Paula H NDE

Experience Description

I was in the bathroom and turned from the sink to the towel bar and the next thing I knew, I was at the ceiling floating. I was looking down at my parents; I was shaking hard in my body as if it were trying to revive me. I was surrounded by a bright light and just pleasantly floating. They kept shaking and seemed very upset. I thought 'I guess I'll have to go back, they couldn't take it if I left' and in that exact instance, I was looking up at them.

They helped me stand up, and we walked to the living room. I sat down and in a few minutes, our neighbor, who was the volunteer life squad person, arrived. The three adults decided I seemed okay and that sense I had an appointment at the doctor the next day, I could just go to bed and get some sleep. The next day the doctor diagnosed rheumatic fever, and I had to go straight to the hospital. I was on complete bed rest (not even allowed out of bed to go to the bathroom) for two months. When I was allowed to go home, it was straight to bed for the next two months. I was only allowed up to walk across the hall, of a small ranch-style home, to the bathroom.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 02/66

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Other: 'left my body, parents shaking me trying to revive me, life squad called' Rheumatic fever with mitral valve prolapse.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I clearly saw my parents shaking my body and yelling my name repeatedly to wake me up.

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 was just totally able to see everything very clearly: almost like looking through super-duper glasses. No distortion, just very sharp as if HD (high density).

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When my body was up at the ceiling looking down on my parents and watching the shaking my former body.

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 Twenty years later, I was told by my mother that they tried to revive me for several minutes. I felt like I was floating, looking down for a while, but no real sense of time.

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. I started wearing glasses, all the time, at that same age (12), and I remember everything being very sharp, very vivid.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. While I could hear my parents shaking me and yelling my name to wake me up, it was more like I was aware they were yelling rather than hearing loud voices.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain

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

The experience included: Unearthly 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? Yes Just a brilliant white light surrounding me as I floated near ceiling in bathroom. The rest of bathroom looked the same; the brilliant light surrounded me.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm All around my body.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Only emotion was being resigned to having to go back for them

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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 I knew my parents weren't ready to let me go, so I had to return. I also felt completely at ease if I did not go back and just kept floating away. The bright light seemed very welcoming and friendly.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

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 I was watching my parents shaking me and repeatedly yelling/calling my name. I remember thinking that they had six other children, they would be okay. Then as they kept trying to revive me, I thought that I would have to go back; they couldn't take it if I left right now.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Moderately important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain I always believed, but at about age 15, I asked why I had to go to Confession every week when I rarely did anything worth confessing. I said I believed we could ask God directly for forgiveness and didn't need a 'middle man.'

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

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths A Christian who was raised Catholic but more to include spiritual now

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 I believed that at death, we would go to a better, beautiful place that would be very pleasing. That was consistent. What was inconsistent is that I didn't think you could die and then decide to come back.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I made a conscious effort to prove the doctor wrong who told my parents (within ear-shot of me) that I would only live to about age 30 and that I wouldn't have much of a life. I clearly remember thinking this old doctor wasn't going to dictate the type of life I had.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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? 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? God definitely exists

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes The bright white light and a feeling that others were waiting for me, that I wouldn't be there alone, but I never saw any of them.

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Unknown

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? An afterlife definitely exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes The bright white light and a feeling that others were waiting for me, that I wouldn't be there alone, but I never saw any of them.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

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

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Unknown

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are meaningful and significant

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? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life Since this happened, when I was still a child, many thoughts were just that I lived life, not really thinking about things, just being a child. My NDE set me on a path of health & wellness coaching where I healed myself and felt compelled to share with others: a real passion that I traced back to what happened to me at this early age. Large changes in my life.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes Yes My passion for relating to others, feeling/reading energy, remaining open to things.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I didn't express it for years. In fact, I didn't ask my mom about it until in my thirties when I asked if she remembered that day. When she said yes, I asked her what I looked like. She said when she looked in my eyes I wasn't there. I had never asked about it, because until almost 20 years later, I didn't think she could take it.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events at time I clearly remember not feeling well (but not on verge of dying) at the time and I clearly remember everything that followed that event, mainly I think because of my conscious decision to return to my body.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Very in tune with people, feelings, energy. Just very aware.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The conscious decision to return was very meaningful. That decision set the path for my entire life.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I started sharing with others about 25 years later when I was at a training session with a group of coaches, and we were talking about health issues. Now I regularly discuss it when I am doing my intro during a health seminar or a speaking engagement as a keynote speaker.

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 As a child, it didn't seem weird or odd to me that I left my body and then made the decision to come back. I did ask my parents when they came into the bathroom. I asked this right after they revived me and I was sitting up on the bathroom floor. They said they heard a crash when I hit the floor. I told them I never hit the floor, I was holding onto the towel bar when they came into the bathroom. I remember holding the towel bar and then looking down from the ceiling. No memory of hitting the floor, just of being up at the ceiling looking down on them and my body.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I remember it all vividly, clearly. Nothing has changed about my memory; the memory of the event has just stayed vivid, clear.

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 believed that at death, we would go to a better, beautiful place that would be very pleasing. That was consistent. What was inconsistent is that I didn't think you could die and then decide to come back. I clearly remember not feeling well, not on verge of dying at the time, and I clearly remember everything that followed that event, mainly I think because of my conscious decision to return to my body.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Nothing is coming to mind.