Sara M NDE

Experience Description

It was an elective surgery (appendectomy) and I woke up in the middle of the surgery, vomiting and with impaired breathing. The anesthesiologist put the mask back on me and then I felt as if I was breathing water and I lost consciousness.

After a while, I was out of my body (up) seeing three doctors over me trying to revive me. I looked around me there and saw there was a kind of dark vortex over me. I could also see some beings, little and dark, in 2 or 3 groups. They knew I was there but they didn't approach. They looked strange so I didn't want to approach them either, but I didn't feel really alarmed. I noticed that I was moving slowly in the direction of the vortex and I thought that there was a limit of distance if I wanted to return to my body. I was curious but I decided to come back, and the moment I decided it, the experience finished.

I woke up much later in a bed in a bedroom, with abdominal pain and a chipped tooth. When I tried to tell what happened, they said it was a nightmare induced by the anesthesia. Later they told me that I had a cardiac arrest and they applied CPR and defibrillation.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1965

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related. Allergic reaction. While under general anesthesia. CPR given. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) An anesthetic complication during and appendectomy.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I could see the doctors panicking over my body, and also the beings and the vortex. 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

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was at my highest level the entire time I was out of my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. My vision during the experience was normal compared to everyday vision prior to the experience.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I think my hearing was less than everyday hearing, but I was focused on this new reality so I'm not sure of a change.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No I didn't want to engage in the vortex (tunnel?) because I thought there was a risk of not being able to return to my body if I did.

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Uncertain There were groups of 2 or 3 of, what appeared to be, little monks around. I didn't approach them. The vortex attracted me slowly but did not seem to attract them.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt a strong curiosity, peace, apprehension, and a sense of fun.

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

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

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain I knew there was a limit but I didn't reach it. I wanted to come back to my body before I did.

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 I knew intuitively that there was a limit and, between the curiosity of exploring this new dimension and the risk of not being able to return, I decided to come back.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

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

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I did become more spiritual and less religious.

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

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated- Agnostic meditation

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 was 13 years old, raised as christian, and had never heard about out of body experiences or the the tunel (vortex for me). So the whole experience was unexpected and new.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes The change is not being afraid of death.

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 I encountered groups of 2 or 3 of, what appeared to be, little monks.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

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? I was uncertain if God exists

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

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? God probably 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? An afterlife probably does not exist

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists Uncertain I was seeing everything from outside my body (and my body was without heartbeats) so it is evident that there is a conciousness outside of the body, but what lies beyond the vortex or for how long it will be, is a mistery.

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? Unknown

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 probably 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? No

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

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

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life A change that occurred in my life is not being afraid of death.

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

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes Sometimes I dream of future events.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes The first time (after the surgery) I wanted to talk about it but my parents dismissed it as a nightmare induced by the anesthesia. Years later, I heard about the tunnel but still it took years to talk to somebody about it, and very few people. I think they felt a mix of disbelief and hope.

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 I didn't think about it for many years, until I remembered when people begun to talk OBE and NDE.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Reading about other people having similar experiences, validates mine.

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