Laura B NDE

Experience Description

In December 2012, I had a really bad kidney stone and needed a procedure called a lithotripsy. I went to a special urology place to have this done. I remember the doctor telling me I would be asleep quickly after they started the anesthesia. He told me to count backwards from 100. I got to maybe 93 and went to sleep.

The only thing I remember next is a woman's voice softly saying to me, 'You're not going to remember anything that has happened here when you wake up.' I looked around and everything was gray but getting lighter. Suddenly, I felt pulled back in my body.

I became conscious to an anesthesiologist and a nurse yelling in my face and shaking me. The sound of their voices slowly came back to me, like turning the volume up slowly on a radio. They were shouting, asking me if I had a history of heart problems and demanding I answer them. I couldn't talk right away, and they seemed rather stressed about that. I just told them "no" when I could finally speak. I'd not had any heart issues prior to this, but it was all kind of hard for me to comprehend why they were so stressed. They told me I was going in to cardiac arrest. This was really stressful for me, but I know something happened when I was unconscious. I still remember that woman's soft voice and really wish I could remember what had happened. But I felt like it was someone who had been with me through this event who was there to protect me.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 12/2012

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related. While under general anesthesia. Life threatening event, but not clinical death. Heart problems due to procedure

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Normal consciousness and alertness. I don't know how to answer that, because I heard the woman say that I wouldn't remember what had happened there when I came back.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I can only remember the end, when I heard the lady's voice as I was being pulled back to consciousness.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual. Time felt slower as I was being pulled back in to my body and regained consciousness. It felt weird to hear the doctor and the nurse's voices muffled quietly, then slowly get louder and become clearer as they were yelling and shaking me.

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. All I really saw was gray, turning to light as I regained consciousness.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard the Female voice clearly. The nurse and anesthesiologist's voices slowly came to me like when you turn the volume up on a radio...And they were yelling.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain. I just remember everything was gray, and then it turned lighter and lighter to white. Then I could see everything when I came back from the experience.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I don't know whose voice I heard in particular, but I know I was not alone.

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? Uncertain I don't know that it was unearthly, it just got lighter until I was fully conscious again. It's so hard to explain. It wasn't bright, or like a tunnel. It was all encompassing if that makes sense.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I felt like I had gone somewhere; as I felt I was being pulled back in to my body when I was regaining consciousness.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt calm when I heard the voice. I fully comprehended that I was told I wasn't going to remember what actually happened while I was out. But when I regained consciousness and the medical personnel were yelling at me to answer them, I became really stressed mentally. I felt calm physically, but it was hard for me to completely regain consciousness. It was a slow process, and I felt these people wanted me to snap out of it.

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? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No I wish I could remember.

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? Other faiths- New age

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Other faiths- New age

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 have studied world religions and was Christian when I was younger, but at the time I was spiritual though not practicing a specific religion. I am more pagan, or nature oriented. I do have a firm belief in reincarnation, and always have. I also believe in prayer, and love and energy between beings.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Knowing for myself that there is more than just death, I felt it. It was a kind of validation for me, even without details of whatever I experienced before the woman told me I wouldn't remember it. I don't know how to explain it.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify. I just heard a woman say that I wouldn't remember what had happened when I came back.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain. I heard a woman clearly. I do not know if this was a supreme being, but I know I was not alone and that there as another being with me.

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? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? An afterlife definitely exists. Only knowing that I had heard the woman's voice telling me I wasn't going to remember my experience during the time I was unconscious told me that something had happened. Then I felt being pulled back in to myself. The voice was clear before I regained consciousness, and the slow turn to consciousness had the Male and Female's voices slowly becoming audible to me.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Uncertain. I felt like the woman I heard was protecting me. Her voice was soft and soothing, even though she was telling me I wasn't going to remember what happened. I wish so much that I could remember more.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life. I want to remember what the woman's voice said I wouldn't remember. I've thought about trying hypnosis to see if I can remember anything. It's puzzling when I read other NDEs why everyone has such strong, vivid experiences but mine has a woman telling me I wasn't going to remember any of it. I feel curious to know why I had that type of experience that I wouldn't be 'allowed' or able to remember it. I do have a stronger passion to learn more about life after death and reincarnation. I also have an even stronger connection to nature and I feel like I'm conscious of it every single day.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It's hard to explain, but the voice was not the nurse or the anesthesiologist. It came from a totally different place. I went somewhere. I was just not allowed to bring it back with me.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events t This is hard to answer, because I don't have any recollection of what happened, but I strongly remember the voice and being pulled back in to my body and the physical elements of that experience.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I've always had memories of past lives, and I've always had many paranormal experiences. I sometimes experience communicating with people who have gone in my dreams. Sometimes they have wanted me to give messages to people, which I do, and it's something I couldn't have known between the messenger and the receiver.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Well, I'm glad I didn't die as I'm a single mom and at the time my children were toddlers. I am thankful for my life, although the procedure did seem to affect my heart physically in the long run, I believe it made my heart grow spiritually.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told my friends and family right away. I thought it was fascinating.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I had watched shows on television about people sharing their experiences which were interesting, but I didn't really study it thoroughly until my own experience.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I know what I experienced. I heard the voice and felt the pull slowly back in to my body. It was surreal but I am grateful to be here.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I can still hear the voice in my head and feel everything that happened.

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? When I returned many weeks later for a follow up, the staff all came in to the room I was waiting in to see if I was okay. I must have given them all quite a scare, they all knew me and my story very well.