Nancy M NDE

Experience Description 3307:

I had a stent placed in my coronary artery to open a severe blockage. The procedure was uneventful. The nurse came in at about 2:00 am to have me stand up for the first time. He told me that if I felt sick or faint to sit back down. I stood by the bed and that was the last thing that I remember. Three people, two men and one woman appeared in the upper left corner of my room. I could not recognize their faces. The men were dressed in suits and the woman had on a coat that came just below her knees. They didn't speak but only were there.

It is hard to describe the feeling of coming back to this world. I can only compare it to how a ball must feel if you throw it as hard as you can against a wall. This was the next thing that I was aware of. When I came back, I saw the code team standing around my bed preparing to do what a code team does. The nurse had given me epinephrine and restarted my heart so the team left me alone. I do remember saying, 'What the hell are you all doing in here?' I am a nurse at that hospital and had been on hand for several codes. I was very awake and aware at that moment, but shortly after, things were a blur. The next morning the nurse gave me the monitor strip showing my a systole. I can't remember when I understood who my three visitors were. It wasn't too long because I went to medical records after my first doctor visited to look at the medications I had been given. I had only received the appropriate dose of IV epinephrine. I had not had pain medications for several hours and no sleep medications.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: April 2000

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) . My heart had stopped.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain
I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Less consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Immediately after the experience. I was neither conscious nor alert DURING 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

Did your vision differ in any way from normal? The beings that appeared to me were in the upper left corner of a small room, but they appeared to be much further away than was physically possible for the layout of the room.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? I didn't hear anything and the room was full of people. I know that they must have been talking, but I heard nothing.

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? Yes

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? No

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? None.

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 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? Moderate Protestant

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I go to church because I love the songs, but I feel differently about God and organized religion. I can't imagine that God is very happy with some of the things that are done in His name. All that anyone need do is to love their neighbor as themselves. This is my religion now.

What is your religion now? Moderate Protestant

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I go to church because I love the songs, but I feel differently about God and organized religion. I can't imagine that God is very happy with some of the things that are done in His name. All that anyone need do is to love their neighbor as themselves. This is my religion now.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am more forgiving. I am less quick to anger. I am more accepting of others. It takes a lot to bother me.

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? Yes We had just moved into a home that we had helped to build. My husband, an electrical engineer, had installed some of the wiring. When I came home from the hospital, the light bulbs began blowing out. We were constantly replacing light bulbs. I was certain my husband had messed up the wiring. It checked out okay with the power company and in a few months, I quit blowing out bulbs. I have intuitive abilities that I never had before. I am able to see or feel the spirits of some people who have died.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The whole experience was meaningful and significant to me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I was so excited about having the experience that I quickly shared it with several people. I can't tell you how it affected them, but I can tell you that it has had a very positive effect lately on those that I have shared it with.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Yes I was familiar with Dr. Raymond Moody's books. I think that it enabled me to understand what I had experienced without fear or too much confusion.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. It was very easy for me to view the experience as real as I had the monitor strip to look at. The vision of the three visitors was as plain several weeks out as it was when I had it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. I seldom speak of my NDE, but it is in my thoughts several times every day. It has had a huge impact on my life. It has brought some things into my life that are a little difficult to deal with, but I deal with them.

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 wish that the experience and the after effects would be more readily accepted in our culture. I spend a lot of time trying to bury my intuition and other abilities that I have now. I fear that others will think that I am crazy if I tell them about some of these after effects.