Sally C Probable NDE

Experience Description

I had an almost dream-like experience of being in space. I saw light beings and the one great light was God. I knew the answers to everything. Even sorrow made sense. I understood life's purpose. Then I was in a recovery room and a nurse was in there with me: we communicated without speaking. She told me to go back to sleep and I did. I woke up in an actual hospital. I've never had a fear of death since.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: July 1974

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Surgery-related. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Accident: stomach cut open and legs cut open, my artery severed in left leg.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain My memory isn't as strong as it was right after the event. 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I didn't really understand it until I was older: Especially the nurse part. It was so related but it could not have happened. When I actually woke up, I was unable to move and had splints and tubes up my nose and in my arms. I could not have sat up in bed and spoke to a nurse plus we didn't speak: just more real than reality.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning There was no 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. The same as to the nurse and recovery room.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Everything was in my mind, like telepathy. No hearing like every day.

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

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes A tunnel with a light at the end.

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 A brighter light than the others was God.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm It was like outer space.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt pure love.

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

The experience included: Special knowledge or purpose

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe That was the most striking thing to this day but I don't remember what I knew: it was like I was given amnesia because I came back. I just remember being all knowing and not even asking questions; but with lightning speed thinking about questions and then having the answers.

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? 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 Just that the nurse told me to go back to sleep 'because I wasn't done yet'.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

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

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes As I began to disagree with some parts of Catholicism, my experience gave me the confidence to ignore the fears placed by religious persons.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian Lutheran

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 That God exists but other stuff was not religious based.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes No fear of death or life.

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 Beings of light and then the really nice nurse.

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? Uncertain It was like a telepathic oneness

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? Yes The big light was God.

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 But I can't recall.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes But I can't remember any of it - just that I knew all and then because I came back I couldn't take the info back with me.

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 I don't remember any specific info on what type of life would exist besides floating about as balls of light.

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

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? Slightly fearful in living my earthly life

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

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant after your experience? Are possibly 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? Yes I understood why we are on earth but now can't remember what those answers were.

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Uncertain Same as above

Were you compassionate after your experience? Moderately compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Unknown Unknown

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 more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience It's my clearest memory of my childhood

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes After 10 years, I've only shared with about 8 people ever.

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 The sense that life was the dream and the NDE was the reality.

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

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