Maria D NDE

Experience Description

I blacked out once on the short few blocks to the hospital while in the ambulance, coming to inside while they were wheeling me into the emergency room. After I was in the emergency room, they began working on me. I found out later I had a swished spleen, which was removed in surgery, broken ribs and lots of bad scrapes and bruises from being dragged, and I had lost a great deal of blood.

While the doctor(s) and nurses were very busy hooking things up to me, asking me questions, such as my name, I felt myself feeling very weak and light.

Then suddenly I couldn't hear anything anymore-I could just see the nurses mouths moving and knew they had been talking quite loudly to each other and the doctor, so I realized something was changing quickly. I kept closing and opening my eyes, thinking somehow that would help me hear them again. Then suddenly I wasn't there anymore, I was zooming down the center of a huge tunnel-that seemed to be lit from inside the walls of it. I could tell I was actually moving because the tunnel walls had a spiral effect to them. I remember thinking how beautiful it was and was amazed how I could be suspended in air flying so fast down the center of this huge thing. As I went through it, I began losing memory of my life and family, and felt startled and alarmed at this. That has always bothered me to this day. Then I stopped moving and seemed to be floating and I became aware of another person are entity with me, who had a very not quite solid form but was more like a large white glowing energy form.

This energy knew me personally. A voice, like a man’s voice yet very different, entered my head and called me by name, saying, ‘Denise, it is not your time, you will have to go back’. I responded with thought only (this seemed the only way of communicating), that I didn't want to, because it hurt too much. Then he moved an arm out in front of himself (it looked more like a glowing white arm of a robe) and I looked where he seemed to be pointing and saw out in front of us a pedestal with a huge ancient looking book opened up sitting atop of it. I thought, ‘I want to go look at that’, and I was immediately told I could not. Then he told me, ‘It is the Book of Answers’, you cannot look into it and go back. Then suddenly I was back moving down the huge tunnel again, and returned to my body.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1972

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident Clinical death I had been run over twice by my car in a parking lot. I had started it under the hood as I had watched my dad do when it wouldn't start. The car started but I had left it in gear and it started moving backwards, so I chased after it and jumped in trying to step on the brake pedal. My clog-style shoe got wedged around either the brake or the gas pedal of the car. I then was dragged, fell out and run over, since the wheels were turned and I was badly injured when it first ran over me, I couldn't get up in time and when it came back around in ran over me a second time. This happen only a few blocks from a hospital, and right next to a diner with two policeman eating-so when they heard all the noise from my car running into other parked cars-they ran out and called the ambulance. I prayed to God, when I saw the car tire coming at me again, that it wouldn't run over my head, which of course it didn't or I couldn't be writing this to you today.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes My body looked perfect, flawless. No pain, weightless.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Very alert, I would have to describe it in this way. I felt more alive during this experience than any other time. I felt fantastic; everything about my physical self seemed to be working in complete harmony. I saw that I had a body as I was going down the tunnel. That's why it was so amazing that I didn't hurt.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I had no awareness of time passing or even existing. His use of the words, go back, seemed to indicate time existed though-at least to the point that I had gone forward to this place.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No It was a place, relative to not being here, and yet exists. The only solid thing I saw was the pedestal and book. The tunnel was very real but seemed almost organic. It was silver in color but appeared to undulate.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes The ‘Being of Light’ or God.

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes The ‘Being of Light’ only at the end of the tunnel.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I did have sight, I did not seem to have ‘touch’ though-or at least touched nothing and did not feel wind in the tunnel or any air temperature. I did not attempt to touch the ‘Being of Light’ nor did he touch me. When I wanted to see what was written in the book, I thought this, and then found myself moving towards it, but was stopped by his thoughts that I couldn't look at it and return.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Peacefulness like being surrounded by water in a pool, but inside and outside.

The experience included: Special Knowledge

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe I know that he knew I existed before going there. He knew my name, he told me it was not ‘time’ and I had to return. The ‘Book of Answers’ indicates that it exists to be read by us at some point. Personally I very glad to know there is one! I had prophetic dreams even as a young girl, although not about anything ever important-just normal events. After this though, I never seemed to completely ‘disconnect’ from this different state of awareness. So I have an enhanced existence-like a souvenir!

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? No

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 The ‘Being of Light’ told me, ‘Denise, it is not your time.’ I told him I didn't want to go back, because it hurt too much.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate 'Christian, but a teenager going through a lot at the time.'

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes It was very, very hard to know I was going to stay down here. I remember feeling that if I thought hard enough about my experience and let myself relive it or feel it-I would simply ‘go back’. So, it took many years to pass before I got my ‘earth mind-set’ again. It was difficult to take many things everybody else especially my age at the time did seriously. I was very glad to be back, at least after I recovered fully which took a couple of years, but I knew and know that the most important thing in life here is treating people right, being a good person, and showing love for others. That seems to be if not the only important thing, the most important be far. It seems to have a lot to do with us after we leave here. It's about what it does to us, when we love others, and appreciate our lives here.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

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 what my Aunt refers to as Revelations. The night before the first space shuttle blew up, I had a vision of something blowing up in space and then the US Flag, and felt it would affect everyone in America somehow. I didn't know what it was, and I was scared it might be a bomb or something. The next morning the shuttle blew up when launched. Then sometimes I see pictures of Headlines in newspapers. When living in California I kept seeing a picture in my mind of the typed word, Firestorms. I wrote it down and told a friend about it at the time and my daughter, because it kept bugging me. Then a couple of weeks later, we had terrible fires in the areas and the newspaper headline read FIRESTORMS. Things like that, my family and friends are used to it now.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The worst was the sensation of losing my memory of my family as I was going through the tunnel. That made me feel sad. I would not want to forget them, but maybe it was necessary to let go of this life. The best part was knowing for the rest of my existence here that God exists, maybe not as we think of him through the various religions, but actually so much more than that in every way. Also, realizing that each and every single one of us is purposely here, not by accident and that each of us fulfills a part that forms this shared reality. When I pray, I know the prayer is heard, all prayers are heard. This form of communication is the highest.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Sometimes, in talking with others, they will say something that will bring the story out. Not all of it usually, but parts of it, that they needed to hear at that time for whatever reason. I love this when it happens. The mutual sharing is incredible! Recently standing in a check-out line, it happened. I noticed the woman's purse in front of me, and said how pretty it was, and we began talking. In less than a couple of minutes, we were both exchanging Near-death experiences! It was the first time that had happened to me. We both, as it turned out felt compelled to speak with each other, and we both felt we recognized each other somehow as well! That was very exciting and strange too.

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? Yes, one thing that is interesting is that when I returned to my physical body-which was different from the ‘body’ that stayed with me. I felt that my skin was much too small for me! It was tight and inflexible. I could actually feel my skin. This did go away after a few days. I kept complaining about this to the nurses, my surgeon, and my family. That must have been odd sounding to them.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I think this was a very good questionnaire. It helped me recollect a lot that I hadn't thought about in a very long time, and write about it, which I wasn't at first comfortable with. After doing so though, I feel better about it, and glad that I can share this. When I had this experience in 1972, I had never heard anybody else talk about Near-death experiences, or tunnels with lights or anything else like it. The first time I read about a similar experience was in a Readers Digest my parents had. I got so excited I went running through the house looking for them, pointing to it and feeling so excited to read how someone else knew what I had felt and gone through! I don't think up to that time my parents knew what to think of it.