Experience Description

It happened almost 20 years ago.

I was staying at my in-laws home during a weekend. They didn't tell us that their gas boiler had a gas leakage, despite the fact that they had fainted during the night a few days before. They had arranged for a technician to repair it, but they didn't talk to us about it.

Sunday morning I went to the bathroom to take a shower. Suddenly, I felt a very strong pain in my belly. I thought that this might be my period and then I passed out.

It was at that moment that I had an NDE.

My spouse had come looking for me when I didn't come back. He found me lifeless in the shower. He tried to reanimate me and to call his father. My spouse was expecting to tell my parents that I was dead, because as I was gone.

They both desperately decided to perform a heart massage. My spouse was slapping my face to wake me up but I wasn't there.

I opened my eyes in a different place. I was lying on my left side. I saw a soft light in a the place resembling a cave. I'm wondering now if I might have been in a tunnel. I didn't feel pain, heat, or cold. But I was aware of my environment.

Then, from very far away, I heard a voice calling my first name and this voice got closer and closer. At the same time, I was forcefully sucked painlessly back into my body. The suction was situated mainly at the level of the brain. I opened my eyes and saw my spouse slapping me and calling me. I was back in my body.

Since then I have no fear of death anymore.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1998

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. Cardiac arrest following poisoning with city gas. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function)

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? No

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 aware of my environment.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The whole time.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

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. The same.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. The same.

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

The experience included: Tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain. I saw like a soft subdued light and the place resembled a cave. I'm now asking myself if this was a tunnel.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

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

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

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Subdued light.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place. What I perceived as a cave, provided a strange atmosphere.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I had no fear.

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? 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? Moderately important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

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

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic Not practicing much.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience. No connection at all with my religion.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes. There is something after death.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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 probably 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? Yes Life after death exists.

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? I was uncertain if an afterlife exists

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? An afterlife definitely exists Yes, I was aware of my body as I was lying on the left side.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately 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? 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? Yes No pain, cold or heat.

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? Moderate changes in my life. Two years later, I moved and changed my work.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

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? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I told my spouse just after my NDE. But after this, 15 years passed before I talked about it again. Now I talk freely with some people.

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. I was scared to think about it, but had the impression of having experienced something extraordinary.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. My NDE is a chance, as I know now that there is something more.

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? It is very complete.