Margit K Other

Experience Description

I worked as a student in the Tyrolean alps as seasonal help for the summer at a mountain cabin (Memminger Hütte at 2.242 meters above sea-level). In my spare time, I was used to hiking around the cabin, enjoying the surrounding peaks and mountain lakes. I was very physically fit.

On a free day, I decided to go on a hike to another cabin. This hike usually takes 2 days. However, I felt fit enough to do this hike in one day. The weather was perfect. I was wearing shorts and carried a small back pack. I didn't have any long trousers, rain gear, hat, food, or emergency equipment. I wanted to travel quickly and with little to carry.

The first leg of the hike was beautiful. However, coming back the weather was bad with ice-rain, a thunderstorm, and heavy lightning. The lightning was dangerous due to the steel ropes on the mountain ridges. So I waited in cover for some time. Since the rain did not stop and it turned dark, I started getting really cold. I was exhausted, scared and cold. But, I kept on going.

On a small descent, I fell and injured both legs, ripping away the skin on both thighs. I walked and walked. The ice-rain turned into snow. Around 11 p.m., I could not walk any further. I had no tent, no aluminum foil, no radio, no fire, nothing. I was weak and exhausted. I decided to lie down beside a fir tree, knowing that I would die if I lay down. The night was horrible and I finally fell asleep. I was turning from one side to the other to escape the pain from lying on the injured parts of my legs. It kept snow-raining and it was very cold. I was completely wet.

Soon after lying down, I had the absolute clear feeling that a presence was behind my back watching over me. This entity was a really palpable person, always very close behind my back, but not touching me. The being did not say anything, but it was an assuring presence. This lasted the whole night; I was lying there. I felt absolutely protected, despite the pain and cold.

Dawn finally arrived. I could see the path again. So, I got up and made my way down the valley. I made my way to the inn where I could get help.There was a telephone and the innkeeper brought me up using this material transport rope-way. In the mountain cabin they informed me about their unsuccessful attempts the past night to locate me. They gave me schnapps tea and I stayed in bed for a day. I completely recovered next day. I had no cough or fever.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1987

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. Accident Life threatening event, but not clinical death

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

Did you feel separated from your body? 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. I noticed that my hearing was better, being able to think more sharply, seeing better, feeling more intense

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the time I thought I would die for sure; this lasted several hours.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was like having better glasses; also, it was more three-dimensiona. Such as being able to look behind my head. However, I could still not see as good as I could forward, of course.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. sharper; like my ears were more open

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? I sensed their presence

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? bliss; pain, hunger, cold

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

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 no boundaries; like there was complete understanding and communication with my body (not my brain), the earth, the trees, the universe; felt quite 'normal'

Did scenes from your past come back to you? I remembered many past events. I can't describe in detail after so much time; but I remember, that I was thinking about my life and episodes from it.

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life. When I lay down, I was sur, I was going to die. During the night I battled to stay awake but I was still sure, I would not make it. It was more like the 'outside being' decided for me that it was not over yet. The conscious decision to return was only made in the morning. During the night, I was just drifting in and out of consciousness.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Nothing in particular- Religious unaffiliated

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. 1. Not consistent with belief: I had the belief, that if you fall asleep half-naked, cold, exhausted in snow, you most likely die. This didn't happen. 2. Not/Consistent with belief: I was always interested in nature, talking to trees and communicating with animals; however, I had not encountered that level of clarity and obviousness, this 'matter of fact' of feeling completely connected with nature and beyond. Like nothing else mattered really.

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? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin. I had the absolutely clear feeling that some presence was behind my back watching over me. It was like a really palpable person, always very close behind my back, but not touching. The being did not say anything, but was an assuring presence. This lasted the whole night; I was lying there. I felt absolute protected, although I felt pain, cold and miserable and the night simply would not stop. I would call the presence an 'angel'.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I sensed their presence

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? Yes absolute clarity on the interconnectedness of my own body with the surrounding nature; communication with even the universe

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes absolute clarity on the interconnectedness of my own body with the surrounding nature; communication with even the universe

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes the 'thing/being/presence', that was watching over me was from my point of view definitely 'God or his/her send being' or something alike

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes as stated in previous questions

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes living itself; paying attention to the surrounding live. Nothing is good or bad or finite.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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? Yes Nothing is good or bad or finite. Us being 100% part of nature, there is no separation.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes The guardian 'angel' radiated love. I felt utterly protected.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? No changes in my life

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 was quite life-changing for me at the time, especially since I did not even get sick after the adventure.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I did Shiatsu and Shamanic training later on and am quite good at reading energies in other sentient beings bodies; however, this was already dormant/latent ability prior to the experience.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? the connection with nature and life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes The innkeepers of the mountain cabin got a part of the story. However, I didn't tell them about the angels and the connection-with-universe. They were impressed that I survived and/or did not fall sick. Many years later I told my husband, however also not in all detail.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes My grandfather was very interested in religion, meaning of life etc. and had a lot of books on the topic. I attended school where religion, discussion of holy books and scientific explanation thereof was also important.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. I was there and it seemed to take ages to live through it. I survived it; there were witnesses of the whole adventure, at least the visible parts.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I do not know. I studied natural sciences afterwards and earned a PhD in biology. According to science, this whole experience cannot be proven and explained in scientific terms. However, I am also practicing yoga and shamanic practices for over 25 years now and had several encounters with 'energy' or 'phenomena', which cannot be currently measured and explained by science. These experiences are described in good detail in ethnological texts as well as in old yogic scriptures.

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

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