Experience Description

NDE at 6 years old:

(Thanks to Barb Schmidt and Meera Jacka, Australia, for the Translation)

I had to undergo a tonsillectomy. There was no way of getting out of the operation because I had chronic tonsillitis. I had suffered from fevers and severe, painful infections for some time. I was becoming ill more and more often and got weaker with every bout. My last memory before the operation was the smell of ether as I struggled, slightly out of breath, against the gas mask over my face. I remember that the doctor and my mother were with me. Soon, my sense of time and direction disappeared.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself flying though a square, shining, and yellowish-blue tunnel. My awareness of self was suddenly very clear and strong. I remember it now as if it happened yesterday: THIS was ME. I felt so beautiful, shining and alive! I was being drawn into the tunnel, flying effortlessly and feeling no resistance.

In the beginning, the tunnel was glowing gently, but then it became more and more intense and bright. I experienced a feeling of depth and dimension. My speed increased as I approached the light at the end of the tunnel. The intensity of the colors deepened. In addition, I was now full of an expectant joy. A sense of warmth penetrated me, through and through.

I saw shining blue and yellow lines flying past me with increasing speed. The intensity of the light and the clarity of my consciousness grew as my speed increased, until I reached a complete high: ‘Now it is all going to happen!’ I thought – but then I saw glowing, spitting sparks, and I bumped into some sort of net of electricity. It stopped my acceleration abruptly.

Unexpectedly interrupted in my joyful expectation, I awoke with a shock in the operating room, feeling numb, dizzy, and disoriented. I was back, and the doctor showed great relief on his face. It had been so difficult for him to wake me up that he had had to shake me violently.

For some years afterwards, I had no interest in everyday things. I felt I did not belong. I was ‘neither here nor there’. I had a low interest for this earthy life and remained in a dreamy sense of lightness. I lived in my daydreams and in otherworldly experiences. All of my attention was directed inwards. I was withdrawn and felt locked inside this dream world built from my special experience. I did not really want to embrace my life on Earth for many years but the joy of living did return eventually

My experience was life changing and my NDE gave me some special abilities including: Precognition; out of body experiences; going into the ‘other world’ to be with my grandfather and seeing deceased relatives, to name but a few. I rarely ever shared this part of me with anyone. I kept it to myself, enjoying my abilities and sensing them as very life enhancing in my own, private world.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1963

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Surgery-related tonsillitis operation 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' As soon as I was back, the doctor showed great relief, as it had been difficult to reach me and to wake me up. He had been shaking me violently. There had been no monitoring of my life-functions.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes 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 As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? It started shortly before the break-through, and it continued increasing during the flight toward the light.

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

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 was on a flight towards the light, and the experience had much more clarity, colorfulness, brightness and ease than anything on Earth. That feeling of flying by myself! Not a fall or a walk, I was flying! That was very exciting and a new feeling for me.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. There were no sounds.

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? Yes Described in the narrative above.

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? Yes At the end of the tunnel, a very bright light and a feeling of warmth.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Pure joy.

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

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No

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? Uncertain I am open minded towards all religious and native beliefs.

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain I am open minded towards all religious and native beliefs.

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? Uncertain

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain I did not share my experience with anyone and my life was not very lucky for some years afterwards. I had no friends. Later the joy of earthly life returned.

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 do not recall having any psychic or paranormal gifts prior to this experience. Following the experience, I had daydreams. Years later, sometimes the light came back. There was a voice to answer my questions and the presence of deceased relatives. The voice answering my questions had the following background: One day I arrived home from work feeling good-humored. The television showed some children who had been murdered in a war. I cried to God – *Why??* In an instant, the light came close and a voice said: ‘They are going toward the light, they are in joy.’ That was such a very confusing and astonishing moment, but I understood. Another later event was an out-of-body experience. There was a clear separation from my body, which was very different from my NDE, as I did not fly. I found myself hovering over my material body, just looking at it. At first I felt very confused and then fascination. ‘What is this? I am outside of my body, hovering, moving with my thoughts, going through a wall?’ Than I panicked. If I were dying now, was this my new body? My ghost? and would I be unable to fly away? I cried for help to Alfred B in Vienna, whom I had found via the Internet. He was very kind and reassuring toward me. ‘No problem,’ he said. ‘Many people have OBEs. Enjoy your ability!’ He explained a lot about the phenomenon to me. After that, sometimes my NDEs were very funny. One night, in an OBE experience, I went into my garden. It was a sunny day and there was snow. That morning when I looked outside, there was freshly fallen snow and it was sunny, just as I had seen it during my OBE. The NDE was an extraordinary experience, flying toward the light filled with feelings of joy, clarity and warmth. The OBEs cannot compare to it. They could be astonishing and funny. In them, I am clearly separated from my body. Another incident was a precognition of a car accident with a deer. I saw the accident in my vision and it did come true, but since I had been warned, I was prepared, and there was only superficial damage.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The entire experience was meaningful for me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I had not shared the experience itself until now, on the NDERF page. But I often shared my insights with others and received very pleasant reactions from them.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No I don't remember having had any knowledge.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I knew right away that my experience was ‘definitely real’. I did not wonder about my experience or what it was, being just 6 years old. It was the PURE ME. Following the NDE, I used to go into my daydreams in another world of light and that was very real too.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I know that the experience was ‘definitely real’. It was the PURE ME. Nothing is as real as this pure me.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes The light and warmth were the same as in my NDE and in the experiences I had shortly after the deaths of my father and of my father-in-law. I felt the same light and warmth at those times as during my own travel toward the light. That is another story!