Sandi R NDE

Experience Description

It was a rainy afternoon when we were driving home from my grandmother's after a visit. I was in the back seat with my two younger sisters. Two young men were racing their cars when one driver lost control and hit our car head-on. I remember hearing my mother yelling my father's name and then I rose up out of the car.

I remember going right through the car's roof and being held in clouds of amazing colors. The colors were brilliant and very comforting. I could ‘see’ the colors and ‘feel’ them simultaneously. It was as if I was held in someone's arms, like a baby is held. I knew God was there with someone else too. I was not sure who the other ‘being’ was, I have always assumed it was Jesus who was holding me. They were not in bodily form; they were part of the cloud-like colors. I felt absolutely no fear, only peace and comfort. Suddenly, I was in the back seat of the car again.

I could tell that some time had elapsed, as there were police and emergency medical technician personnel helping my mother with several other people around. The emergency medical technician personnel got us out of the car and brought us to the hospital. I was the last of my family members examined because I was the calmest. I had a broken collarbone and was feeling little pain. I have never been the same since this experience. I am now without fear or doubts about death.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1964

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' I was in a dangerous car accident. My mother and I spent some time in the hospital afterwards.

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 remember seeing my mother hitting the dashboard and then falling back onto the floorboards as I was ‘leaving’ through the car roof. 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? Normal consciousness and alertness I was only seven years old. I accepted it at face value and did not question the experience.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? While I was being held, I knew that the beings were communicating and I just felt content in the security of where I was. I did know not to tell anyone when I got ‘back.’ Somehow I knew it would not be accepted.

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

Were your senses more vivid than usual? No

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 know if ‘vision’ is the right word, because it was more of an ‘experiencing’ of the events. It is like vision and feeling were one and the same.

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 ‘hearing,’ exactly; it was more ‘knowing’ that communication was going on. I knew I was being talked to and talked about but I don't remember hearing it, only knowing it. It is very hard to explain. My senses were ‘different’ and more connected.

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? 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 I saw lights coming through the colors, I don't know if the lights were part of the colors or filtered through the colors. The colors were a cloud that enveloped me.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Peace.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

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? 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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Unknown

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I know that I know that God and Heaven are real.

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant Just that I have always known God. I am the only person I know that does not remember a time when I did not know God.

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 I had been raised in church but had no real thoughts of death. I was only 7. I had definite feelings about it afterwards.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Certainty about God.

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 Two beings were there, I felt them rather than seeing them. They were communicating with each other and to me, they were communicating comfort.

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.)? Yes I knew that God was there and another spiritual being held me. I have always thought it was Jesus. But I was only 7.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Uncertain Only in the sense that I seemed to be separate but a part of this place at the same time.

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 He was there

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? Uncertain My mom, who does not know about this experience, says that I started telling her that I had a special calling from God.

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? Yes I knew that I was going to carry this with me my whole life. I believe I was given gifts that day.

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 Yes Yes, I knew I was in a different place than the earth that I know. I knew that if my body died that I would stay in this place.

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? Greatly 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? Yes I just knew that God would always be with me and would always direct my life.

Were you compassionate prior to your experience? Unknown

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes Complete love and acceptance. Contentment and security that I have never known since. A few years ago I got very sick and thought I might die. I experienced an excitment that I would finally get to go "home" and was a little disappointed when I began t

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 I believe that because this experience happened to me at such a young age, it greatly changed who I am.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain Yes I think I am a completely different person from whom I would have been if this had not happened to me.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The experience is so different from anything I have ever experienced before or since. There are no human thoughts or words that can describe being able to see and feel color or communication the way it was there.

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 seems like the only real thing that has ever happened to me.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I don't know if this was evident before, but I have always had a strong feeling of empathy for others. I cannot read minds or thoughts, but I am extremely sensitive to the moods and feelings of those around me. I once knew that a man was deaf before I had received any information that he was. I have twice heard or ‘felt’ a voice warn me of danger. One of those times, I heard the voice tell me to leave a place immediately and the next day a woman was found dead at that same rest stop.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The part concerning complete knowledge of who was taking care of me is especially meaningful.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Albeit, not until I was adult mostly over the last few years. People treat me like I am a little strange when I tell them so I don't tell many people.

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 My experience was definitely real there is no doubt about it!

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real My experience was real and I was there. It does not matter to me if anyone believes me or not, I know what I experienced and I am grateful for it.

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 know that we are surrounded by this other place at all times. I believe our bodies are like a prison that keeps us from seeing it or knowing it is there. It is like spending one's whole life indoors and so not understanding the possibility of ‘outdoors.'