Jeanette F NDE

Experience Description

I was 15 years old and had gone to spend 2 weeks with my cousins during the Summer school holidays in Edinburgh. We played quite roughly. One of my cousins had an old battered Chopper bike, one small wheel at the front, with a bigger wheel at the back. We decided to play a game of chicken down the grassy hill into the park area. The winner would be the person who didn't put the brakes on down the hill.

The first one went but chickened out and put the brakes on. I was next.

I was determined not to put the brakes on. I got quite a lot of ribbing for being English so, no way was I going to put the brakes on.

The speed built up but got to such a speed that the front wheel started to wobble from side to side and I couldn't control it and knew I was going to come off or crash and that there was no way out of it. To me it felt like I was rolling over in slow motion. The next thing I knew I could see below me, sort of looking from the sky and downward at a long wooden table with people discussing me sitting round it. I don't remember faces but I do remember purple cloaks. They were discussing whether or not I should live. I was only 15 and a bit too young yet. I knew that if I didn't get out of there and went any further down I wouldn't be able to get back. The next thing I knew my cousins were at the bottom of the hill shouting at me. They said I had been lying on the ground with my neck bent, not moving.

To me, it felt as if I had rolled over in slow motion. I was quite a mess.

There was a look of horror on their faces when they looked at me. The pain hadn't hit me yet. I had come off the bike, head first, landed on my head hitting my brow just above the left eyebrow. The scar has faded a lot now. I had concussion that night. I never had one before or since.

I've never forgotten this whether or not anyone believes me or not I know I am lucky to be here.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: August 1977

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Direct head injury 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Motorbike crash and head injury.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Less consciousness and alertness than normal I really didn't have any control. Things were going on around me as though I wasn't there. I think if I had succumbed to their world I would not have been able to get back.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? My highest level of alertness had to be when I knew if I didn't get out of there right away I wouldn't be able to and it was an effort to get back to consciousness, the kind of effort a bird needs to fly.

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 In our time, I felt it was me coming off the bike and rolling over. I had been lying on the ground for a few moments unconscious, unmoving. To me it all happened as I came off the bike and rolled over. The experience seemed very quick but at the same time in slow motion.

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. I am short sighted and wear thick lensed glasses. My vision with glasses prior to the experience was fine, as long as I had glasses on. I am very short sighted without glasses. During the experience, I could see perfectly well. I am still very myopic.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. During the experience I seemed to be descending into a room with a long table where people, with purple cloaks, one in particular, were discussing me but no one acknowledged me. I got the gist of what was being discussed, but don't know if I heard them in the traditional way or just knew.

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? Yes I was aware of a few people there, one person was the head person, dark hair but I couldn't describe facial features and I certainly didn't know them.

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? Uncertain I would say no, but it was bright, not dark, vivid colors.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I remember the blue sky, I was descending from it. I remember the long wooden table, the sort likely to have been seen in medieval times with a large chair at the head of the table. I couldn't describe anything in the room if indeed it was a room, no memory of any room.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? During the experience I didn't experience any physical pain. I felt these persons were not family members and felt I didn't want to leave my family. But I wasn't scared, I wasn't happy, I wasn't anything in particular.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

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

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain I did in a way. I knew if I was to enter the room, if I didn't get out quickly I wouldn't be able to get out, that was my boundary.

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 knew they were discussing me and how old I was and whether or not I should carry on. I had no voice or my opinion didn't count. I knew that if I didn't get out quickly I wouldn't be able to get out, return to consciousness.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant I was 15 at the time and not a church goer.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain Quite possibly. I do believe there is something, I can only go on my experiences throughout life and at 15 I think I was too young to make that decision.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant My beliefs are more personal now rather than attending any church to whorship openly.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience At 15 years old I didnt have much of an idea about what would happen if I died and hoped I would go to heaven.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain At age 15 I thought about other things, such as life not death. The experience put question marks over what happens to you when you die.

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 I became aware of being discussed, should she live or die. As I went further down, I became aware of people in purple cloaks, one head person in particular. But nobody spoke to me or acknowledged me.

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? Uncertain I think so.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? I was uncertain if God exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain There was definitly a person in charge discussing and having the final say on my fate. Wearing a purple cloak, aware of what was happening to me but not acknowledging me. I dont think this was God.

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? Uncertain I did feel that this was a special experience, one I have never forgotten.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Unknown

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 probably exists Uncertain Someone else was deciding my fate. A small panel of beings with a head person with the final say.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

Do you fear death after your experience? I moderately 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? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Unknown

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are possibly 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? Slightly compassionate toward others

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

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain Who believes you, who cares? This, at the end of the day was a very personal experience. It wasn't like some nonsensical dream. I can still vividly remember the scene and the colors.

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 Life experience memories I tend now to get a little mixed up at 50. But not the experience I had at 15. Still very vivid.

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? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes About 10 years after the experience when I realized I wasn't the only one. I don't think they really believed me but thought I was jumping on a bandwagon. I think I was humored. The experience is mine and personal.

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 It didn't feel like a dream, the experience stays with you but I really didn't know what to make of it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I'm now 50 and the experience is just as vivid a memory as the day it happened. I know it was something different, but I think I'll have to wait until my death to find out.

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