Marilyn W NDE

Experience Description

I remember being rushed to the hospital five days after my daughter was born as I had begun to have very heavy bleeding. I was in and out of consciousness, and there were several doctors and nurses working on trying to get and IV into a vein to give me blood. I remember them becoming more and more concerned because my veins were collapsing and they were not able to insert the IV. I believe this went on for five to ten minutes. I was listening to them talk. Although I was not responding to them, I was able to open my eyes and see them.

I suddenly was above myself looking down at myself lying on the bed with the doctor and nurses working on me. One of the nurses said, 'Look at that sweet smile she has on her face.' I then began thinking of my husband and my two children, and how hard a time he was going to have raising them by himself. I knew that I was out of my body and dying. I thought 'Oh poor Larry,' then immediately felt very happy and felt a strong pull toward brightness. I could not see an actual light source just a brightness that continued to increase along with my feeling of happiness.

I do not think that lasted more than a few minutes, and the next thing I knew I felt a pull back to the body on the bed and I opened my eyes as the nurses were moving me to surgery.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 'Sep 29, 1974'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth hemorrhaging 5 days after childbirth 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I was hemorrhaging a few days after childbirth, and they were having trouble trying to stop the bleeding. I was bleeding out and my veins were collapsing.

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 For most of the experience.

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

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

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 seemed very bright and clear.

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? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

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

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? Uncertain Not an actual light but extreme brightness surrounding me.

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? A little sadness, followed immediately by great happiness and love.

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 united or one with the world

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

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? Conservative/fundamentalist Assembly of God (Pentecostal)

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist Assembly of God (Pentecostal)

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

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 understood why we are here, and the total love that God has for us. I also understood that we have a better place that is waiting for us when our work here is done. I had the very strong feeling of understanding more of the universe, but some of it was lost as I re-entered my body.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The happiness and peacefulness with the knowledge of what was waiting for us in heaven. This has been a great comfort to me and those close to me at especially trying times in our lives.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Immediately upon awakening from surgery I shared this experience with my husband and our parents. My husband was not surprised. He said that he had been shaking and crying since he got the call that he should come to the hospital. He was in the waiting room with our parents praying, when he said he felt a warmth start at his head and travel down his body. He immediately felt calm and had an assurance that I would be all right. Our parents confirmed that the time they took me to the surgery was the same time he had this experience. We believe that God answered his prayer and sent me back into my body because he would not have been able to go on and raise our children without me. My extended family, husband, children, parents, etc. have spoken about this experience many times. Just recently, when Alzheimer's took both our fathers, my experience was a great comfort to us. It was comforting to know that our fathers, who were always strong independent men before their illness, would once again be whole and waiting for us with God in heaven.

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 definitely real I KNEW the experience was real; it was a feeling deep in my soul that could not be denied.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I have over the years wondered if this really happened, when things were especially difficult for me. Having told those closest to me about this has proven to be the best way of knowing it was real and the reassurance of comparing my husband's experience with mine and knowing the time was the same has reassured us that it was a very real experience given to us to reassure us in times of doubt.

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? I believe that I was not done here on earth at the young age of twenty-two. I needed to raise my children and help my husband. I have been the caretaker of four elderly people for the last ten years, with our two fathers passing away in the last several years. I don't know that I would be able to face the harsh reality of Alzheimer's without the specific knowledge of what awaits us on the other side. I think I was allowed this glimpse of heaven and the fullness of love and hope, to allow me to take care of our parents now at this time in their lives.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? You might ask if others in attendance recognized what was happening or if others, as with my experience, had anything to do with making it a 'near death' as opposed to a real death experience. Because I feel that if my husband had not been so desperate (praying) to not let me go, then God would have just taken me and not given me back to my family.