Experience Description

I was two years old and fell into a creek. I remember seeing a bright light, cone shaped, that was pulling me upward and a woman standing at the top of the tunnel of light, she was dressed in white. I looked down and could see my body floating face down in the water. I had on brown pants, white shoes, and an over-shirt. I thought about this many times but never mentioned it until I read about a NDE in a magazine. I had always known about my near drowning, but none of the details. I questioned my mother about it, and she confirmed that she had thought that I was dead when she got me out of the water. I have never been afraid of dying, because of the extreme peace and calm that I associate with the experience. I realize that I was so very young, but the event is as real as if it happened yesterday. The woman seemed to draw me back to her, and then she just faded into a cloud-like atmosphere.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1945

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes I fell into a creek and started to drown. My mother said that I was not breathing when she pulled me out of the water.

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I could look down in the water and see myself floating.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I remember playing with a stick in the water and falling in -- I do not think that I made any noise, because my mother was just behind me and did not hear me in the water.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time seemed suspended.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Yes I passed through a tunnel, although I never reached the top.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I saw a lady in white at the top of the tunnel.

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes It was very bright, almost a blue white.

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Complete peace and calm.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

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? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:


Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes It is difficult because it happened so long ago, and I was so young. Also, because I was not aware that anything had happened until I read about such experiences. I always knew something had happened, I just thought that I had seen and angel, and she had saved me.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Best part is that I know that death will be a peaceful passing and I do believe that there is so much more. The worst part is that people do not believe me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I do not think that anyone who has not had the experience can understand and really believe that it can happen. Those that I have told really do not believe me. They just think that I dreamed it.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No