Josefina M Mother NDE

Experience Description

This was my mother's experience, which from that time onwards she told us about as something quite natural, and she remembers it clearly even now. During an emergency operation for a burst appendix, she suddenly found herself positioned as an outside observer in a corner of the operating room. From there she watched the entire process. She was listening to what was said, until the doctors said, 'This lady is leaving us.' They started working on her body and she went away towards a brilliant light, by a path, which was spinning. Then she began to look through a book containing scenes of her life. She saw from the time she was a child. While she was looking at and reliving every page, the pages began to turn very rapidly and she started thinking about her three small children (ourselves, from one to five years old), how this would affect their lives, and then she felt herself being pulled back.

When she awoke in a recovery room, she told the nurses what had happened to her and they said this was impossible, that she could not have heard nor seen what she saw in the operating room. They called one of the doctors, who thought that one of the nurses had told her what had gone on.

In those days nobody talked about these things and it always remained as an odd incident in our family.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1957

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related Furante una cirugia de apendicitis aguda 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 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 she was looking through the book of her life.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When she was looking through the book of her life.

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 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? Uncertain Through something which seemed to spin.

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

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

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

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

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

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

The experience included: Life review

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? Moderate

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain Although my mother was brought up in a devout Catholic family, she is as a person very open and accepting of other religions, never falling into fanaticism, or trying to impose her own beliefs on others. She is insistent that it doesn't matter what name is given to God, he is the same for all and any religious observances, including those of the Catholics, are only rituals.

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain Although my mother was brought up in a devout Catholic family, she is as a person very open and accepting of other religions, never falling into fanaticism, or trying to impose her own beliefs on others. She is insistent that it doesn't matter what name is given to God, he is the same for all and any religious observances, including those of the Catholics, are only rituals.

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

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Straight away with doctors and nurses, later on (a few days later) with husband and children.

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

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

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? By now my mother is very old, has some senile dementia and has started telling us that sometimes her father, her aunt and her grandmother pay her visits, that these people are alive and very well. They look after her, speak with her and are waiting to be reunited with her, but she cannot leave yet because my father still has need of her here.