Marina A NDE

Experience Description

Four days before my 16th birthday, we had our walls painted in our family house. In the bathroom, the workers removed the pipe which drains out carbon monoxide from water heater to the chimney. They didn't warn us about it. I went into bathroom to wash my hair. After some time, I got very dizzy. I grabbed onto the corner of the bathtub and turned off the water.

After that, I lost consciousness. The next thing I remember is that I found myself in the long tunnel through which I was moving forward. I wasn't walking because I didn't have the body. I began to realize that I was dying. I didn't want to die. Then I began fighting with all I had to get back to life. That's when the long battle between death and me began. I was struggling so hard to pull onto one side, and death was pulling to another. I just didn't allow it to pull me away. I had so much strength and I was extraordinarily powerful, which totally surprised me at that point. I kept wondering where do I get all that strength from since I always had very weak hands. To me, that fight looked like pulling a rope with a flag in the middle. I pulled to one side, death pulled to the other. The flag moved back and forth. It lasted for some time but I had amazing strength and didn't want to let it go. In one moment everything stopped. Then the bright light appeared in front of me and asked 'Marina, are you ready to die?' I said, 'No, no. I'm only 16 years old and I still haven't done anything good." Then I felt that I was going back to life. Death gave up on me.

I don't know at which point I started to gain consciousness. I've saw three men trying to take my clothes off. I didn't know what happened so I thought they came into my house and want to rape me. That was actually the medical staff. I fought them as well and held my panties tight so they can't take them off. I felt a stab on my finger. I was shocked because the whole time I thought those were the men trying to rape me and now they're stabbing me too. Then the nurse slapped me to stop me from preventing them to help me. I cried out of horror of what they're doing to me. Then I heard nurse saying to doctor not to take my panties because she noticed I had a hygiene pad since I had a period. After she slapped me, I began to cry and the nurse was comforting me, stroking my head. I think that all of this and occasional wakening happened after my experience.


Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 26.5.1976

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Gas poisoning

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

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 in a special state of mind and consciousness. Well, I experienced something unusual. Also, at the time of experience, I was amazed by the strength that I had.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The whole time of my experience, I was at the highest clear-state of mind, but not when I was waking up. I was unconscious, the ambulance came for me and they took me to hospital. In the ambulance car (as my mother told me) they pronounced me clinically dead.

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. I'd say it was an internal vision, because I didn't see my body.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Same as with vision.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere, as if by ESP? No

The experience included: Passing into or through a tunnel

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes I was in the tunnel and I passed through it but didn't reach the end. I never got out of the tunnel.

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: Unearthly light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an Unearthly light? Yes The white lightning ball.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm. I absolutely understood and knew where I was, it was very clear that I was not on this world anymore. Totally new and different experience from anything I ever had.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? determination and some kind of fear of death. I don't remember. I was really in fear, I just didn't want to die until I did something good for the world.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

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? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life. I wanted to return to life so badly because I wanted to do good. I considered that up to my 16 years of age, I didn't have many opportunities to do so.

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? Yes I stopped going to church but I still believe in Jesus. My faith has widened and so with the spiritual rituals as well.

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

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. Until the NDE, I was practical Christian and I believed in God. My sister said that until then I lived in my own clouds. But after this experience I began searching for answers in other religions. I realized that believing in reincarnation is completely natural and I have no doubts in it. I found many answers in Hindu and Buddhist religion and books.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I think I have no fear of death, but when I had to go to operation and narcosis, I am afraid I'll not survive the narcosis. So, I think maybe I am not so afraid of death alone as other people. The

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify. The voice which asked me, 'Marina, are You ready to die?'

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 definitely 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? Unknown

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

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Unknown

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? Slightly 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? Greatly 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. The changes were that I tried so hard to do good in my life. As I was young, I quickly realized that trying to do good, sometimes I would do just the opposite.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain I don't know how to answer this question. I doubt that it had an impact on changed relationships with other people. My relationships with people, unfortunately, change with my expectations and disappointments. It is not related to the experience.

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. I remember the experience very clearly and precisely. Yet, sSome of the things that happened in that time period I remember very clearly, some of them faintly and some of them I forgot.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I had them even before experience.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes in Sunday school.

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. Experience that I had was completely real just like any other experiences that we have every day in real life.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Experience that I had was completely real just like any other experiences that happens every day in life. Sometimes I joke that my first death was so easy (the gas poisoning) because I was so innocent and I always thought about God and all spiritual creatures. But who knows what my real death will be like because I'm not an innocent child anymore and I've done some bad things in life.

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? No.