Joan D NDE

Experience Description

I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic I was taking. I thought it was due to some lotion I had put on, so I got in the shower and tried washing it off. I did take a Benadryl beforehand, not realizing that it would take a while to work. While in the shower, I started having trouble breathing and was getting a bit dizzy. I then knelt down in the tub, and then I sat down facing the water. My nine year old daughter had come in once before and wanted to get my fiance. I told her no I was okay. She then came in while I was sitting down in the tub. She took one look at me and ran to get my fiance Tony. Tony came in and very calmly said to my daughter, 'Go and get me the phone.' My daughter started to panic, and my fiance calmed her down and asked her again to get the phone. She ran to get the phone and brought it to him. He immediately called 911. I had to lean forward in order to get air and breathe. I did not know it, but at the time, my lips were blue, I was extremely pale, and my eyes were bulging. I actually did not think I was dying; I was trying to lean forward and concentrate on getting air into my lungs. My fiance kept talking to me, trying to keep me conscious and awake. He would say, 'Stay with me Joan, stay with me.' He repeated what the 911 operator told him to say. He told me to lean back, which was just so that I would not hit my head on the tub. However, when I leaned back, I could not get any air so I leaned forward again. I could barely talk but I managed to get out that I could not breathe when I leaned back. My fiance kept saying to me, 'Stay with me Joan, the paramedics will be here soon, just stay with me.' I knew I was losing consciousness, but I held on until I saw the male paramedic.

Everything went black then. I came to, and I must have been in the ambulance. One of the paramedics was sitting on the side of me, and there was another paramedic behind me. I couldn't move anything. My eyes had popped open, but I could not move them. I had peripheral vision and I could see forward, but I could not move anything. I could hear the paramedic behind me say, 'I'm not getting a pressure. The paramedic on the side of me said, 'What?!' He then said, 'I'm not getting a pulse.' Then everything went black.

It seemed like I was standing in total darkness. There was something, or someone standing on the side of me a few feet away. I felt nothing bad, I was actually quite happy. It felt like I had no problems anymore, like the weight of the world was lifted off of me. I turned to look on the side of me. I could not see anything, but I knew someone was there. I looked up at what I thought was the sky. I could see all these stars and they were so beautiful. I continued looking at them and reaching out towards them and saying how beautiful they were. The stars were so bright, but I could look at them without being blinded. Then some of the stars started coming towards me. I turned to the presence on the side of me and said how beautiful they were and that I wished they would hurry up and get closer. When I turned back to look at the stars, they were in the forms of crosses. I thought they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen and I was so happy. I really felt as though they were angels coming for me. The next thing I knew, I was coming to and was in the hospital on a respirator.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: March 2003

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Allergic reaction Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) .

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes
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? More consciousness and alertness than normal When the stars became crosses.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When the stars became crosses.

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

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Did your vision differ in any way from normal? The stars seemed so bright, yet I could still look at them.

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 Although I could not see the being, I knew there was a good presence there.

The experience included: Darkness

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 I saw the lights of the stars.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I'm not sure where I was standing while I was watching the stars/angels.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Happiness, more energy and excited. Everything seemed so peaceful and there were no problems whatsoever weighing me down.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy

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? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control It just renewed my faith in a greater stance.

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? Conservative/fundamentalist Roman Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist Roman Catholic

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

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? No I should explain though, I was psychic beforehand. I am psychic, clairvoyant and clairaudient.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? It reinforced my faith and my belief in God, Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the Angels.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I explained it to my fiancΘe and friends that day.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had just read about them. I had seen things on television.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. It is hard to explain. I just knew that this was a very real experience. There was also the fact that I was dead for a small period of time.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I don't know why I had this experience. I think it was God's way of saying I am still here for you, the angels are still here for you, and we will always be.

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? No, I think I have said it all.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No.