Kathy R NDEs

Experience Description

Account 1: Age 11; Vacation in Kiefer, OK.

Swimming in a friend’s pool. Her daughter jumped from the side of the pool after I had just dove in. She lands atop me and is startled. As she was younger than I, she was very scared and just kept pushing me back under the water, her legs were wrapped around my upper chest and then around my neck.

I recall seeing myself back home in Georgia, playing outside with my younger brother, playing in the dirt, making mud-pies, throwing rocks, climbing trees. I saw myself working in the garden with my Mom and Daddy. I saw my (living at that time) grandparents and great-grandparents. The holidays we had spent together.

It was as though it was an under-water movie of my brief 11 years playing on the inside of the pool. My grandmother (who had passed when I was 9) was saying my name as though she were calling me through a speaker. I could see her face and was reaching out to touch her under the water when my eyes felt so heavy I couldn’t keep them open and I was sinking down. I remember feeling the heat of the sun-warmed water start to get colder. My next view was of my mother who had pulled me out of the pool. After being checked by emergency medical technicians, I was determined to be okay and allowed to stay at the house we were visiting instead of going to the hospital.

Account 2: Age about 20-21, at home in Georgia

Feeling ill at my stomach while at a neighbors, I decided to make a mad dash for my apartment. About four steps from their door, I landed on the concrete sidewalk and began to convulse.

It’s during the seizure; I felt no pain, I usually never do during a seizure nor do I realize I’m having one until it’s over with when it’s grand mal. This time seemed a bit different. It was familiar and felt somewhat like I was dreaming of dying and talking to myself in the dream.

I saw complete darkness with a hint of light in the center, as though it were shining through a pin hole. I focused on the light to see what it was when I started to hear music.

Describing the light is simple. It was bright, an eye burning white light, brighter than I’d ever seen and yet still so small a hint of it.

The music I cannot describe and never have been able to. It was calming, nothing like I’ve ever heard anywhere before or since but yet it felt familiar to me, like I should know the tune; no voices to the music, it had no real rhythm either, it just existed.

From there I hear my own voice say, 'so this is what it’s like to die, it’s not so bad.'

Next, I hear my name being said over and over by a frantic voice begging me to wake up. When I opened my eyes, without even realizing who I was talking to or even where I was I said, 'I died. I just died.' It was then I could taste the blood and feel all the pain I was in from a broken jaw and really big lump on my head. I was taken to the Emergency Room and tried to explain to the doctor there what had happened. His opinion was that I just hit my head extremely hard and that was what caused the light, the brain misfires. He had no explanation for the music and assigned me to another physician for stitches, x-rays and so on.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 2 separate accounts; exact dates unknown.

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident accidental: drowning other: have epilepsy Life threatening event, but not clinical death 1. Had nearly drowned and was almost completely unconscious at time of rescue. 2. Grand mal seizure; had fell on concrete sidewalk, broke jaw in several places as well as was unconscious for time unknown.account 2 at age 20-21; great-grandmother had just been diagnosed with liver cancer.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Disturbing

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain The 2nd account; I was talking to myself as though I was someone else.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I thought I was alert but those who witnessed both events stated that my eyes were closed and to them, I was barely breathing.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning In both experiences, it was though all time had stopped and felt as if it were going in reverse.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? Voices and music

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain In the second experience, I was very drawn to the tiny amount of light I could see. It was so small but I felt as though it were trying to pull me towards it, or rather, keep my attention focused only on it. Then I heard the music, which distracted me.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes First account, age 11: Saw my grandmother who had died when I was 9. She was saying my name over and over, somewhat amplified.

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes see narrative above.

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control First account age 11; saw myself doing all the childhood activities I'd done; playing outside with my younger brother, making mud, throwing rocks, climbing trees. Saw myself at family gatherings; holiday events when our whole family was together, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I learned nothing I hadn't already known in my 11 brief years.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes In the second experience; I felt and feel as though the light was a boundary; a separation point between where I was and where I could go.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am terrified of dying.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes My gut instincts have improved greatly; example: I can tell when something really bad is going to happen. I wouldn't say that it's a gift, it's just instinct I follow more closely now instead of ignoring it.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? account 1: best; seeing my grandmother. Worst; seeing the fear in my mother's face after she pulled me from the pool. Account 2: best; feeling calm, no pain, no confusion, not being scared to be curious. Worst: broken jaw!

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I have shared with both family and friends. They have been through the same things as I have.

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