Lesley H Possible NDE

Experience Description

I ran to catch a bus with the destination 'hospital' written on the front. I was dropped off in a beautiful, sunlit field of long, waving grass. I remember the sun shone through the grass as I parted it with my hands. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. I was running towards a house in the middle of the field. It was a dark brick house with many doorway arches.

From every side of the house people were running through the grass towards it. We were all laughing and smiling at each other as we ran. I didn't recognize any of these people but I could feel a communal joy and happiness as if we were all sharing an amazing experience. When I arrived at one of the doorways, an official looking man asked me if I knew I had died. I felt surprised at first. Then I recognized that I had died but was not fearful.

He asked me what I wanted to do and that's what I remember most significantly; that I actually had a choice; a concept I had never contemplated in everyday life. He told me if I wanted more life I could go back but if I wanted to pass over and go through the doorway I could and I knew that this would be joyous and eternal but I already knew it would also be there forever, whenever I decided to go. I felt immensely comforted with the knowledge that this afterlife would always be there so I decided to go back to the quirky little life on earth which I hadn't yet had enough of, safe in the knowledge this beautiful afterlife would always be there after death.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: November 1992

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness Severe illness of pneumonia, potentially life threatening. Other Severe illness of pneumonia, potentially life threatening. I was in hospital with an extreme case of combined pneumonia and pleurisy. My parents were called into the hospital one night as they were unsure of my chances of survival.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No No

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 The bright colors were different and the feeling of intense pure joy and love for the strangers running with me (who loved me too) in my dream.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? It was the same all the way through though I remember a real sense of surprise at the concept that I could choose my own afterlife.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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 was ill in hospital so the big difference was in thoughts and feelings!

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was more sentient and visual than sound based.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes Strangers who were all running with me to the house in the middle of the field.

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Bright sunlight.

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I was in an unnaturally bright field with a house that had many doors leading to 'other side'.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt pure joy and happiness and belonging.

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 or purpose

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe I realized that our time on earth wasn't the real life just a pre life to the real, eternal afterlife.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

The experience included: Awareness of the future

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes The house was the way through to eternal afterlife.

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 I was given the choice to pass over or to return. I wanted to return as I loved my life and knew this eternal joyous afterlife would always be waiting when I was ready.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Slightly important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic Not really practising the religion though. So certainly not devoutly religious in any way.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain I still don't believe in any one religion. I believe there is one blissful afterlife for everyone and love is what makes sense.

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Moderately important to me

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated Vague belief or hope in afterlife of some sort but no real religious tendencies.

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 The biggest surprise to me was that we could exercise free will in the afterlife and actually choose to returnto earth if we wanted to live again.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I felt more hopeful of an afterlife immediately following the experience but it is only now that I believe it was a NDE that I am pretty certain.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? Yes The feeling of connection and love I felt for the people running with me and the knowledge that we would all be united in the afterlife. It was a common and ultimately inevitable future.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God probably exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God definitely exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I knew that when we die we can choose to return to an earthly life and live here again if we so choose or we can pass over to eternal bliss. But if we choose to live on earth again the afterlife will always be waiting whenever we choose to go there.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are meaningful and significant

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain It felt as if life was a benign gift but was in no way as significant as the waiting afterlife.

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes Yes I knew eternal afterlife was there for everyone whether they recognised it or not and it was a benign and loving place.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I slightly fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are meaningful and significant

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are not meaningful and significant

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

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Just a feeling that we are all loved and we will all be okay and in the afterlife we will love and be loved purely and unconditionally.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life To be honest, it's only recently, having told my experience to a friend who 'enlightened me', that I have realized that what happened to me was not just a very vivid dream while ill in hospital but a probable NDE.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes I now feel that the most important thing about this life is to stop focusing inwards (there's nothing to worry about) and just send love outwards.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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 This experience happened to me 20 years ago and it remains one of my most vivid memories.

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? The revelation of free choice in the afterlife and the comfort of knowing eternal bliss would always be waiting.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told my ex-boyfriend and some friends, at the time, and my sister. They all thought it strange and a few found it comforting but nobody, including myself, thought it was more than a vivid dream. It was only recently when telling a friend that she recognized it was probably a NDE.

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 believed it was a vivid dream. I was ill in hospital and had no knowledge of NDEs so I just thought it was a very comforting dream. It's only now, 20 years later, having researched NDEs that I believe it was an NDE.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Since telling a friend of my experience, who was aware of NDEs, I have researched other NDE experiences with very similar elements to mine and realized my vivid dream while very ill in hospital was probably an NDE.

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