Josefa L NDE

Experience Description

Some friends cut off my breathing by squeezing my chest and lungs. Very soon, I felt hot and found myself in what was a large passageway: more than a tunnel; at the end there was an enormous double door with a white light filtering through. The door opened and the light invaded me, surrounded me. On either side of the door there were rows of people (whom I did not recognize, they were rather indistinct), waiting for me, applauding me, I was engulfed in wellbeing. The feeling is indeed indescribable; it is pure happiness. My friends managed to bring me round, the return seemed violent. I did not see my body either when leaving it or when I returned, I think the time I was away was quite short, but I don't know any more about it.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1976

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Other: perte de conscience. My breathing was completely cut off.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

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? More consciousness and alertness than normal Like something universal but it's hard to explain.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When the door opened.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning When I came back I was told that it had not been long, but the fullness of that moment is timeless.

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. When I was drawn to the light.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I felt a deep calm. I felt rather than heard the applause, it's difficult to describe.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes Not exactly a tunnel but a big passageway.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? I sensed their presence

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I didn't really know those people, but I believe they knew me.

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes When the door opened (in the middle) there was just light as the only horizon, and people on both sides, or rather shadows. A white light was warming.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I did not go through the door but there was definitely something else on the other side.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Just happiness, and the word is too feeble.

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 myself or others It was too brief, I did not go past the door, but since then it is as if I belonged to the universe.

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? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

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? Unaffiliated- Atheist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain I believe in angels but could not say if it is an interior thing, I don't think of them as entities. I thought that when a human being died he/she felt nothing and that there was nothing afterwards.

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

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths pas de religion mais spiritualité intérieure

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 je pensait que quand l’être humain s’éteignait il ne ressentait rien et qu'il n'y avait plus rien après

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Belief in life. Love was everywhere.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify When they applauded I felt they were saying "come", but it is indistinct.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I sensed their presence

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 does not exist

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain The people waiting for me had lived an earthly life already, I felt it, but my experience was too brief to say more about it.

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? An afterlife does not exist

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists Uncertain les personnes qui m'attendaient avaient vécues une vie terrestres avants je les ressenti mais mon expérience est trop courte pour en dire plus

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

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

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

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not 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 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? Yes l'amour était partout

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life The most important change is of a spiritual, not religious, kind. I try not to lose myself in material things; to understand other beings I come across; and to be as happy as possible. Large changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes Certainly deeper, but sometimes I have been very fragile, as I had trouble communicating with bossy and spiteful people. I was a bit soft with them, but I told myself that time would vindicate me and it's true.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It is like describing a feeling, an emotion, and also something unknown in ordinary life.

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 cette expérience vit en moi toujours alors que je n'ai que de vagues souvenirs de ce que je faisais précisément à l'époque

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Premonition, a feeling of understanding a situation before it happens.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? That I am awaited somewhere.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes With friends, straight away. But I think they were skeptical. Then I said nothing for years and read articles about similar experiences. This did not reassure me, as in my mind everything was already okay, but it freed me certainly. I speak about it with my children. They listen without judging. The rest of the family understand nothing of such things and prefer to explain the experience in a scientific way (neurons). Well why not? But I had this well-being, that's all I can say.

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 still lives in me, then and now.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real As if my whole being were permeated with it.

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? This experience lives in me still, whereas I have only vague memories of what I was doing exactly around that time.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Questions on what people think about the more scientific aspect and/or spiritual/religious.