Suzanne RP NDE

Experience Description

I was in 11th grade and attended the local high school. I had an after school part time job at a doctor's office as a clerk. On this particular day, I had a dental appointment. I went to work for an hour or two and then went upstairs in the same medical building to the dentist. I had a cavity filled and was given Novocain for pain, so one side of my jaw was numb. After the dentist, I worked for another hour or so and then I left to go meet a friend. We had decided to meet at about 5:30 pm at top of Sav-On which was rooftop parking. Sav-on had an interior stairwell although inside had full-length windows facing the street.

I parked on the top lot and my friend who was always late didn't disappoint, so I went inside Sav-on to get this particular flavor of yogurt that I hadn't had anywhere else - Apple Pie a La Mode. Sav-on was sold out of it. So, I went back to my car and on the way up the stairwell a man was coming down and we nodded to each other. Evidently, this same man followed me up the stairs and to my car. I did not realize this until I was seated in the car with my keys in my lap and I pushed the car door open and out in order to slam it shut and that is when the assailant was shockingly there. He got in between the car and the door, thus blocking my ability to close the car door. He knelt down and put one hand on my mouth and the other hand into a fist punching me on the numb side, so I couldn't feel anything. He told me to shut up and give him the keys. I never looked directly at him even though he was inches from me, then he strangled me. The last thing I remember was the graffiti on the wall in front and trying to peel his hands off and then I passed out.

It was still daylight out and I don't remember doing this, but I did get up from the parking lot and then fell down on my elbow. Somehow, I felt my way down the stairs. There was a person on the public phone and they helped me to the bathroom. They asked me who did this etc. They asked me where I had come from and I replied the dentist. They asked for my home phone number and I gave my work number. The secretary came over and took me to the office and the doctor, my boss, stitched the back of my head and had the various specialists in the building check my eyes and teeth. My parents were called and they took me to the hospital where I had CT Scans and in between I was questioned by the police. I believe the tunnel of light occurred when I was removed from the car and dropped on the pavement hitting the back of my head.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 'May 9, 1985'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Criminal attack Other 'This may be considered 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death.' I was followed to my car and upon sitting I was assaulted with punches to the face and head and then I was strangled by the assailant's bare hands to the point of losing consciousn The pre-dream no, but at the time I saw the light with my grandmother at the other end, yes, I was being or was already assaulted and strangled and thrown out of a car onto the pavement. Incidentally, I don't think the car was moving at the time. I had blood coming from my mouth, nose, both ears, eyes, and the back of my head.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Mixed

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 I don't understand the question.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I don't understand the question.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Don't understand.

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. Brightness.

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 recall. I vaguely remember that I may have begun to mix senses for example I could hear colors and smells - like her perfume.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

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

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

The experience included: 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 tunnel of light, but not blinding light. It was not a spot light, but I was in it and it directed my vision upward directly to the other end of the tunnel and it was my grandmother's head.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? No On a different dream a different day.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Frustrated that when I was reaching up to her my grandmother was not responding in a way that I expected. She was not grabbing my hand.

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

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? Scenes from the world's future But at a later date I dreamt about the death of my dad a year before it happened.

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

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal Baptized Presbyterian... went to Sunday school as a child and Bible Schools at various denominations.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain I am aware of being a good person.

What is your religion now? Conservative/fundamentalist 'I still don't attend church, but I do believe strongly in the 10 Commandments, Karma, and 'doing the right thing' even if it is not the popular thing...'

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain I am aware of being a good person.

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

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

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

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

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes At the time yes, I blamed by friend for being late and quit being friends with her.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain Do you mean to relay the experience to someone else or the actual experience itself as it was happening? There was a light tunnel of light and I was in the light. I did not have to go to the light. I didn't hear anything around me. My maternal grandmother was waiting at the end of the tunnel of light She had passed away in 1976. I was in my mind reaching up to her to pull me up and she just shook her head. She didn't say anything. Then, the tunnel at her end closed and was black.

Two to three weeks before this - this same deceased relative came to me in a dream. It was a very different type of dream from normal and it was very well lit. I was dreaming, but it was as if my eyes were open and my grandmother entered my room and she looked so real. She was talking very fast or at least, her lips were moving very fast, but I was so shocked at how real she looked that either I did not hear what she was saying or I did not listen to what she was saying. It appeared as if she was repeating the same thing repeatedly and I kept repeating in my mind, no, no, no. She appeared urgent in her demeanor and in some way frustrated, so she came closer and closer, so that I could understand what she was saying. She was trying to warn of something. This is what I told my family at the time, prior to being assaulted. Anyway, she finally came so close that she touched me, she was ice cold, and I woke up abruptly. I never did hear what she was trying to tell me.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes The account of a friend of a friend breaking his legs. I also dreamt of my dad dying a year before he did. Another dream was that my friend was moving even though I had no contact with her for five to ten years. I tracked her down and it was her last night she was packing (she was the friend that was late the day I was assaulted).

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I was too young.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I had the dream prior to the event and so my family brought the topic up. I had had a concussion and was not all there for some time after the event.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I kept having dreams of being in a white room with giants and giant needles.

This was a recurring dream. When I was old enough to understand, I was told that I had ingested a fatal amount of arsenic when I was eighteen months old. The doctors said there was nothing more they could or knew how to do, so every so many hours I was given a shot and my mom said she looked in from the hospital door with a little window and said it was the biggest needle she ever saw. I don't know what they were giving, but I wasn't expected to survive save for a miracle. I ingested a whole jar of arsenic that is many times more toxic than a baby could handle.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I was strangled and heading up to 'heaven' and my grandmother stopped it and sent me back by closing her end of the tunnel.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I survived what was meant to be a deadly assault.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Uncertain

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? No.