Lawanda N NDE

Experience Description

The first time I was too young to remember as I was only three weeks old. However, I was told that my grandfather was a medicine man from the Aniyawanyah people (Cherokee), and he came to the hospital to see me after the accident. The attending nurse said he put his hands over my body and said something in his native tongue, and left. About two hours later, she was downstairs at the hospital filing some documents and heard a baby crying. She walked into the morgue where I was lying on a gurney, and found me breathing and shivering and crying. She took me up, wrapped me in a blanket, and immediately had me put in critical care for infants and in an incubator. As I grew up, I was treated differently because I seemed to have the ability to predict things before they happened. I was a bit isolated by family because of this. They thought something was wrong with me and even accused me of being possessed because they were heavily religious with the Methodist faith and were astonished at the things I foreseen that came true.

The second event I was thrown from a horse. I can remember being dragged through a barbed wire fence and then thrown to the ground where a sharp tree stump went through my left eye. I can remember watching my adopted mother picking my limp body up and screaming for my adopted father to get some towels. I was not feeling pain and could not understand why they could not hear me telling them I was okay. I remember things getting bright several times, then getting dark and feeling intense pressure on my breathing. It was like darting from one scenario to another, one minute I was in this long brightly lit place, like a hallway with no floor or ceiling or windows or doors. Then another minute, I was in severe pain and could not see but could hear the panic in everyone. I remember screaming for my dad not to leave me but I could see, and I could see my dead aunty telling me it was okay and not to be afraid - after this I was afraid of water because I was on a ship in a stormy sea and it was dark and lightening all around and people were fighting. However to this day I have never been on a ship or on the ocean and I refuse to go on any ship or boat where I cannot see land nearby.

The third event was when I went into early labor with my daughter. I remember her being born. I remember watching it happen, and as she was born, my partner was rushed out of the delivery room, and I followed him in to the lobby. When I got out there his mother and sister and father had arrived. I could see them as if I was looking down on them. I even watched my partner faint. I remember laughing at him because I thought he fainted from watching our daughter being born. Later I found out it was because he was told I had died.

To this day, they say there is no way I could have known that because I never left the delivery room and that my heart had stopped three times during the birth. When the doctors got me stabilized, they began to allow my daughter to breast feed. I was rushed to critical care for days. During this time, I believe I was in a semi-coma for a while because I kept going back and forth to reality then to a place where my deceased fiancé was. I carried on a conversation with him about why I could not go with him. He convinced me to go back to my kids and present partner because they needed me.

When I came out of the coma state, it was like I was falling and gasping for breath. I reached up and grabbed the bedrails to stop my fall. Then I could not breathe very easily. I could hear the nurses and my partner scurrying around in a panic-like state and concerned voices saying 'She is waking up, the hard parts over now,' but I could not seem to find the strength to open my eyes or move again. After that, my body felt like it had a large flat stone lying on top of me.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: '1964 December, 1974summer months and 1988 February'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Childbirth. Direct head injury. Other '1st event due car accident of parents I was pronounced DOA sent to morgue found hours later in morgue crying(3 weeks of age), second event thrown from a horse and severe head injuries excessive loss of blood (9 years of age), third event childbirth card Drowning in a shallow stream if I crossed over too far as far as the experience happening to me, in real life not sure what went on.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

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? During all of it. But it seems some parts were in real life and others in another world that had no sense of time.

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 There was no time.

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. It seemed as if I could see for a very long way off and I could spot the smallest things moving in the field, and everything was extremely bright crisp and clear and I could breathe very easily it was like I like being in a sanitized clean environment.

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 what was going on in the place I was yet I could also hear what was going on in the real world but it sounded like an echo, or distant and sad at times.

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 Light like tunnel no floors walls or ceiling but very nice atmospheric pressure as if I was as light as a feather and fresh air.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes Some I knew and others I didn't. The darker side of the event on the ship was that I did not know anyone except one man who was trying to keep me from being thrown overboard. The last experience it was a deceased loved one who spent the whole time with me and made sure I did not cross over the stream to the field on the other side.

The experience included: Light

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 It seemed to be leading me further into this tunnel.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm a green field with a shallow running stream with an invisible deep area i was not allowed to step in to, this field had one solo tree standing in it

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Extreme peace and happiness but sadness when I had to leave then extreme pain, but during the NDE and OBE I felt no pain at all just a little confusion as to what was going on.

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

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 I did not experience reviews of my life however I did learn a message of peace and to do good by others and I could return when it was time.

The experience included: Vision of the future

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future Absolutely correct and accurate to future happenings.

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes The boundary was water if I fell in it or crossed it I could not return.

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? Moderate Native American/indigenous

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate Native American/indigenous

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

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 Even to this day I possess special knowledge of universal order and still seem to amaze people of my abilities to foresee things or events.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I have the ability to tell if someone is not being honest with me. It makes it very difficult to cope with others sometimes and I even have incidents happen to clarify when someone has been dishonest and able to prove their dishonesty so it makes it difficult to trust in others unless they are heartfelt apologies and unintended deceptions.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The environment and the OBE, no one believed me and thought I was losing my mind and questioned my sanity.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Have had them as long as I can remember even as a child.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Every aspect seemed like a spiritual journey or meeting place for wisdom.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I have confided this experience to others. Sometimes they would think it was amazing and others would think I was a freak. I could tell them pretty much about themselves even secret things. Sometimes I would make people angry and sometimes they lash out at me then others seem to accept me on a spiritual level and say I have a gift, I have also shared some of my premonitions and visions with a psychologist who she has found to be truthful and amazed.

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 definitely real I can still remember it as if it was yesterday.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I can still remember it as if it was yesterday.

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? No.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? The questionnaire is excellent.