Karen O NDE

Experience Description

At the age of 34, during my service as a Combat Medic in the US Army, I became pregnant with my first and only child. I experienced a complicated pregnancy and delivery. During my pregnancy and delivery, I experienced several life-threatening factors. I was diagnosed as preeclampsia, which is characterized by high blood pressure, excess protein in the urine (proteinuria), edema, decreased levels of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia), increased liver enzymes that indicated liver problems, shortness of breath, caused by fluid in the lungs, and severe nausea. I also had HELLP syndrome. HELLP stands for hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. This severe form of preeclampsia combined with HELLP syndrome was adversely affecting several organ systems in my body. As a result, the doctors decided to induce labor in my 36th week of pregnancy.

I was placed on a Pitocin drip through an IV, which stimulates the uterine muscles and causes contractions that begin the process of labor, and a Foley bulb was placed in my cervix to help it dilate. For the next 68 hours, I lay in the hospital bed in a constant state of excruciating contractions, watching the peaks on the monitor with the hope that there would be some abatement of the contractions or at least a moment where I could catch my breath to no avail. During the 68th hour of labor, my blood pressure skyrocketed and I was rushed into surgery for an emergency C-section. After 3.5 hours of surgery, they were finally able to free my son, who was tightly wedged against my pelvic bones. I will never forget my first sight of his beautiful little face and the immense feeling of love as I held his tiny hand in mine.

Unfortunately, our first meeting was brief as the nurses quickly whisked him away to bathe and examine him and shooed my husband out of the operating room to finish tending to me. They sewed me up and took me to the recovery area and that's when everything went south. As I lay in the bed I felt three very heavy gushes of blood spill from my uterus. I told the lieutenant that I felt gushing and as we pulled the blankets from my body to see what was happening we found that I was completely soaked with blood from the waist down which spilled from the bed onto the floor and seemed to keep coming. I remember thinking that the lieutenant looked like a cartoon character in the way that the color left his face upon seeing the loss of blood as his face turned a grayish shade of white. He quickly hit the crash code button on the wall next to my bed then jammed his fists into my abdomen in an attempt to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. I hemorrhaged severely, losing nearly four liters of blood in mere seconds. I was quickly surrounded by nurses and doctors who frantically began the work of trying to save my life. The last thing I remember is one of the doctors calling for 2.5 units of blood for a transfusion and then I was gone. My heart ceased to beat and my respirations stopped. My liver, kidneys, and bowels shut down.

I 'awoke' in a place that looked like outer space. I found myself engulfed in a soothing blackness that seemed to pulse, breathe, and have a life of its own. It was like being in a womb. But, I was also very aware that I was the blackness. I was part of it and it was part of me. It was the nothing that is everything and the everything that is nothing; it was pure potential. I knew and understood that it was Source. It was the nothing that is everything and from which all life stems and I was part of It. I was still aware of myself but I was also aware that I was 'It,' 'It' was me, and I and It were one. We were eternally infinite. As I took in more of my surroundings I saw that there were pinpoints of light, like stars in the night sky and all around me. I knew that the pinpoints of light were other forms of consciousness like myself.

The intensity and purity of the emotions I experienced there were nothing like I have ever known before or since. Words such as rapture, bliss, peace, love, and contentment, fall woefully short of describing the intensity of the emotions I felt in this place. There are no words in any language to adequately describe the immensity and intensity of what I felt.

As I began to further explore this space, I was fascinated at the feeling of my 'arm' being a random point in space. I became faintly aware of a grumbling sound. The grumbling became increasingly louder. Suddenly, I felt myself startled awake by my snoring and found myself back in my body. I was lying in the hospital bed with my lieutenant standing over me. I asked him if I was snoring and he said, 'Yes, you just started to snore and then your eyes opened.' I apologized to him for snoring. He told me to keep snoring if I fell asleep because then he knew I was alive. I laughed at this statement but the lieutenant became very serious. He told me that my heart had stopped and I was dead for seven minutes while they worked to resuscitate me. He then told me to 'Never do that (die) again!' I told him I would try not to and that it was not my intention. He replied that it was not a suggestion, it was an order! I was ordered not to die and that was my last standing order in my career as a Combat Medic in the US Army.

I remained hospitalized for ten days after my NDE. My liver, kidneys, and bowels were not yet functioning. Due to the severe blood loss, I still had no pedal or radial pulses, only femoral and carotid. It took four days for my body to produce enough blood to resume pedal and radial pulses. It took ten days for my liver, kidneys, and bowels to resume working. They wanted to put me on dialysis but I refused. I told them to give my body a little more time to heal on its own and seeing how I had just died it might take more than a minute. I became the case study for my company as no one could figure out how I was still alive after everything that had transpired. My fellow soldiers lovingly nicknamed me 'zombie mom' and 'Kare Bear the Undead'.

As a result of my NDE, I now know the beauty that awaits me on the other side. However, my experience there showed me that this existence here on earth is the playground. Here is where we get to experience duality, as duality does not exist there. It is here that we can experience anger, sadness, pain and etc. These emotions promote growth and gratitude. They allow us to experience that which does not exist in the rapture of physical death while in the state of pure consciousness.

I have also gained a deeper sense of intuition, empathy, and knowing. For example, I can sense when someone is physically ill or emotionally distraught just by being in their presence. I know that we have the ability to heal ourselves through intent and belief. I know when someone is going to die. I know when something bad is going to happen. I know when the person in front of me in traffic is going to turn left before they turn on their blinker. I have also gained the skill of remote viewing and have used it to locate missing people and items. And last but definitely not least, I know that humans are so much more than the physical body we wear.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 10/23/2004

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related Childbirth Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function) I experienced a complicated pregnancy and delivery. During my pregnancy and delivery, I experienced several life-threatening factors. I was diagnosed as preeclamptic, which is characterized by high blood pressure, excess protein in the urine (proteinuria), edema, decreased levels of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia), increased liver enzymes that indicated liver problems, shortness of breath, caused by fluid in the lungs, and severe nausea. I also had HELLP syndrome. HELLP stands for hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. This severe form of preeclampsia combined with HELLP syndrome adversely affected several organ systems in my body resulting in my near-death experience upon the delivery of my son.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I heard myself snoring as I reentered my body. 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 was privy to the experience of being consciously aware of Source, and knowing that I was part of everything in existence.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was at my highest level of consciousness when I was out of my body and part of Source.

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. Time did not exist for me here.

Were your senses More vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Everything was crystal clear; not only visually but mentally. I could see infinitely in any direction and know all. I could see my 'arm' as part of what appeared to be the womb of outer space.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Hearing was more of a sense of knowing and not so much auditory. I am not sure how to express this experience, once again there are no words as I did not have ears to hear with but could still hear.

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 sensed their presence

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 pinpoints of light all around me. It was as if I was floating in space in a beautiful, clear night sky.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I found myself engulfed in a soothing blackness that seemed to pulse, breathe, and have a life of its own. It was like being in a womb. But, I was also very aware that I was the blackness. I was part of it and it was part of me. It was the nothing that is everything and the everything that is nothing; it was pure potential. I knew and understood that it was Source. It was the nothing that is everything and from which all life stems and I was part of It. I was still aware of myself but I was also aware that I was 'It,' 'It' was me, and I and It were one. We were eternally infinite. As I took in more of my surroundings I saw that there were pinpoints of light, like stars in the night sky and all around me. I knew that the pinpoints of light were other forms of consciousness like myself.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I experienced intense feelings of peace, bliss, rapture, love, joy, and infinite freedom.

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. Yes, I became aware that there is only one being and we are all part of It and that being is 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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Other Christian I was raised in the Christian Science religion.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I now know there is a Source from which all existence stems and that Source is pure love and consciousness and we are all part of it.

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian

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. I had believed that upon physical death I would go through a tunnel and see dead relatives, or maybe rise above my body and see it lying dead. But none of that happened, instead, I found myself floating in what appeared to be a living, breathing form of outer space surrounded by pinpoints of light that I knew were forms of consciousness but appeared to be stars in a night sky. I became aware that I was part of this womb of space and that it was the nothing that is everything, the Source from which all existence stems.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I now know there is life after death, that there is a Source or God, and that our earthly existence is enacted for us to learn how to love regardless of what negative experiences befall us.

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. I became part of Source. I was still aware of myself but was also aware that I was part of the source from which all existence is born.

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.)? Uncertain I do not know 'who' the other pinpoints of light were that I saw, only that they were other forms of consciousness.

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I found myself engulfed in a soothing blackness that seemed to pulse, breathe, and have a life of its own. It was like being in a womb. But, I was also very aware that I was the blackness. I was part of it and it was part of me. It was the nothing that is everything and the everything that is nothing; it was pure potential. I knew and understood that it was Source. It was the nothing that is everything and from which all life stems and I was part of It. I was still aware of myself but I was also aware that I was 'It,' 'It' was me, and I and It were one. We were eternally infinite. As I took in more of my surroundings I saw that there were pinpoints of light, like stars in the night sky and all around me. I knew that the pinpoints of light were other forms of consciousness like myself.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I became aware that the place I was in was alive, it was the Universe and it was Source.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes As a result of my NDE, I now know the beauty that awaits me on the other side. However, my experience there showed me that this existence here on earth is the playground. Here is where we get to experience duality, as duality does not exist there. It is here that we can experience anger, sadness, pain and etc. These emotions promote growth and gratitude. They allow us to experience that which does not exist in the rapture of physical death while in the state of pure consciousness.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes As a result of my NDE, I now know the beauty that awaits me on the other side. However, my experience there showed me that this existence here on earth is the playground. Here is where we get to experience duality, as duality does not exist there. It is here that we can experience anger, sadness, pain and etc. These emotions promote growth and gratitude. They allow us to experience that which does not exist in the rapture of physical death while in the state of pure consciousness.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes I know there is life after death because I became pure consciousness as part of Source.

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? Yes. Here is where we get to experience duality, as duality does not exist there. It is here that we can experience anger, sadness, pain and etc. These emotions promote growth and gratitude. They allow us to experience that which does not exist in the rapture of physical death while in the state of pure consciousness.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Cultivating, experiencing, and sharing love are why we are here. Love is the most important thing in existence and we cannot truly know love unless we have learned what the opposite of love is.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life. As a result of my NDE, because I now know the beauty that awaits me on the other side. However, my experience there showed me that this existence here on earth is the playground. Here is where we get to experience duality as duality does not exist there. It is here that we can experience anger, sadness, pain, etc. and these emotions promote growth and gratitude. They allow us to experience that which does not exist in the rapture of physical death in the state of pure consciousness. I have also gained a deeper sense of intuition, empathy, and knowing. For example, I can sense when someone is physically ill or emotionally distraught just by being in their presence. I have also gained the skill of remote viewing and have used it to locate missing people and items.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? I have become more compassionate, empathetic, and patient with myself and others and try to seek understanding rather than become angered in challenging encounters.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It is difficult/impossible to describe in words because there are no words to adequately describe or define the intensity of emotion and the visual experience of being part of Source. I cannot put words to the experience of becoming everything and nothing, of being in Source and being Source. Of being everything and nothing. Of being in a womb and the womb at the same time. Of being me and everyone and everything all at once.

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

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have gained a deeper sense of intuition, empathy, and knowing. For example, I can sense when someone is physically ill or emotionally distraught just by being in their presence. I know that we have the ability to heal ourselves through intent and belief. I know when someone is going to die. I know when something bad is going to happen. I know when the person in front of me in traffic is going to turn left before they turn on their blinker. I have also gained the skill of remote viewing and have used it to locate missing people and items. And last but definitely not least, I know that humans are so much more than the physical body we wear.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The most meaningful part of my experience was becoming part of Source and learning that everything in existence is one entity.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared my experience with my husband the following day and have shared it with many others over the years. The usual reaction from people I share my experience with is a partial relief of their fear of death and an interest in learning more about spirituality.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had heard stories of people who had NDEs in documentaries. However, the stories I had heard were nothing like what I experienced. For example, I heard of people seeing dead relatives or rising up out of their bodies and seeing themselves dead and seeing the doctors working on them and I did not experience any of these things. So my knowledge of NDEs did not have an effect on my experience.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I viewed my experience as very real. All of my senses were engaged during the experience and even now, 20 years later, the experience is still very clear.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real 20 years later, the experience is still very clear, like it happened yesterday.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No, these questions were excellent. However, it is extremely difficult to put physical words to a purely non-physical other-worldly experience.

j6owbvm_nde