Verschelde NDE

Experience Description

I gave birth during a full moon, when the medical staff was overworked. I had a tear in the vagina that caused a large loss of blood.

I asked my husband to go for help because I felt that I was literally getting empty of blood. The person arrived when I was watching myself over my body, in a state of total serenity and complete detachment from what was happening below. I saw the nurse slapping me, asking me not to fall asleep and stay awake.

I felt nothing and I did not understand why everybody panicked because I felt really good, calm, and I did not want to 'return', I felt so good, it was like as if my body had nothing to do with me.

I heard the midwife screaming into the phone, telling the gynecologist to come fast, saying she was 'loosing' the patient who just gave birth. I saw them putting again something in the intravenous infusion, a blood bag - everyone panicked. In the next room, I heard the pediatrician who was trying to make my baby girl to cry but did not succeed in it, urging to take her to the neonatal unit because she did not warm up.

I did not worry; I was detached. My experience stopped there, the only thing I can say is that now I KNOW that there is a 'temporary' state between life and death where one feels no concern but wellbeing.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 25/01/1983

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I had an major loss of blood during my birth giving and needed to receive two bags of blood transfusion.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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? More consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? When I was watching the midwife slapping me, I was over my body, I was feeling nothing.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

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? 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 had the feeling that the brightness and texture of the colors were more intense than at the moment when I first came in the delivery room.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I have a twenty-one percent hearing handicap in one of my ears, nevertheless, I could hear perfectly what the pediatrician was saying in the next room, and hear, at the same time, the nurse and the gynecologist who were taking care of me.

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

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

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? No

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? It was powerful, a sort of exaltation, I wanted the people around my body to feel my wellbeing, so they could stop worrying about me.

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

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

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? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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? I am totally convinced that this 'state' is a transition moment between our life on this earth and 'something else'.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told it to my sister right after, since it seemed to me so extraordinary to have felt such a wellbeing, that I wanted to share it with her. Then, later, I told it to my daughter (this extraordinary experience happened during her birth) and sometimes, I speak about it to some of my friends. Some of them are skeptical about it; others are interested and even believe that it is real.

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

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

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