her heart' and I was aware that my heart was failing.

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes It felt like I was sitting up normally. But I soon realized that I was just air from the waist upwards as I was still half inside my body and joined at the waist. It was almost like I was half invisible but still an alert and thinking individual.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Completely unconscious/unresponsive according to witnesses, with my eyes shut.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. No. I heard everything that was going on in that room as though I had observed the whole event from the sidelines.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

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

Did you see an Unearthly light? Uncertain Everything seemed bright but it was a theater setting. I didn't see any tunnel or light like other people describe; although I hadn't completely left my body.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. Sight and Hearing were intense but I couldn't smell anything or feel. I was completely pain-free. Taste is not-applicable to this situation.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt Overwhelming Peace, Overwhelming Calm, Acceptance, and Spiritual.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe. An instant realization and acceptance that we have a soul and it leaves the body upon death. I learned that it is painless, I had no fear, and I was calm and at peace. I was not at all scared.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control. I observed my own near-death even though my physical body was unresponsive and my eyes were closed

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes There is a God and we go somewhere after this life.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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 best part was the overwhelming calm and peace during the experience. The worst was being back in the body and in so much pain.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I have met two other women who have had similar experiences. We felt incredibly close to each other because of these shared experiences as we totally believed each other. Unfortunately, most others do not believe the experiences are genuine. They believe I was under the influence of the anesthesia or was dreaming. I am open to explanations.

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? Prior to the experience, I had not heard of out-of-body experiences and was not aware of near death experiences. I was totally scientific in that I wanted scientific proof of everything before I believed in anything. I was also agnostic. Since the experience I believe in God and the soul; I am more spiritual.

As a small child, I had experienced levitating right out of my body to the ceiling where my face was about an inch away. I had just gone to bed. I started to spin horizontally very fast for a few seconds and then I was back in my body, trying to go to sleep. I had always assumed this had been a dream but after the above experience, I feel it was something more spiritual. Since the second experience, I am no longer scared of death.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No. You covered everything. Thank you.