Justine NDE

Experience Description

At secondary school with my girlfriends, I was swinging on a guardrail that was like a banister for handicapped people. In front of me, there was a wall of concrete and between the two it was empty. I was swinging where the concrete stairs were. It was about ten steps. I don't remember if I was jumping or falling. There must have been a moment when I slipped, let go of the bar, or something must have happened, but I have no memory of it.

I remember seeing myself lying face-down on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. I was seeing me from above. I saw my body lying on the ground as if I was floating some 50 cm above my body. I couldn't distinguish my face but those were definitely my clothes, my hair and my hands. My hand gave me this horrible impression. I saw this body and knew it was mine, but I also knew perfectly well that this body was dead and lifeless. It was a simple piece of cold meat. This sight disgusted me. I saw my lifeless arms as I approached closer to this body that was lying on the ground. I had a throwback and I felt that I came back to my body. But this seemed disgusting to me, because it was dead and cold. So I tightened my hands in order not to touch this body that was mine. I came back and it was at this moment that I wanted to move back, but it was already too late. I had reintegrated into my body and my hands started to move.

I opened my eyes and saw my left hand and the tar. My first reaction when opening my eyes was this panic and I felt a shiver go through my body. My first word was, 'Mama.' That was quite strange, as I am closer to my father and do not have a very good relationship with my mother. But I think that it was a scream of fear. When I was standing up, there were already some people having gathered around me. Nobody could tell me what really happened.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: avril 2006

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident. Direct head injury. Chute. Pas de soçuvenir de la chute je me balançais à une rembarde en face il y avait un grand mur de beton et des escaliers enytre les deux, j'ai dis me balancer glisser de la barre et je n'ai aucun soçuvenir de la chute en elle meme mais je me suis retrouvée face contre sol en bas des escaliers 3 mtres plus loin. Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening. I don't understand the question very well, the fall in itself must have been brutal and I have no memory of it, so I don't know if my life was endangered. Otherwise there is nothing deadly to tell about. Direct head injury. No memory of the fall. I was swinging on a guardrail, opposite there was a big wall of concrete and stairs between the two. I was swinging, slipped from the bar and I have no memory anymore of the fall itself, but I found myself face down at the bottom of the stairs 3 meters farther.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

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 I remember every detail even 10 years later, I know that I experienced this, I still can see me from above, I still can feel this sensation of a lifeless body, which I have never felt since.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? This moment when I was floating above my body, I had the time to observe my back, I knew that it was me, but the strangest thing is that I had this real impression that my body was without life and I really felt disgust for it.

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 People were rushing towards me, there was agitation, but the moment when I saw myself from above seemed slow, as if everything had stopped, but right after the movement of backing away that I had, everything got back to its usual course (noise, light, time).

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. A total different point of view, I went from a guardrail to the ground at the bottom of the stairs without knowing how, with no memory of this fall and I saw myself a little bit blurred from above, but I see every detail again.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was a kind of inaudible brouhaha, a kind of background noise, a muffled and deep noise, without being able to distinguish whatsoever; it was as if time had slowed down and there was only me (break time).

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? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain Not a real light but more like a white halo, everything seemed to me being bright and white, and with the exception my body at the ground everything around it seemed fuzzy.

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt rather good yet unbelievable and superhuman to see me from above. This seemed so strange to me, but it was so spiritual and good. However, this feeling of disgust, seeing that I was reintegrating this 'dead' lifeless body, I have no word to describe the state of my body, and I only saw my naked, white arms. They seemed really horrible to me and I really didn't want to touch them, I didn't want to reintegrate into my body. I had this movement of backing away to avoid touching them, but it was too late and I felt pins and needles in my whole body when I returned.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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 myself or others I understood that it was possible, that there was a possibility of going out of my body; like in a coma for example, I'm sure that the spirit is stronger and that it can leave the body).

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 I immediately understood that my body was lifeless, like dead or that it was lacking something, it lacked life. It was this that scared me and therefore I didn't want to come back, didn't want to touch it, I really had this feeling of deep disgust and I didn't want to return. But my hands started to move at that moment and I understood that I was coming back to my body.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Slightly important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic j'ai été baptisé, j'ai fait du catéchisme et j'ai fait ma communion mais je ne suis pas pratiquante (je ne vais pas a l'eglise, je ne prie pas...) mais je crois en une force supérieure

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic idem

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience It had nothing really religious, rather more scientific, where my spirit, my soul, my consciousness or whatever, detached from my body and was floating above it.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain Beliefs, not really, but I know that you can go out of your body and that the spirit is powerful.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? No

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God probably exists

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain I became aware that it was possible to separate from our body, I had this experience and even it is minor in comparison with other experiences, it struck me and I know now that it is possible to dissociate body and spirit or body and soul, I don't know what I was when I was above my body.

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

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 probably exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Uncertain I could not really define it, but I know that I was outside of my body. I knew that it was me, and I also knew that those arms belonging to me were deadà or at least without life. I would not be able to tell if after this fall. That seemed harmless to me because I only had a contusion. I avoided death, but I know that the body that I saw, that was mine, had no life anymore, and that I was above it.

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

Do you fear death after your experience? I slightly 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? Greatly fearful in living my earthly life

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

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? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain I could tell it again and again, but I just have difficulties to express what I felt when I returned to my body and that my lifeless arms horrified me, and I absolutely didn't want to touch them, and it's that part that I cannot really explain.

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 Of this period of time, I only remember the location of my school and my close friends, but to know what I was specifically doing, impossible to know. However this experience I remember it as if it happened yesterday with an unbelievable precision, I see my body again exactly, my arms, this visual feeling from the lifeless body.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain Sometimes I have the impression to know what will happen, everything looks like being foreseeable. Reaction of people, destiny, what will arrive. I also find that I often am lucky in comparison to before the event.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Becoming aware that my arms, my body was lifeless really disrupted me, I never before saw a dead person. I just knew by looking at my arms that life wasn't there anymore.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I waited a long time before talking about it; I feared the reaction of people. By the way I told it one year later, started with my family and my grandmother believed me, but my father and my grandfather laughed. I didn't want to pass as crazy, I didn't want to talk about, fearing that I wouldn't be believed, and lately I came upon a TV program talking about this. I looked for more information on the internet and I discovered that everything that was written there was fitting, except for the part of the feeling of death of my body. That's why I'm talking about it today. I used to take a lot of time to think about this experience.

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 As I was reading the accounts and the information that matched what I experienced and I know that it is explained scientifically, so I feel even surer.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain Sometimes, without really succeeding, when I concentrate I can feel a sensation as if I would go out of my body. It starts with tingling in the legs, but it's an intensive sensation that I never could hold long enough, to take advantage of, but it never reproduced. I just sometimes get the impression that I possibly could leave my body, but never went as far.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? It's quite complete, for what I had to share.