Helen C NDE

Experience Description

I had a traumatic birth experience with my second child. I was administered with drugs to initialize labor, which caused fetal distress manifested by a rapid fetal heart rate. Clinical staff removed this first drug and transferred me to a second one and labor progressed. I was given an epidural at around four hours. Approximately five hours on, my unborn child again went into fetal distress, this time heart rate dropped to 30 bpm. At the same time obstetric clinician discovered that my child's head was wedged at the wrong angle for birth.

I had an emergency c-section. I bled profusely and the anesthetic wasn't 100% numbing. I was offered a general anesthetic but something in my head told me I must not take the offer. I was given transfusions of blood.

I spent 45 minutes in recovery and recall details of holding and nursing my newborn quite well despite feeling groggy.

I do not then recall the journey between recovery and the room I was placed in. My next recollection is standing in the room next to a leather sofa at the far end of that room. My partner is beside me and all my hospital belongings are on the sofa. I recall thinking how funny it was to see a leather sofa in a hospital, what a lot of bags we had, and then looking over at myself in the bed with a drip hung beside me. I think that deep down I must have known I was viewing myself but I was not that body on the bed. The conscious me stood across the long room looking across to the bed and the body.

The detail of the sofa and that side view was not something I saw again as I was then back in my body, lying in the bed and complaining about how hot the room was. A number of staff surrounded me and it again becomes very hazy in my memory for several hours. I remember the midwife who stayed at my side all night and the horrific pain.

It was some months before I realized the memory of standing by the sofa that night was quite impossible. I verified details of the sofa and bags with my partner. Its a very vivid memory, particularly seeing myself in the bed across the room.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 30/05/14

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related. Childbirth. Life threatening event, but not clinical death Had an unknown allergic reaction, possibly due to a blood transfusion or with anesthetic or pain relief administered at the time of C-section procedure. This response was at least 90 minutes after the end of surgery. Body temperature went through the roof and body entered a state of shock.

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? Yes I was aware of my partner beside me, my belongings, from an angle of the room I could not possibly see from the bed. I saw myself lying in that bed. 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal Every memory from the point I started to become ill is hazy and dreamlike except for the OBE, which is sharp and real.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The entire experience of the OBE seems sharp in contrast to the night in general.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. It simply seemed that I stood in my body, despite the fact I wasn't standing. It didn't really occur to me that I was out of my body.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I cannot comment on hearing. I don't recall anything auditory, just visual.

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? Extremely calm, it didn't dawn on me fully that this was an OBE at the time.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant Deep beliefs about God but no current affiliation with organised religion.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

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? 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? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

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 God definitely exists

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

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? An afterlife probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists Uncertain I can only say that I was not the body on the bed that obviously belonged to me. I stood across the room; the body was of little consequence at that moment. I almost viewed it as a curious thing separate from ME.

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

Do you fear death after your experience? I greatly fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Greatly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Greatly 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? No

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

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? I am a very scientific person and I like evidence of theories. I see this as a small piece of evidence to support the existence of a soul separate to a body, and that the body is a shell that houses the soul.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes It was several months before it even dawned on me that the vivid memory didn't add up with the events of that night. I then asked my partner for details that would allow me to validate details.

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 simply thought that I had really stood (physically) in the room. It still didn't dawn on me that I couldn't have stood in one point in that room, viewing myself lying in the bed. I didn't question it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I cannot qualify the reason why I am so sure it was real. It just was.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No