Winnie J NDE

Experience Description

I had taken a late morning nap. When I woke up, I began doing my daily housework, specifically dusting in the bedroom. As I reached up to dust the top of a cabinet, I hit my left elbow. I had the funny bone type of pain and began to get really dizzy. I knew I probably should have sat down on the bed but I didn't want to so I tried rubbing the elbow to make the pain go away. I passed out and hit the left side of my face next to my eye. I learned later that the bones were shattered.

As I lay there, at first I felt that I was continuing to do the dusting, but then I was interrupted by something different. I suddenly found myself flying in a dark night sky. The stars were everywhere, beautiful, shining all around me. I was aware of a cool breeze against me as I moved. I seemed to be aware of a being beside me on my right, perhaps holding me at the elbow and another at my left. I felt trusting and never turned to look at them. I quickly moved along and soon found myself above a courtyard with pillars. What impressed me most was that the floor was beautiful. It was white, like a crystal of some kind, dazzling and shimmering.

I began to descend slowly. I noticed many people moving quickly in one direction like they were hurrying to a meeting. They all seemed to be wearing white, but were wearing colors too.

I then became aware of the voice of my son beside me. He was shaking me and saying, 'Mommy, are you sleeping?' I realized then that I was in deep trouble. I knew I wasn't breathing and that I was going to die if I couldn't begin breathing again. I tried to take a breath but I couldn't expand my lungs. Although I wanted more than anything to take a breath in, I decided to try to make my lungs contract instead. This worked and I began to breath. My son then ran to get my husband who was in the bathroom getting ready for work. When he realized that my head was slightly caved in, he took me to the hospital. Later in the day, I had surgery to repair the damage to the bones in my face. The doctor said that the spot I hit could easily have resulted in my death and that I had a concussion. I didn't say anything to anyone about my experience as I lay dying until later.

About a year after that, my husband, my son and I began to discuss in detail what had happened to me. I knew only that I hit my head and that I wasn't breathing. I knew that I almost died and that I seemed be dreaming about finishing the housework and that this was interrupted by an odd experience of flying through the sky and going to the courtyard. My husband knew only that he heard a loud noise that he thought was probably my son bumping things around in his room, then about five minutes later that his son was calling him to come help mommy. My son, age about eight years only knew that mommy was lying on the floor, was blue, and that her eyes were open and he was able to help.

I often wondered later if this was a near death experience. My Pastor at church had made fun of people who said that they had near or after death experiences, so I knew that my experience wasn't acceptable in my church. I only talked about it with family.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: approximately 1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain AccidentDirect head injury 'Life threatening event, but not clinical death' I hit the side of my head on furniture and passed out and stopped breathing.

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? No 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 was able to appreciate the beauty of the stars, the coolness of the breeze, and the extreme beauty of the floor of the courtyard.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I was at my highest level of consciousness when I was moving through the sky and came to the courtyard.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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. My vision was probably about 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 did not hear a thing.

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? No

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

The experience included: Darkness

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

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain

The experience included: A landscape or city

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm The courtyard was so bright and pleasant. I saw no shadowing as there would have been in ordinary situations.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt mostly peaceful, very trusting, and not afraid at all.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt no longer in conflict with nature

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? Greatly important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

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 I felt aware of one being on my right and maybe one on my left.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? No

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? God definitely 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? Are meaningful and significant

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 definitely exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife probably exists No

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I did not fear 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? Not 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 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? Moderately 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? No changes in my life I chose an occupation in which I take great delight in cleaning floors.

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 is permanently fixed in my mind.

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 I think that it was a year before I shared this experience with others. The reaction was positive by some.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I think I heard about them before.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was probably real Because my Pastor had expressed negativity about them, I thought it might have been a dream, but the fact that my dreaming was interrupted suddenly by a different experience would suggest that it was real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real I don't really know what to think

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? After hearing of the experiences of others I wonder why mine wasn't more dramatic.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? I have none. s