RoseMarie W NDE

Experience Description:

I was in bed at night. The property across the road from my home was being burned to get rid of the underbrush. The smoke seeped into my home and cause me to have more difficulty with my breathing. After going to sleep, I was wide awake. I knew that I was not breathing. I tried to take in some air but it felt as if a large block of cement was on my chest. I was not afraid and I understood what was happening. I knew that I was leaving my body. I never saw a tunnel but I was going backwards from what I perceived to be a place of division. On the other side, I was alive and on this side, I was not breathing. I was moving slowly at first and started gaining speed away from the place of division. It was almost like a surface when you're under water. It's hard to describe exactly what it was like. I was totally aware of what was happening and there was absolutely no fear. My mind and thoughts were moving as fast as lightening. Everything was like crystal. I understood everything and again there was absolutely no fear. I was aware that I was not breathing and I tried to take in some air. I was able to get in a little air and the backward movement slowed down. Then I just made the decision that it was too hard and I stopped breathing again. The backward movement from that surface really started to speed up. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it back so I started breathing with great effort and the backward motion slowed down. That's all I remember.

When I awoke the next day, I was trembling. I called my doctor who wanted to put me in the hospital and I refused to go. I was tired of hospitals. This was on a Friday morning. After going back and forth with the doctor's office over the weekend, I finally went into the hospital on Monday. They wanted to put me back on the respirator, which I refused. They did put me in recovery instead of the intensive care unit because I could be watched more closely there. They told me on Monday that I was trying to die on them. I told them that they should have been at my house last Thursday night/Friday morning.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 'November, 1977'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Illness Other I had myasthenia gravis with great difficulty breathing. The woods across the road from my home was being burned and that precipitated a mg crisis. Because of the myasthenia gravis my blood oxygen level was always low. I had great difficulty breathing. At this time, I quit breathing all together.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

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? More consciousness and alertness than normal When I was moving backward away from the surface.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I was moving backward away from the surface.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster than usual There was no time.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more so

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't remember different colors. I really can't tell what color everything was or the other things you're asking. I do know that it was very, very clear. There are no words to describe what it was like.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I don't remember any sounds. I didn't or couldn't speak. I could think very quickly.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain It wasn't a tunnel. There was a place that I can only describe as a 'surface' that on one side of that place, you were in your body and alive and on this other side, you were leaving your body and not breathing. I was going backward as if I was going away from that place of separation. It was like you're in water and you're going deeper away from the surface but doing it backwards.

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

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

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? Neither

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Not fear. Peace. Contentment. Everything was okay.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Neither

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? Neither

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? A conscious decision to 'return' to life

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Conservative/fundamentalist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist

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? Neither

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain There is no fear in death. I didn't see anyone or anything. No one told me anything nor was any special knowledge imparted to me other than there is no fear in death.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes There are no words to describe what I experienced.

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 whole experience was very significant to me. There was no particular part.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes

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 know what happened because I lived it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I don't understand exactly what you are asking. Now, after many years, the experience is still very real to me. Today, I don't know if my brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen that caused this experience. Sometimes I wonder exactly what did happen that night. I wonder if it was some type of chemical reaction in my body at the point of death. I know it did happen. There is no doubt about that. I did, at the time when all this was happening to me, have seizures from cerebral hypoxia many times. Sometimes one or two times a day. So I knew what it was like to go into convulsions from lack of oxygen. When this happened, there was no seizure just this experience. I no longer have Myasthenia Gravis.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No It never happened again.