Lynn NDE

Experience Description

I felt tremendously peaceful. Everything was all right with the world and the terrible pain from the auto wreck was fading. Due to severe childhood trauma, I have experienced many 'out of body experiences'. This was different. In the past there was, for lack of better words, a 'thread' that kept me from losing my body. This time I was leaving it behind.

My mom divorced my dad when I was three and he was never spoken about. I seldom thought about him. My brother had died eleven years earlier. They both were beside me and said they had been watching me. Then I felt joy and acceptance form many thousands of people. I thought, 'No, I don't deserve to go to this wonderful loving place.' The people looking at me said wordlessly, 'We know you. We are so happy to have you back with us.'

I turned and checked in with my body, I saw the code team working. Chest tubes were inserted. I knew each person there. I knew their name, what they were thinking - it was as if I could be everywhere at once.

Focusing my attention again on the new world I was entering many were excited to show me the answers about life I had asked so many times. As I saw them, I felt tremendous peace and joy. Everything was as it should be.

Suddenly a voice said, 'Stop! It is not her time.' The voice told me I had more to learn. I felt sucked back into my body. I cooperated by inhaling and reentering the painful broken body in the hospital.

At that time, nobody wanted to hear stories about what I had experienced, as if they were afraid. Many people who had been at the code avoided me because I knew their names, exactly what they had done, and felt during the code. My doctor told the family to expect brain damage from the severe lack of oxygen. But there was no damage.

Since then I have been able to tap into a peace that even when things seem all wrong, it will be okay. Unfortunately, the things I was told so briefly faded quickly as if I had to earn the knowledge.

It felt as if I had lived life with my nose against a highway billboard trying to read it; and that experience took me far away enough to clearly understand what it said - but I was not allowed to remember all of it.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: April 4 1982

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Three days before the event I had been in a life-threatening auto accident and was in a hospital intensive care unit at the time of the incident.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

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 Just before chest tubes were inserted.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Just before chest tubes were inserted.

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 Things happened quickly, but I was able to check in on my body while speaking to the people who were in this other realm. Time and space were not barriers.

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 all happened very fast. While I was aware of many people where I had just gone, and their acceptance and joy, I did not have time to really speak to anyone much. I did not have time to look around. I was extremely aware of who was in the hospital room and what they were doing and even feeling. As I said earlier, some of the people involved in the code avoided me because I knew who they were and they were not my normal caregivers. Nobody wanted to hear about it.

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 both worlds at once. The physical one in English and the spiritual one in some sort of telepathy.

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? Uncertain I was called by many people and went to where they were very quickly.

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 All explained above.

The experience included: Void

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? No It was very light in the hospital room and where the many people (souls) were. There was a little fuzziness between but it happened so fast there was never much darkness.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I did not have a chance to see much. Many people I did not know, my dad and brother. But I heard a lot of what was said. I was struck by the love and acceptance these people shared.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Joy, love peace and a strong feeling everything was as it should be.

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

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future Only that I had more to learn. I understood that was about character traits like love, patience, kindness, etc.

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain Passed quickly by some grayness, but it was not a solid boundary. There seemed to be another boundary I was not allowed to pass through.

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I was in a dogmatic belief system. It was shattered that day.

What is your religion now? Liberal 'Do not belong to any single religious tradition but consider myself spiritual. Attend Christ Church Unity often, but not a member'

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I was in a dogmatic belief system. It was shattered that day.

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 I 'knew' there was ultimate sense and order to the universe. Bad things would come to an end.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain Just looked at things differently, and started to focus on growing in character.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Feelings of detachment yet strong emotions of peace, love and joy and being at one with everything. I was 'in two places at once'. I was in an auto accident and woke in the intensive care unit with multiple injuries. Three days later I heard a code noise for my room. I remember watching a team resuscitate me as a broken rib had caused a pneumothorax. Blood gasses were taken and I was told they were not consistent with a living person.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes More able to pick up on other people's emotions. I don't usually talk about it because it makes people uneasy.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? As mentioned earlier, I had been severely abused as a child and learned to escape the abuse my leaving my body while it was happening. I developed this skill without telling anyone. I had many lucid dreams. There are out of body experiences and lucid dreams but they are not the same as near death experiences. The NDE was the only time I did not have a 'tether' to by body and the only time I went somewhere that felt more real than anything I had ever experienced in life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes For years, only a few would listen, and they were people who had been through similar experiences. Lately, it is accepted to talk about such experiences, but I feel a lot of skepticism.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain Had heard of them, but my experience was not what I expected.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real It changed me. My outlook on life was different and I was able to accept purpose in 'bad' things that happen.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real It has faded a lot. But I can't forget how present I was at that time. Nothing has ever felt so real.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain Was given Ketamine for a couple of surgeries. It is a sedative hypnotic as there were many surgeries to get my body back together and they did not want to give so much general anesthesia. I did hallucinate with bright colors and fanciful feelings; but they were not 'real'. I just felt like I was on a drug trip.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I know many scientists believe these experiences are triggered by a dying brain but that does not account for the extreme heightened senses. Also, there was no brain damage in my case.

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