Jennifer B NDE

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION:

It was a very brief experience.  I only stopped breathing for 30 seconds I was told, but it felt like I was "gone" for much longer than that. 

It began with me floating slowly downward.  I was in a tunnel made of cream and rust colored mist.  I felt very tired and sick to my stomach and I just wanted to go to sleep.  I remember thinking, "I'll just rest for a bit".  The next thing I remember is suddenly being completely awake.  I felt as if I were floating on my back.  My eyes seemed to be open, but I could not see my body even though it felt as if I still had one.  I was in an endless black void or space.  There was nothing to see.  Even though it was totally black, it wasn't dark.  In other words, if there had been something to see, I would have been able to see it.  It was just totally empty. 

I remember thinking, "This is weird", but I wasn't afraid.  Instead, I was completely relaxed and pain free.  I felt filled with love and peace, as if I was exactly where I was supposed to be.  I also noticed that my thoughts were extremely clear, very unlike my usual self.   

I wasn't floating long before I noticed a field of stars below me.  They formed a sort of curtain that divided where I was from someplace else.  I knew I would be able to go to them if I just thought about doing it, but right after I had that thought, a male voice spoke to me in my head.  He told me that if I went past the stars I wouldn't be able to come back. 

I remember thinking, "I'm not sure I want to go back, it's so wonderful here."  And that was it.  The next thing I remember is feeling my aching body and hearing my husband calling my name.  The first thing I said upon waking was, "I went somewhere."

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? Yes     Words don't adequately describe it.

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          Yes            Undiagnosed congestive heart failure with severe hypotension followed by fainting, blow to the head and cessation of breathing.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    As soon as I entered the black void, I guess that would be the middle?

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    More consciousness and alertness than normal

If your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience was different from your normal every day consciousness and alertness, please explain:            As soon as I entered the black void, I guess that would be the middle?

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  No      

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?            Yes     I was hearing inside my head instead of with my ears

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Peace, safety, love, joy, euphoria, a feeling of being accepted

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          Yes     I was surrounded by a diffused light of cream and rust colored mist that was all around me but not touching me, like a tunnel, and I floated downward slowly in it.

Did you see a light?           No      

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No      

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?            Yes     The black void

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain      Not until I came back, did I realize that it felt like I had been gone longer than I was.

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     No      

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes     It was a field of stars, and I would not be allowed to come back if I crossed over.

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     No      

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     Only my immediate family.  They were intrigued, but otherwise seemed unaffected.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Yes            Very limited.  I'd heard a few accounts on TV over the years about the light and tunnel.

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    It felt real, so I believed it was real and I wanted to learn more about it.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            That I felt loved and accepted.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real    I still feel that it really happened and I have been reading about other people's experiences.  I'm no longer afraid of death (just the associated pain).

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Yes     I am much more accepting of others and their beliefs.  I now feel that everything will work out in the end  for all of us, and so I have become a more forgiving person.  I also now feel an interconnection with everything in the universe.

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Yes     I no longer feel that the Creator needs to be put in the box of organized religion.  I feel that we are all acceptable to him no matter how we worship.  I try to keep an open mind.  Kindness and love seemed to be the key.  Helping when and how you can.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No      

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        no

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes