Jean C NDE

Experience Description

My mother took me to the dentist when I was seven. I was to have a large back tooth extracted. The dentist was located in an old building on the second floor. We went up the old wooden staircase. I recall going into the dentist's room. There was another man who was not usually there; he was going to put me to sleep. There was also a dental nurse. I remember the mask going over my face and my ears ringing as I went to sleep and a needle pricking my arm. I felt that there was something wrong, I had a tooth out before and it was not like this. This time I knew I was awake, or at least aware. I then felt the dentist lever my tooth out. I recoiled from this pain.

I then found myself floating in the stairwell. I knew it was odd, because I was up high close to the ceiling, I really should have fallen. I felt amazement that I could be so clever as to float there. I could see my mother. As I watched her she seemed content at first, then over time, she got restless. She began being distracted from reading her magazines and checked her watch frequently. I could tell she was worried about me. I began calling her name. She could not hear me. I tried to move forwards to go and tell her something was happening to me, but I could not move from where I was. I then found myself in the room. The man that was meant to be making me sleep was telling the nurse to go and tell my mother that there was a delay but I was fine. I knew that was not true. With that, the dentist grabbed my ankles pulled me down the chair so that I was flatter, and they started pushing my chest. I wondered why, but I fled back to my spot above the stairs to watch the nurse. I saw her hurriedly rush across the landing past the reception desk to talk to my mother. My mother accepted what she had to say and sat down. I could not hear what she said to her. At this time, the stairwell began to fill with what seemed like sunshine to me, but it got really bright. A voice told me I was all right and that she was with me. I do not know who this was, but I felt extremely peaceful. I began to shield my eyes. Suddenly, I felt myself tugged back into my body. My body felt like a glove that was too tight.

The nurse and two men eventually stood me up. I felt very strange as though I could just about use this body. The nurse walked me out to my mother and said that I was fine, just a bit dizzy. I remember feeling very angry that she was not telling my mother the truth. I was not fine. I wondered as we walked down the stairs where the sunshine had gone, by then it was raining hard. My mother took me to a cafe a couple of doors away. She could see I was having some trouble walking and needed a bit of rest. While she had a cup of tea I tried to tell her what had happened. She told me I had been dreaming. Since then, I have felt that there is more to living than intellectual pursuits that real wisdom comes from knowing how to love.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1970

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Surgery-related 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I was too young to know and I know my mother was not given any details of my treatment.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

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? More consciousness and alertness than normal When I was floating in the stairwell.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I was floating in the stairwell.

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 I cannot tell you how long I was affected by this experience. It just seemed to happen in this series of events. But, it must have been long enough for my mother to get concerned at the delay.

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. Very vibrant, everything had more color and detail. Things seemed solid as normal.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could hear at times, and not at others.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I just heard a lady tell me I would be alright. I knew she was in the light, but I could not see her.

The experience included: Darkness

The experience included: 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 As described above, initially I thought sunshine was shining through the door and coming up the stairs, but then it got incredibly bright and I had to shield my eyes.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt calm, but that something was not right. I was not concerned that I was dying. It never crossed my mind. I did not make any association to being dead or think I would not be able to get back into my own body. I was more fascinated at being able to be outside of it.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

The experience included: Special Knowledge

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Liberal

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? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I just knew that his experience was not abnormal. I never questioned how this was possible. I seemed to know that everybody has this happen to him or her when it is his or her turn to not be here anymore. I did not relate that to heaven, which I knew about, or death. I also came out of the experience with an overwhelming sense of being accountable to something at the end of my life. I do not know what. I was not told that it was a God, or altered existence. I just knew that how I live and love will be very important.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No I was very young, so I had not had enough life experience to say that for sure.

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? Yes The voice I heard on the stairs has come to me in dreams on a few occasions. Usually preparing me in advance for some major life event that is going to be upsetting for me, because of the way in which I love strongly. The advice is to pull back from that person so that I can cope with the loss. One night I had a significant dream about my daughter, she was about fourteen. When she woke I told her she had too many teeth in my dream, she had dreamt about the same thing. Some months later, we found she had an extra set of wisdom teeth on the left side. Incidents like this seem to permeate my life. Very odd.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Not really, I accepted it with the flexibility of a child's mind. It was what it was. I never questioned it.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I began to share these experiences with people in my thirties. They usually are interested, and often can share an odd experience of their own.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No I did not hear about such things until my late twenties.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I just knew I was floating in that stairway. When I told my mother the nurse had come out to her, I was right about that. She told me I must have heard them tell her to leave and dreamed the rest of it. I tried to tell her what I had seen, but she was dismissive.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real I think it probably was real. I do not know if it means there is another existence for long after death. Perhaps just a few minutes of some awareness. I think I probably came close to dying and was resuscitated. I have no explanation as to how I know these 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 just felt like this experience changed how I was going to experience the world. I had a greater knowledge about human emotions, I seemed to know from that point that you will never be happy with things, you have to have love.