Maia S NDE

Experience Description

During childbirth I was given an epidural and immediately afterwards I felt more comfortable but not pain free. I lay back on the bed and within seconds started to feel like I was going to be sick. I asked my husband for a receiver by which time every movement of people around me seemed to slow right down which confused me at the time as I didn't feel like I was in the same time zone. It felt like everyone else was in slow motion, at the same time even though I could sense people's panic everything started to become very quiet. I sensed that I was going to die but wasn't concerned. I felt a sense of completeness and that my unborn daughter was going to be fine with her dad without me and that I'd achieved what I was meant to do.

As I shut my eyes, I was immediately above my own body and could see the whole of the labor room below me as if I was watching a scene of a play unfold. At that point, I was aware that there was no sense of pain or pleasure or even movement within my body, it was an unnaturally calm, still and complete weightlessness that I cannot liken to anything I've ever felt before or since that time. The feeling seemed to be a split second in time then the feeling of my own steady breathing came back and I opened my eyes to find myself back within my body. My mum was at the end of my bed crying asking me if I'd remembered what had happened. I answered that yes I knew I was close to death but I knew everything was going to be ok either way. She was so worried that she'd nearly lost me. After the experience I realized that instead of the split second that I thought had passed, it had actually been 45 minutes and felt extremely baffled as to what had just happened.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 08/02/2008

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I was given an epidural during childbirth and immediately my blood pressure started to plummet (43/28) which wasn't immediately noticed; nearly too late once noticed.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I saw my mum pointing out the drop in blood pressure on the monitor to the midwife and witnessed the midwife run out of the room and come back in with 2 anesthetists who then proceeded to give medication via injection. This was later verified. 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 I felt like I had never had a clearer mental clarity, like prior to that I'd only ever been 80% awake.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was at my highest level of consciousness and alertness the second I saw I was above my own body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual Everyone in the room seemed to slow down almost to a stop whereas I didn't feel included in the same time zone.

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. Everything was in intense focus with surprising luminosity and color.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My hearing of the medical professionals was distant, like I was extremely far away from them.

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 Only the people present in the room at the time.

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 I felt a part of it.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt complete serenity, calm, and happy.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others

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

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? Slightly important to me

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

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 It was consistent with what i believe in the sense that i think you are a spirit and your physical body is just a host. However, with the loss of all concerns and worries at the time of the experience i feel that was not consistent with what i believe as i thought that there would be more of a sense of tying up loose ends instead of just being able to easily leave everything behind.

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? 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? No

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

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

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? No

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 No

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

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

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? No

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Unknown

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It's difficult to express in words because I can't liken the way I felt to anything I've ever experienced before.

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 It has remained in my memory so clearly because it was so vivd and clear.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

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