Lotte H NDE

Experience Description

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share my experience. I have been carrying it with me for a long time, not knowing where or to whom to take it. I believe I have come to the right place and my story is safe with you. Hopefully, contributing to your research and also giving me some more clarity. Trying to put something into words for which one doesn't have any words (if that makes sense) is not easy, but here we go:

We, my parents and myself, left Cape Town, South Africa, in our fully-loaded Land Rover to go on a holiday into the Kalahari Desert, which is about 800km distance up north. About halfway there, we were crossing the Great Karoo half-desert. The wide open valley is known for its strong winds coming from either side of the mountains. We were passing a 40-ton truck with a trailer at a speed of about 120 kilometers per hour. A strong gust of wind blew the rear trailer into our lane. My mother was driving and was able get out of the way so we didn't get hit. However, our vehicle started swaying from side to side due to the heavy load on our roof carrier. We were almost past the truck before my mom lost control of the vehicle. The jeep flipped on its side right front of truck. The truck had no chance to break and instead drove on top of us, dragging us along the road before slowing down and 'releasing' our vehicle. We then flipped 5 times until coming to a stop in the field and with the vehicle on its side.

Just a few minutes before this incident, I had unbuckled my seatbelt as I was reaching a bag across the other side of the vehicle. When I saw how close we were to the truck, how fast we were driving, and how much our vehicle was swaying, I thought to myself, 'This is not looking good.' The next moment, our vehicle landed on the side and I was thrown up against the ceiling of the vehicle. I heard my neck crack as my head was bent to the left.

Immediately, my sense of time changed. Everything slowed down as if it was switched into slow motion before I entered a space of bright light. In fact, it didn't quiet feel like a space because it seemed as if this area did not have any boundaries at all. I felt as if I was floating or flying but at the same time my body was melted into this endlessness as I became one with it. I didn't see anything other than the light and whiteness surrounding me. Yet, I was overwhelmed with the greatest sense of clarity and endless calm. I knew to my core, right in that very moment, that I was in between worlds. I witnessed my life passing through me in emotions and was so happy not to have any regrets. I knew that this is the moment where I could cross over into another world and felt totally at peace leaving my 'earthy' life behind me.

I gained consciousness while standing in front of the vehicle; which was lying on the side withthe radio still playing. After checking myself for injuries, I went to help my mother who was badly injured and my father out of the vehicle.

Considering the nature of the incident, I had minor injuries. However, I still needed hospitalization. The ambulance took several hours to reach us since we were so far from civilization. The journey to the next hospital took 4 hours. As I was lying in the ambulance, wide awake with my eyes open, I starting seeing this movie unfold in front of me. I was standing on one of the mountains looking down onto the valley where our accident happened. I could see the truck and our vehicle. In the far distance up in the sky, I saw a creature. It came closer and turned out to be an angel. From where I was standing, I could see the accident unfolding. The closer the moment approached, the closer the angel came. As our vehicle started swaying from side to side, the angel, now being overwhelmingly huge in size, lay on our roof-carrier hugging its wings around our vehicle. As we tilted onto the side, we were pushed by the truck and rolled into the field. The angel was keeping its wings wrapped tightly around us. Once the vehicle came to a stand the angel slowly let go of us. It kept hovering above us for a while until slowly moving further and further away again. I recall saying to my mom, that I can see how our accident happened.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 14. March 2004

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Life threatening event, but not clinical death We got hit by a truck at 120kmph. I unbuckled just a few minutes before the hit and hence wasn't killed instantly. However, our vehicle tumbled 5x, I lost consciousness when hitting my head and was thrown out of the vehicle with the vehicle coming to a stand still half a meter away from me.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I was at full conscience when I watched the 'movie' of our incidence post our actual incidence. The 'movie' involved and angle like creature saving our life. See description of incidence. 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal The color (white) was whiter than normal, I had a sense of clarity in my mind and my body, no questions no doubts - everything made absolute sense. I was completely without fear, so incredibly calm and happy and at peace with myself. Nothing mattered to me in that moment, no sense of time - just being present knowing where I was and were I was possibly about to go.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? At the time our vehicle fell to the side and when I saw the 'move' of our accident which I watched from above.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning At the time of accident, time seems to slow down until it lost all meaning.

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 felt as if there were no boundaries. As If I could see through everything.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't recall any hearing at all

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? No

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 Yes, it was all around me.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm A space with no boundaries, white all over, no gravity. It felt like a space between worlds.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Calm, clarity, Happiness, no regrets. Total peace!

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 As my past life rushed through my body in emotions, I felt at utter peace with no regrets. I was ready to move into the next world and knew, even though I didn't do everything perfectly right throughout my life, I lived a good & meaningful life which I would not do any different given the chance.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control I felt past events rushing through my body as emotions. It felt like I was reliving them.

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? Christian- Catholic I was raised roman catholic, but have never felt affiliated with the church. Up to my accident I never had any idea of possible 'higher powers'.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic Believing in God or some sort of higher powers, however not in the church itself.

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 The experience clarified my view on my own believes, as if it took away the dust and doubts about how I should be living and treating myself and others. It feels as if it gave me a clear view on what truly matters in life.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I have a greater believe and faith that things will work.

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 I saw an angle like creature wrapping its wings around of vehicle during the time of the accident. See full description.

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 It felt as if there were 3 areas of life: Earth (where I came from and had the accident), the area I was in (due to the accident), and something beyond I felt it's awareness but couldn't see.

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes The only thing that matters is how we treat others with kindness and love.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes If this sense of calm, clarity and peace is what I get, then I lived my life right.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes I felt as if I was in a 'no-mans-land' between the earthly world and a world beyond. I could not see it, but I felt it.

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? Yes Love and kindness towards me and others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life Material things have no meaning to me. I survived because I have a purpose to fulfill. Living true to myself is the right thing to do in order to not life with regrets.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I separated from people I knew didn't really care for me. I have become more selective in my relationships with others

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes When I mention a white light, it doesn't compare to the light I saw. When I mentioned the sense of clarity ...not even the clearest diamond comes close to that sense and feeling. The feeling of calm was the most beautiful I have ever felt. If this is what passing over looks like I am not afraid but in fact looking forward to it. I don't think it is something that can be experienced on earth.

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 I remember everything in crystal clarity, except sounds and smells.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have become highly empathetic, sometimes to the extent that I can feel peoples pain or foresee things happening.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The moment of floating in between spaces. Watching 'our movie' and the angle save us.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No

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 There was no doubt my experience was real. It still feels real after almost 20 years.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real No doubt it was real. It was more real than anything I ever experienced before.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes I have recently been having flashbacks, which lead me to share my story with your website.

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? All good. Grateful for the opportunity and the work you put into this topic.