Kerry A NDE

Experience Description

I was a freshman in college and rushing to my earliest class. I stopped by the campus cafe and had a latte with an extra shot of espresso on an empty stomach. This was common practice for me. Often, as a teen and young adult, I would go long periods without eating due to anxiety or time constraints. As I was sitting in class, I could feel my heart racing. A student next to me commented she could see the veins in my neck pulsating. I was instructed to go to the campus clinic. I left class, walked to the clinic, and became weak. An acquaintance saw me and physically carried me to the clinic.

For some reason the secretary at the clinic wouldn’t call 911 and told me the nurse was on break. So, I walked to my dorm and asked the receptionist to call 911. She refused to call them. So, I went to my dorm room and passed out in my bed.

Several hours later, I woke up in a pool of sweat. I walked to a nursing student’s room and she listened to my heart with her stethoscope. My heart was racing so fast she couldn’t count my pulse. She called 911. While we waited, I was transferred to my RA’s dorm room. My parents were stationed in South Korea and it was difficult to get ahold of them, but they were eventually reached.

Once the EMTs arrived I was hooked up to a monitor, showning my heart rate was 240 beats per minute. They injected me with medication to restart my heart. I watched the monitor go from 240s to 200 to 100 to 50. I was told later that I had briefly flatlined. Right before passing out, I screamed and almost jumped off the couch. I could feel a sharp pinching in my chest.

I remember seeing a very bright light through a tunnel. I had a feeling of a sense of movement forward. I recall a feeling of intense energy, goodness, and calm. I could feel swirling around me and whispers that were not whispers of the people in the physical room. I was above everyone. I existed in all parts of the room and somehow the universe. My consciousness had left my body during this time or so it felt.

Eventually, my sense of self returned to my physical body. It was only moments after my heart stopped that it restarted again. During this time I was unconscious, it didn’t feel like a brief amount of time though. Once my consciousness was back into my body, I felt extremely anxious and everything felt as though it was going at turbo-speed.

I was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with SVT. A few months later, I had a cardiac ablation and the issue has mostly been resolved.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: April 2006

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Heart attack Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function)

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes During this experience it was verified that I could hear and see things that actually happened. While I was passed out, someone was on the phone with my mother. I was able to recall them relaying the information of what was happening to me to my mother over the phone at that time. 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 felt as though I was everywhere and aware of everything in the room my body was in. I felt I was floating above the room but could see everything and everyone at all angles.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was 'conscious' the entire time, but I was not responsive in the physical world for a few minutes. The moments of highest energy/out of body sensation were while my heart was not beating, which was likely less than a minute

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. The time in the physical world was maybe a minute but the experience of it was much longer

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. I could see everything in the room at all angles simultaneously. I could see the left, right, front, back and from the bottom of objects and people at the same time.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could hear whispers but I was also aware of what the people in the physical room were doing and saying. The whispers were not the people in the room.

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? Yes I was in the process of passing through. I imagine if I had made it, I would have arrived to heaven.

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? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes A very bright light.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I was on my way there but I never arrived.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? During the out of body experience I felt fine and didn’t want it to end. After I felt very anxious. Once they put me in the ambulance, I was back to my regular self, less anxious and joking again.

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 myself or others. Just in that moment but definitely my life was changed.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No. I could recall a similar experience in infancy where my father was holding me outside and my soul/consciousness was floating above the front yard/driveway of my grandmother's house. It made me think maybe babies are part angels. That was not a near death experience, however.

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. It was more like I was traveling there and the energy moving forward stopped. I was returned back to my physical body.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I’m no longer a practicing Catholic. I’m more 'spiritual' now than ascribing to a particular religion.

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Agnostic

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. I was a very devout Catholic at the time. The experience made me more 'agnostic'. I believe in a higher power but I don’t necessarily believe in Jesus or Christianity in the same way I did before.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I feel more certain that souls/afterlife and a higher power exist. I don’t think the higher power exists in the way most Christians interpret the Bible. But I think Jesus knew what he was talking about! I’m just not convinced he’s the son of God but more so the life and example he led was correct.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify. I could hear whispers but nothing definitive but the voices were pleasant and reassuring.

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? Uncertain. I’m not sure if my consciousness I’m remembering floating above me as an infant was my soul from a prior life or existence entering my body. Perhaps that’s why I remember it.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I interpreted the experience as a proof of souls and that our souls and consciousness are separate from our physical bodies. I also think it’s a proof of an afterlife.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes I’m not sure what else could create that feeling. I definitely believe in a higher power though this experience sort of confirmed that to me. I did not see or feel any 'proof' of Jesus or saints or anything, just felt more of a proof of a god/afterlife/soul.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain I’m not sure if it defined a purpose for me or not.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes I definitely felt there was an energy moving me towards the bright light and my sense is that bright light is what we know to be 'heaven' it was not scary and even though I was aware of what was physically happening to my physical body I was not afraid.

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 It sort of put things into perspective. I was upset about the experience because I tried to get help from so many people that day and was ignored and refused help. I almost died. And then when I almost died, I was comforted by the experience.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes I felt like the universe was in harmony

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life. Not too much has changed. But I view things a little differently.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I’m not sure how to fully describe the sensation but it felt as though my consciousness/soul was everywhere in the room my body was in. And that I was not in control of but that I was aware of a part of everyone and everything in it at the same time. Simultaneously, I could feel an energy pushing me through a tunnel and there was a very bright light through the dark tunnel.

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? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? It’s nice to have the comfort of knowing there’s something else out there. But a lot of time has passed and I wonder and hope if I die, that I will still be welcome and pushed forward.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Uncertain. Not in this much detail though.

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 probably real. I was afraid that maybe it was just a physical symptom of dying and that your brain plays tricks on you or something. But that can’t really explain how I could see and know and feel everything in the room and recall the conversations when I was out.

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? Yes Just the experience of remembering being above my body as an infant.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I was involved in a near death experience where the plane I was on with my family lost power. I started to pass out as the plane plunged down. I did not see a tunnel/bright light. That was very scary and made me fearful that I may not be welcome back if I die or something.

holapef_nde