Experience Description :

My throat became more and more sore and I was trying to wake up until there came a point when the pain suddenly lifted. I felt no hurt, total release, no weight, and perfectly normal. My father was in the room with a lit candle that kept going out. He was removing my twin brothers of three years to safety. He came back for me feeling his way in the dark, lifted my body, and went through the door and down the stairs. I followed behind him and me to the front garden where he sat me on a chair. I came to consciousness, clutching the underneath of the chair seat in each hand. I still have the chair and I can still feel that place across my palms when I entered my body.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1962

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Fire - black smoke - burning plastic Life threatening event, but not clinical death Sleeping in a room where I had left a candle burning on a plastic typewriter. Rural community - farm - no electricity. I had thought it was a metal typewriter. When the candle burned down, the room became drowned in black thick smoke and I became aware in my sleep of a very sore throat which became sorer as time passed.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

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 I was extremely aware of the lack of weight in my being, my ability to move without thought, the view of the back of my father's head and the position of my body is still vivid today. I had no fear or notion of abnormality I was just part of the place I was in.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Moving down the stairs behind my father carrying my body.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Neither

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Neither Time had no significance and space was me.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more so

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

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

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? Neither

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Neither

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Happiness, release, ease of thought, total confidence in my existence

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

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? United, one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? Neither

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate Church of England- School - Weddings -funerals- Christenings high days & Holidays

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate Church of England - Weddings -funerals- Christenings high days & Holidays

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? Neither

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes

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? Yes I live, spend time, in two haunted houses where I have heard and smelled presences - I had seen things before this event when I was two.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? My freedom of thought, weightlessness and knowledge.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Can't remember, I never questioned it - it was just a fact - they were interested, I don't know if they were influenced. Someone (a healer) did make me aware that I had experienced a near death experience - I was in my thirties.

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Unexplainable experiences before the NDE?