Sabine S NDE

Experience Description

At the age of four, I went with my parents to the swimming lake. When I was in the water with a swim ring, it suddenly went down towards my thigh and my whole upper body got under water. The legs were pulled up to the surface. There had been many people in the water, but nobody noticed that I was drowning. I saw the water above myself and desperately tried to get up towards the surface. It didn't work. I was swallowing a lot of water and then started to panic. I KNEW that I wouldn't be able to succeed and was dying.

At that moment, an eerie calm came over me. I left my body and had the feeling that I'm everywhere. I knew everything anyone could ever know. The calm was indescribably beautiful and I felt very secure. I saw wonderful colors; I still remember the turquoise.

Then I woke up and was lying on a cover where our family had been. My aunt had seen me and pulled me out of the water. I remember wondering why everyone was so disturbed because I had been feeling fine where I had been. I had the feeling that I wasn't thinking like a small child. My thoughts had been somehow timeless, as if in my consciousness I was a grown-up person. It's very difficult to find the right words for this.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1968

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Drowning. Life threatening event, but not clinical death

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No. 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? At the moment when I inwardly said, 'YES, I'm dying now.' I had the feeling of knowing EVERYTHING that was ever known and ever will be known

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The feeling I had was ten times more intensive as normal. The biggest number wouldn't be big enough to describe the intensity of the feeling of calm and security.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. I saw unbelievable colors

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I didn't hear anything, there was stillness

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

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

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 I saw the most brilliant sparkling colors and light.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I left my body and was somehow one with the light and the colors; like a drop in the sea and at the same time the whole sea.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Indescribable calm and serenity

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? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe. I simply knew everything that could ever be known.

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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes My whole life I have been looking for spiritual answers; this was like a compulsion. I wanted to know what happened to me.

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

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 was only 4. The special thing was that I suddenly knew everything and was feeling like an adult person.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes It was only later in life that I started thinking it over.

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

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I was one with the colors of the sea and at the same time a drop of it. Difficult to describe.

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? I was too young to be able to compare it.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The feeling I had was x times more intensive as normal. The biggest number wouldn't be big enough to describe the intensity of the calm and security.

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 more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience. I still know every detail of what I saw, felt and perceived.

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? Despite the fact that I was so small, I still remember everything of the experience. I was then looking at my whole life for answers about what this experience could have been. The special thing was that I suddenly KNEW EVERYTHING about life, the universe; just everything.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I was only 4 and didn't know anything about this type of thing. I only processed it as an adult.

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. That's a feeling. You KNOW it.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Couldn't tell, you simply KNOW IT.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? The questionnaire is OK.

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