Karen C Probable NDE

Experience Description

I was working a second shift job so after my husband left for work, I took a nap.

I found myself in front of a door. It magically opened and my stepmother greeted me. She said 'Hi, Karen, Come on in.' She was absolutely beautiful and younger than I knew her. She had a white gown. Her hair was long and shoulder length. I stepped into an apartment. It was the most brilliant white light I ever saw. As I stepped into her apartment, she said 'I will show you around.' I saw her bedroom, which was a single bed and white. Her living room was all white. Her kitchen/dining room which she invited me to sit down and to drink some tea with her.

I sat down and asked her who the guy was in the living room. I was thinking it. She answered that it was her first husband. Each time I was thinking about something, she had an answer. When she got my tea, she said that she knew I took a drop of lemon and two Splendas. So I thought, now how would she know that? It was telepathic. She read my mind and answered. She told me that she loves her family and is with all of us including her grandchildren.

When the social time was over, she took me to the door, told me that things were going to happen in my life; however, WE are with you no matter what happens. We are there with you she kept emphasizing. She told me about the pets that would need me. She told me that my purpose on earth is still needed. In fact, she told me that there are people that still need me on earth. It was time to go. In a flash, I bolted back into my body, got quickly up and took my blood sugar, which was sixteen. I was brought back. No one was home.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: June 1991

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' Heart rate above two hundred and fifty beats per minute - a cardiac arrest call was made within the hospital where I was at the time.

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 As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I became aware of the alarm from the cardiac monitor until I hit the bed.

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 I think that the experience lasted less than a minute but it seemed that time moved slowly because I was able to account for so much vivid detail in that time.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I am pretty sure the nurse said 'Oh my God' to herself but I could clearly hear her.

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? No

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? No

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Pure joy.

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

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 Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I was brought up in a very strict Catholic family. I have now married a Muslim. I have no indoctrinated religious beliefs any more. I don't feel a need to practice a specific religion nor to follow a prescribed text to lead a good and wholesome life. I would not describe myself as an atheist but rather someone who has their own spiritual beliefs about the world and beyond.

What is your religion now? Liberal None

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I was brought up in a very strict Catholic family. I have now married a Muslim. I have no indoctrinated religious beliefs any more. I don't feel a need to practice a specific religion nor to follow a prescribed text to lead a good and wholesome life. I would not describe myself as an atheist but rather someone who has their own spiritual beliefs about the world and beyond.

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? Yes I can't say that I came to 'know' any special knowledge, but I did come to know that there is something after physical death that is so wonderful you don't need to fear death except for the experience of dying itself.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The intensity and the clarity of the experience, even though it occurred almost twenty years ago now is still so clear it might have occurred last week.

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? It's the aftermath of the experience that has been significant to me. Not only did I change my career path (from commercial lawyer to registered nurse). I had a level of contentment and quiet acceptance of the world that I don't think most people have. I seem to have a quiet relaxed acceptance of people and the world that comes from knowing that things actually truly are good and we are truly lucky to be able to experience life as we do. It is also amazing to me how vivid the experience was that it is still so vivid twenty years down the track.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Five days after the event I was released from the intensive care unit and went back to the same ward which is where I tried to discuss it with the nurse. I then shared it with my grandmother, whose daughter (my aunt) had died, my parents, siblings, and now my husband. I will share it with my children when they are old enough to ask questions about death and dying.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No I wish I had known about them - I would have liked to have looked down on my body from above, but didn't do so at the time.

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? My experience must have only lasted a minute at most, but it was life changing. It is the single most vivid experience of my life. Twenty years down the track and here I am writing about it - it was life changing. I thank you for allowing me a forum in which to document it. By recalling that experience it has all come back to me again.