Gia P NDE

Experience Description

Hi, my name is Gia. In 1981, I was almost 16 years old and home for Christmas. I was visiting a girlfriend at her stepmother's trailer home and planned to spend the night. There were four of us girls: my friend Debbie, her stepmother - a nurse, Debbie’s stepsister aged 5 years old, and myself. We were drinking pop, eating pizza and watching the Superman movie with Christopher Reeves where he loses his powers (Superman II or III?) I'd never seen it before. At one point in the movie, Superman is in a restaurant and he turns his back to a man who attacks him from behind. I think the man either punched or kicked him in the back and he experienced amazing pain, and maybe became paralyzed, I don't recall now, but at any rate, the cruelty of the act, along with the sheer pain he felt, struck me like I'd been hit. It was odd, because I'd never felt a particular affinity for Superman (and it was just a movie). Why should I over-identify with his pain? And yet I did, so here's what happened when I took on Superman's pain...

I looked up and noticed something like a curtain coming down. Slowly and evenly it descended, giving me time to observe its quality and texture. Since I have never seen anything like it in real life, I can only describe it as textured air; translucent woven air. It lowered like a stage curtain, eventually enveloping us three-dimensionally, but I was the only one who noticed. I felt very uncomfortable with the experience and asked where the bathroom was. The mother asked her young daughter to show me the way and I got up to follow her. I felt like pushing her aside as I couldn't get to the bathroom quick enough; I was disoriented and trying not to panic.

Once inside the bathroom, I decided to do something normal and hoped the strange feeling and air would go away. I sat on the toilet and looked in the large mirror across from it. The weird stuff wasn't going anywhere. I went through the motions of elimination, hoping the routine act would bring me back to a state of normalcy. Then I heard a loud sound. I was sitting next to the toilet on the floor contemplating the sound when my friend Debbie knocked on the door. She asked me if I was all right and if I’d fallen off the toilet before beginning to laugh hysterically. I called for her to enter. When she came in, I tried to explain to her, as calmly as I could, what was happening to me. It was hard to speak as the air felt thick and it took effort to get my mouth to explain it. I must have fallen off when I stood up from the toilet, but I had no recollection of doing so and wasn't sure I believed it.

Debbie kept laughing and so did I, nervously. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world that I should do such a thing. It didn't seem funny to me though, as I thought I was possibly going crazy or would die or something – given I wasn't the type to faint or fall off toilets. I tried to get Debbie to take me seriously and gravely explained the air and its dense quality. As I talked, I tried to wash my hands, but it felt very unusual. Our voices were starting to sound muffled. I reached for the towel and it seemed like an eternity to reach it and dry my hands. The air was so dense then that I could barely move through it. I turned back to Debbie, said I was scared, and didn't know what was happening to me. I wanted to cry.

The next thing I knew, I saw myself lean forward onto Debbie’s shoulder. What happened? I suddenly felt like the me that was Gia was now someone else watching Gia pass out on Debbie's shoulder! I was concerned for Gia, but I felt fine. I was afraid she'd be embarrassed for losing control over Superman; how would she explain herself? Debbie called out to her stepmother that I'd passed out and the mother and her daughter rushed in. I watched them talk about what was happening and what they were going to do with me. I wasn't worried about Gia really as I felt she was safe with a nurse in the house, but I was very concerned for her pride for some reason.

I don't remember if I looked in the mirror at that point, as I was so transfixed upon Gia as separate from myself, and upon their discussion about her. Debbie held Gia’s head and her stepmother held Gia’s feet, while the little girl watched them both carry Gia out of the bathroom, down the hall and around the corner to the living room where they lay Gia on the couch. I stood at the corner, about 20 feet away. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure how long Gia would be okay without me. I felt responsible for her. I felt she was vulnerable without me. Still, I didn't see any white light or dead relatives; the thought didn't even occur to me. I just stood there for a while watching Gia lie there as the nurse took her vital signs. They said that she was breathing and was okay, but that she'd passed out and weren't sure what to do next.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to help Gia. I didn't know how, but I decided I'd try to get over to her and hoped that maybe I could pop back into her somehow. Since I didn't know how I got out, I didn't have a clue how to get back in! But, what did I have to lose in trying? So I drifted, or willed myself, or whatevered myself thataway and sat on the couch, which I guessed would be like sitting on yourself. The next thing I knew though, as that, I was lying down looking through Gia's eyes again. We were one and us again. I sat her up. It took some time, as we were very lethargic and slow. We sat there a while. The air was still thick and gauzy. Debbie and her stepmother asked me if I was okay, but it took me a while before I could speak. Then the weirdest thing of all happened. The veil of air lifted just as it had earlier lowered; slowly and like a stage curtain going up to the ceiling - and then it was gone. The air was clear again.

Once I could speak, I started to tell my tale, but I would have walked 10 miles for a cup of orange juice! I asked for it and they said they had none, but that they did have a bag of oranges. I craved them intensely. They peeled and fed me about 6 to 8 oranges until I felt restored. After a while, they drove me home to my mom's house and I woke her to tell her about what had happened to me. I'm 40 now (and relatively sane) and nothing like it has ever happened to me again. Could it be that I just needed some citric acid that bad? Go figure!

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: Christmas 1982

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Situation was benign. Everything seemed to be fine and my health good; no drugs were involved.. A couple of days earlier, we drove home for Christmas to see our parents over a huge distance in just one and three quarter days! During that express trip there were four hours of travel through the Continental Divide during a treacherous winter storm, where we had to drive 5mph with no chains (against all advice), in the most dangerous conditions. We could have died - we saw so many semitrailers jack-knifed and no other vehicles on the road the whole time; it was very creepy driving so slow, swerving on the icy road in the strong wind, trying not to look down the deep, snowy cliffs. I remember being very scared with some haunting Cheap Trick song playing on our tape deck.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I don't know what I looked like. I don't remember looking in the big mirror just across from me. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Gia looked like Gia and my mind was as it had been. Yet I knew without a doubt that I was the brains and that Gia was the body. My feeling is that I was the soul and that I could go on without her, but that Gia might not be able to sustain without me indefinitely. I felt responsible for her. But I was a soul without a clue as to why we were suddenly apart, what it meant, or what I should do about it.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? With the exception of falling off the toilet and passing out on my friend's shoulder I'd say I was hyper-aware. My mind was active and sight, excellent.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning It seemed as if everything took a very long time.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? A loud sound when I fell off the toilet (when I briefly passed out), but I couldn't comprehend the sound.

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? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Eyes - saw textured air and my body apart from my mind Nose - don't recall smells Mouth - could speak, but with effort Hands - could feel, but air felt thick to move through; water, soap and towels felt foreign Ears - Sounds were muffled as if cotton were stuffed in my eardrums or as if I was far removed from their source

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Before: anxiety, fear, panic, innocence. During: concern, responsibility, compassion, knowing. After: lethargy, craving, relief, incredulity.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe I wish there were some gems of enlightenment. Other than absolutely knowing that I am more than just flesh, I came away with the reassuring feeling that life endures beyond physicality. It was a comfort, regardless of actual existence of life beyond death.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control The body of Gia when coming back in.

Did scenes from the future come to you? 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 I willed it to happen, but I have no idea how I did it - I just wished it so!

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What is your religion now? Liberal 'Spiritual, but not religious; I believe we are great spirits living out a physical existence.'

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Before, I strongly believed that we created God and religion to comfort ourselves. I had a very independent, rebellious, scientific picture of the world. Since this experience, I've been open to the idea that there is more to heaven and earth than is dreamt of in our reality. God I may never know, but I do know there is more that I don't know than I do. I now believe that we are amazing beings with attributes well beyond our wildest imaginings! The reasons for this are far too numerous to expound upon here or to attribute simply to this one episode, but for sure the experience planted a seed in my conception.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Yes, especially explaining the quality of the atmosphere, its texture and density.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain It'd be cool, but no. However, I'm very attuned through dreams and intuitions.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Worst - before it happened, fearing the worst Weird - during the scene Best - after it sunk in, surviving it

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Many times. It's hard to know what they really think beyond their outward reactions. I have a friend who believes he was abducted by aliens - and who am I to say they didn't? You just don't know until it happens to you. Too many people have these experiences, and many others for there not to be more going on!

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? Not really.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Kind of a cool idea, I'm glad I stumbled upon your website. I look forward to reading about other's experiences and the results of any research compiled on the topic. Thank you.