Maggie S NDE

Experience Description

Awakened lying in a pool of blood Medical staff very busy in the room I felt detached from all of the events. I separated from my body. I observed myself lying on the bed and all of the busy-ness in the room. I felt no pain or distress. It seemed that all was okay; but it also seemed that things were not okay. I awakened, sometime following, realizing that I had experienced a clinical death. I was unable to relate to my experience. I did not talk about it for years.

Several years forward, I started having strange experiences/things that I could not explain to anyone: excessive reading about the spirit world, trying to connect to others who were evolving in the 'New Age' movement, studied in the Arcane Schools. I thought that I must be going crazy, I was hyper-alert. It took years to integrate this new energy and to balance it with the present earth experience. As a psych nurse clinician, it took years to balance the traditional with the non-traditional; many years feeling awkward in a part of my world that made perfect sense but was so strange to my clinical world, as I knew it.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1980

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Post-surgery hemorrhaging

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

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? Normal consciousness and alertness Until I realized that something physical had happened; then I could not figure out where I had been. I think that this is difficult to measure. It is all so strange.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Throughout the experience

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

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 measurement.

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. Myopic/usual: I was clearly at a distance and I realized all details.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I could not hear. I could understand from the activity what the sounds probably were.

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? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No Such realizations came years down the line.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was not in pain. I was comfortable so the emergency/busyness seemed okay.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

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 importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Unknown

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Secular unaffiliated Knowledge of different religious faiths/a big question for me regarding authenticity

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I trust in the spirit world/it offers many good teachings. I validate the religious world in that the spirit world must have vessels/rituals within which to communicate/facilitate.

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

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths I respect the existence of all faiths/all paths merge into one primary goal

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

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes The integration process was years after the fact, becoming introduced to spirit as such. I also had to acknowledge the world beyond any physical existence and learning about that world/understanding it.

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 This came years down the line after the actual experience

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No That came years later after the initial experience

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

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? Yes I certainly knew that I was not experiencing Hell I felt the validation that there must be a Supreme Being I felt safe and trusting

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? I am uncertain if God exists

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain Strangely enough I experienced full acceptance of the experience. As though 'this is the way that it is'; business as usual.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes I knew that physical life was limited/it was just that

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 I knew that physical death was a real thing I knew that death was okay I knew that I would not be lost within the element of death I had full acceptance

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

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Unknown

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 probably meaningful and significant

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

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? Uncertain Even after all of these years I have to say that I am still speechless about this

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? Uncertain I felt safe and at peace even though I was "floating" and probably going somewhere totally unknown to me

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life Large changes in my life. My spiritual path became more clearly defined/outlined. I struggled with spiritual versus religious. I have, over the years, arrived midway of these two words.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes The road to learning about/experiencing love was long. Understanding about the God Within was a hefty task. I do believe that I have arrived at this place.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I could not talk about it. Who would talk to anyone about something like that?

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

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I'm highly 'intuitive'.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Where does one begin?

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Further into my adult life it seemed more comfortable to talk about it.

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 functioned very low key about it. Things seemed different but I pushed this aside and thought that I could forget.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real This has been clearly evidenced over the years.

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? It very simply goes on and on throughout life.