Experience Description:

During my last NDE, I was suffocating to death after surgery to my thyroid. My husband was informed that I was dying and nothing else could be done. I knew I was dying because I had an out of body experience and a deep feeling of peace while the doctors were working on me. I felt like 'no, this can't be happening, I have young children'. After, I was put into surgery and an airway was opened. This was different from my actual clinical death experience, which happened so fast that I was in one world and instantly in another. Like dreaming. I experienced love and ecstasy which I have never had the intensity of in this lifetime.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 1959, 1989.1998

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Surgery-related I have an abnormally strong vagal nerve response which causes cardiac arrest after surgery. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) 1. Surgery 2. after surgery, clinical death 3. Suffocation after surgery

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

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? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the last time, it was when I was looking down at the doctors working on me while I was drifting off into a wonderful field of flowers.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Faster than usual

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Neither

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more so

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. More intense.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Neither

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? Neither

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes In my clinical death experience, I was with another being which gave me a feeling of love which reached ecstasy. I did not recognize the being.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? Neither

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Unfamiliar, strange place can't really describe, but it was beautiful

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Intense love and peace. Ecstasy.

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? Neither

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? Neither

Did scenes from the future come to you? Neither

Did you come to a border or point of no return? A conscious decision to 'return' to life

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal was an active member of the Episcopal Church, but not "religious"

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes I can't tolerate punitive controlling religious practices.

What is your religion now? Liberal I do not feel that I have faith in one organized religion now, however, I feel a deep spirituality which is very different from belonging to an organized religion, and believing someone else's words.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I can't tolerate punitive controlling religious practices.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? Definite being, or voice clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? Neither

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes I am more loving.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes Cannot describe the depth of emotion I experienced in the one experience I had at age thirty-three. Too wonderful for words. The peace I felt in the last one I had was extraordinary.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I am often psychic.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Yes, I felt totally loved.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Uncertain about the time, most people seem interested, but that is all.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No No I was three years old at the first. I had never thought much about it before the second. After, I knew I had had one. It was clear.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real There was no doubt that it was real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real It was too real and intense to be explained away. No one could convince me otherwise.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes Under hypnosis, I was with the same being I was with during the second NDE I had, it feels like he is a 'he' and I felt the same wonder love and ecstasy with him again. It was not planned to have this type of experience with this hypnosis, it just happened.