Petra J NDE

Experience Description

It was Friday morning of May 1992, two weeks before my 17th birthday. I woke up feeling bad, thus I did not go to school. I had a strong headache, nausea and general weakness. I was lying down in bed the whole day, not eating much because I threw up everything. At midday I had a high and persistent fever (>39 degrees° C). At night, my parents worried about my sudden illness, took me to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. After being examined, the doctor on-call admitted me to the observation room. I was administered intravenous medication, which helped me feel a little better, because the fever and headache diminished a little. An hour later, I asked my mom to take me to the bathroom to go pee, but once there, my headache came back. I felt that the base of my cranium was going to explode. I told my mom I could not stand on my legs any longer. She could barely take me out of the bathroom to sit me on a chair. She called my dad, who at that moment was waiting out of the room, to hold me and she rushed to get the doctor. My dad held me in his arms, and I immediately lost my sight. A few seconds later, I lost my hearing, too, but I could speak. With what little energy I had left, I told my father, nevertheless, I was still conscious of my surroundings and had the worst headache I had ever had in my whole life. Suddenly, I fainted.

I saw myself afloat in an infinite vacuum, completely wreathed in a white bright light, but it was not blinding me. I looked down and to the sides, but there was nothing more than this light. I was not sad, or scared or anguished, nor did I have any pain. I was in absolute peace and wrapped in very pleasant warmth. I did not have any notion of time. I did not think about my family, either, nor in what was happening to me. I was not even conscious about myself. I just perceived I was very comfortable in that place. I also felt something attracted me, very softly from behind, I wanted to let go with that sensation of weightlessness and absolute peace. It was as if I were floating on top of a river. There were no rocks or obstacles on the river with a very slow moving current. It was there, just letting me flow.

Suddenly, I listened to a very loud shout and I comprehended it was my father that said, ’NO-O-O!!!! DOCTOR!!!’ Then I understood that if I was going to let myself go with that ‘current’ I was not going to go back to my family. Thus, consciously I stopped.

I don’t know how much time passed between the time I stopped and the time I woke up in the hospital bed. I saw the doctor who had seen me before at my left and working desperately along with several nurses. The horrible headache had come back and also the 40° C degree fever. Sincerely, I felt so bad that I just wanted to go back to the flow I was within before. Once they stabilized me, I was taken in an ambulance to a larger hospital where they diagnosed me with a major E. coli infection. Some days after, I was discharged from the hospital and I went back to my normal life without any consequences. I have never shared this story with another person because I thought that they would laugh at me or they will think I am crazy.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: Mayo 1992

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Cardiac arrest

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I heard my father’s cry calling the doctor, which he corroborated afterward. 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal I did not stop perceiving my surroundings at any moment just that it changed before, during and after the experience.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? At every moment

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I could not perceive time and the fact is: it didn’t matter either.

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 could see an extremely bright and white light which did not blinded me at all.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Initially, I could not hear a thing, and then I could listen clearly to my dad’s desperate shout.

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? No

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

The experience included: Void

The experience included: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes A white light completely covered me.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I could not explain which place it was, but I was not afraid, nor felt sad or felt any pain while I was there.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Happiness

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

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 When I listened to my father’s shout, I knew then I could not let myself go with that current, so I stopped. All of a sudden, I woke up and I could see all the people around me at that time. 


God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Not important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain It did not happen immediately, but sometime later, when a short time had passed, and I could ‘digest’ the reality, I could comprehend that God exists. He sheds his love like a very attractive, warm and beautiful energy.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience Antes de mi experiencia, creia que despues de la muerte, uno se aparecia directamente frente a Dios para que el le mostrase a uno la "pelicula" de la vida que uno habia llevado y que segun si las acciones habian sido buenas o malas, ibas al cielo o al infierno, sin embargo aquello es lo que me habian ensenado en el catecismo pero honestamente tenia algunas dudas al respecto.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I am certain that God exists and that life does not end with death.

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

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

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 probably exists

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain No lo supe en el momento sino tiempo despues cuando puse en orden todos los recuerdos asociados a ese evento pero creo que esa atraccion que senti a moverme en cierta direccion era debido al amor de Dios que me "jalaba" como si fuese un iman.

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? No

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? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists No

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I slightly fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Slightly 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? Uncertain

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Not compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Uncertain Misma respuesta que para la pregunta 33: No lo supe en el momento sino tiempo despues cuando puse en orden todos los recuerdos asociados a ese evento pero creo que esa atraccion que senti a moverme en cierta direccion era debido al amor de Dios que me "ja

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life Moderate changes in my life.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No No

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 as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the experience Siempre he tenido buena memoria, pero de esta experiencia tengo recuerdos tan detallados y vividos que pareciera que los acabase de presenciar.

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? I didn't know at that time, until I organized all the memories associated to the event: but I think the attraction to move in the direction of the flow was due to God’s love that pulled just like a magnet.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes More than 20 years went by before I could share my experience with other people; because I was afraid they would laugh at me or thought I was having hallucinations.

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 probably real

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

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? Before my experience, I thought that after death, one appeared directly in front of God and he will show you the ‘movie’ of the life you lived; and that according to your good or bad actions, you were going to heaven or hell. That was what I had learned in catechism and I had my doubts about it. I’ve always had good memory, but I have more detailed and vivid memories of this experience, like it just happened.