Francesca NDE

Experience Description

My fiancé and I were with friends on a rural road in the very early morning hours. He had raced on sport bikes and when he made the suggestion to go to the end of the road or quarter mile to watch the next set of people race, he had then asked me to drive down there. At the time we drove off, it was completely undecided who was next to race. He gave me his helmet, asked me to drive and told me he loved me. We proceeded to drive down the street and as I was moving off to the side of the road, he was telling me something in my left ear. I turned my head to the left side to listen and all I saw was bright light. I'm assuming today that light was the two motorcycles coming towards us.

Next thing I am seeing myself at a distance but not ground level. There were people all around me looking down at me. I could see the emergency vehicles and lights for what seemed like a mile in length.

I woke up very briefly when I was being put into the ambulance and I remember seeing the flashing lights at the top of the vehicle before going back out of consciousness. I was awake at that point for possibly no more than 5-10 seconds max.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: June 1993

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident. CPR given. Direct head injury. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function)

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? No 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? After I woke up from emergency surgery but I was highly drugged up. If that is not what you are asking then it was when I was looking at myself.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. It didn't feeling anything emotionally while I watched myself and I didn't feeling anything when I saw the emergency vehicles.

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

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? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was very calm.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No I didn't make a decision during that time; I just watched everything happen and woke up. I didn't feel like I had a choice.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Slightly important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Do not know I didn't really have any strong beliefs either way at the time of my accident, though I was given a "blessed" St. Christopher by my Mom a couple of weeks prior to the accident. (Motorcycle accident)

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I can't say it's 100% because of the accident but I know I am here for a reason and I found it when I found the teachings of Buddha and when I became more accepting of the experience.

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

What is your religion now? Buddhist

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I didn't have any specific beliefs at the time- I was a very unsure young adult about those things, though I was active in my church as a teen.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I was certain there was life after death.

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 I was in the air...not physically high but high enough to see above my body

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes It was a very calming experience, I have never experienced anything like that since.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? Unknown

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? Unknown

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain Not specifically at that time.

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? No

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 No

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

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

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Not 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 meaningful and significant

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Uncertain I just don't know.

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Uncertain It was so calm and okay, even though I was watching complete chaos

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life I was depressed, suicidal, I lost my fiancé and friend who hit us. I didn't understand what happened to me, especially after I spoke with my family catholic pastor. I was more unsettled because he could not give me an answer that helped me understand. The personal happenings prior to the event made me think it was all in the plan. Too many 'things' that still leave me to wonder if it was going to be Mark's time and there was nothing I could do about it.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes Some have been difficult because I'm a seeker of information and facts and sometimes I can be a burden.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes To this day I cannot explain my body at that time, but the picture or scene I was seeing was vivid in color for taking place at around 2 a.m.

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've remembered this specific event consistently - Though, I didn't remember the experience until 2 months later.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have dreams of events that have happened, and they are validated when I see them on the news. I feel like I'm more alert to my surroundings and people than the average person; more than hypersensitivity.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? After the accident, when I woke up in my hospital room, the St Christopher medallion my mom gave me (and I was wearing during the accident) was taped to my bedside. To this day, we still have no idea how it got there. I went to my fiancé's wake service against my Doctor's orders. It nearly set me back and I was rushed in an ambulance to another hospital for testing within 24 hours of the service. While at his wake, I encountered a woman who came upon the accident and at the time didn't know she was the one that gave me CPR. I didn't see her face because her face was down during CPR but I remembered her smell. I immediately knew it was her.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I did but not until 2 years later.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I didn't give it much thought, I was too young.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real After learning that other people experience the same thing, I felt more validated though inside I knew what I saw.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I was most at peace during this time. I've never experienced it again.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain Not that specific experience, but I feel my fiancé around in ways that is undeniable.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I did not remember the experience until two months later. I woke up at 3 am almost nightly for a month after my second foot surgery. It seems like he was saying goodbye, prior to the accident, without even realizing it.