Margie M Probable NDE

Experience Description

I had been home from high school with an illness for a few days and was diagnosed as having 'some type of stomach virus' by our family medical doctor. It wasn't determined that I had contracted hepatitis until I went to the hospital immediately after my NDE.

During the night, I woke up to see my bedroom curtains blowing up to the ceiling but didn't feel any breeze on my skin. I saw a bright light approaching - a very white light - but I didn't have to shield my eyes at all. I thought I was dreaming and definitely recall pinching my leg to see if I was awake. I heard a male voice coming from the light but I couldn't see a person and the voice said, 'Come, follow me.' I remember that I felt so warm (not temperature warm), but warm in a comforted way and I recall sensing that the light was all-knowing and was love. There are really no words to describe this feeling - words can only lamely touch on it. I remember telling the being/light through my thoughts - not aloud - 'Not yet.' As soon as I felt myself saying this, the room became dark and everything was back to the way it had been. I got out of bed, walked to the bathroom and collapsed. My parents drove me to the emergency room where it was determined that I had hepatitis and was hospitalized for seven days.

I remember this occurrence just like it had happened yesterday. I never told anyone for many years about this because I didn't think anyone would believe me. After getting older I started hearing the term NDE, started reading a bit about it, and realized I had had a similar experience. I had never heard of this before my experience. I also remember that after leaving the hospital I felt so happy to be alive and had a feeling of elation for quite some time.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1/1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Illness 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' Serious illness - hospitalized for five days with hepatitis immediately afterwards.

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 I suppose when I saw the light and heard the voice.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I suppose when I saw the light and heard the voice.

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 Knew I was in my bedroom, but also knew this wasn't normal. Felt like 'here' didn't matter - 'there' - where the light was coming from, was what mattered more.

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. Brightness. It was bright, but again, my eyes weren't sensitive to it at all.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard a voice with specific words very close by, but couldn't see the person, just a light. I knew there was someone there, though. Also, when I answered, I think I said it with my thought, not my voice.

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? Yes Couldn't see him, but heard him. Felt safe, but didn't know who he was.

The experience included: Light

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 Very bright white light. Not light from a light bulb type of light - but an intense bright white comforting type of light.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Only good ones. Very difficult to put into our limited vocabulary - feeling of love, all-knowingness, comfort.

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

The experience included: Special Knowledge

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? Conservative/fundamentalist

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I was raised Catholic, but I have grown to realize that I don't think there is any one right religion. I think we are a form of a universal energy - each a part of one another, somehow, and also a part of that light and knowledge I saw and felt.

What is your religion now? Liberal

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I was raised Catholic, but I have grown to realize that I don't think there is any one right religion. I think we are a form of a universal energy - each a part of one another, somehow, and also a part of that light and knowledge I saw and felt.

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

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? Yes

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain My relationship with myself, yes.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain Since I was only sixteen at the time and am now forty-five I'm not sure if these can be attributed to the NDE, but I have experienced two brief visions of deceased persons I know. I have been able to give accounts of past experiences at certain locations I have visited without any prior knowledge of their occurrence.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The feeling of all-knowing and love stays with you. Or at least, you can recall it and it comforts you. Also, until I started reading about NDEs fifteen to twenty years later, I never understood why I said, 'Not yet.' It confused me that I could say not to God or whoever that powerful being was. Now, I think it was because I had something left I wanted to do. I'm more at peace with that now.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Never spoke a word of it until about fifteen to twenty years later. Believe it or not, one of my neighbors had a 'psychic' friend visiting her about two years after my NDE and I happened to stop by for an errand (not knowing she was there) and she told me I almost died once. I started crying, left the house and never spoke about any of my NDE or that experience for about fifteen years.

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 remember pinching my body to make sure it was real and I wasn't dreaming. I would think logically about what it could have been, a hallucination, etc., a few weeks after, but I have never had one doubt about it happening - it was real. Otherwise, I wouldn't be willing to share it with you and others. Maybe someone else will say, 'that's what happened to me' and feel like they're not alone with their experience.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real I could still feel the experience without trying.

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? Thank you for having this website. For many years, I felt I could tell no one, even though it was the truth. NDEs were laughed at (sometimes still are) or taken with a grain of salt by some. It was a major event in my life and I hope to continue to learn from it. I'm sure there are people who will write to you who need to express what they have been through. Thank you for being here.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? No. You did a fine job.