Catherine N NDE

Experience Description

The 15th of May, 1969 was a holiday, Ascension Day. On this holiday, my daddy was to judge a pétanque (a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling) competition and our little family went along. During the competition, I needed to go to the bathroom. When I wanted to come back and started to cross the road, a car came from my right side, but I didn't see or hear it coming. At the moment when I crossed, there was suddenly a kind of silence around myself, like I was suspended in time. It was then that I was overthrown by this car. I didn't feel anything of the shock and lost consciousness.

During my unconsciousness, I was bathing in a soft, warm light. I heard a soft kind of music. I felt perfectly well. Then I saw a door in front. It seemed to me that I heard a voice filled with love that invited me to come and open this door. I approached the door and started to turn the handle. The door opened slightly and I could see a light-halo that was even more powerful than the one in which I was already. Everything was softness and well-being. I didn't feel any fear at all. At the moment when I started to push this door open I heard a voice. My mother was screaming and praying to the Virgin Mary to save my life. It seems to me that the soft voice gave me a choice, but I don't remember this exactly. My mother's heart-filled scream and her crying persuaded me to come back even though I did so with a lot of regret. When I came round, it was to the great relief of my mother.

Following this accident, I had to remain immobilized many days because my leg had been damaged and that I was at risk for internal bleeding. The most important element to me was that my very soft and pleasant character from 'before' had suddenly changed. The shock had been so strong that I developed a strong reaction of aggressiveness and anger. This hampered my social life for a long time.

In the following years, I experienced one case of out of body experience and two 'calls' to leave. In those three experiences this happened during sleep. In the two calls, I experienced sensations of music and happiness. During the three experiences I stayed here, either because I was pregnant, my son was already born, or that my son was sleeping at my side. I wanted either that my son should be born, and could have his mother at his side to go with him in his earthly life. Subsequently during the passing on of loved ones, I have been in contact with them during dreams. With the passing of my mother in December, 2022, I experienced one month of grace and plenitude.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 15/05/1969

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Accident Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening Difficult to say

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? Uncertain I can't answer this question. 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? I can't answer this question.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? I can't answer this question.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I can't answer this question.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I can't answer this question.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? No

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

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes Already described in my account.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Already indicated in my account.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Trust, well-being.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

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 The crying of my mother and also her prayer to Virgin Mary brought me back to life on earth.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? No comment The day of the accident I had not yet been 'conditioned' by any kind of religious dogma.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes From the year following the accident I received a religious education.

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I was only 6, my mother was a believer, my father atheist and the keyword at home was respect for any belief or not. I only started to get a religious education at seven years, after my accident because my mother had dedicated my life to Virgin Mary.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I received a Christian education that I accepted gladly, as my mother had given her word to the Virgin Mary what we honored. My life came often across the first name Marie, my son was born at Oloron Sainte Marie, my husband's name is Mary and if I had been born on the 25th of December instead of the 20th of December my name would have been Marie.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify I already expressed this is my account.

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

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes I'm extremely intuitive. I experience sensations of Déjà-Vu, I'm warned about coming events.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life The only notable change was the shock due to the accident that hit me deeply. But following this accident I had an absolute trust in the facts of life.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

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 as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the experience

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I have a perception of people. The first time when I meet somebody I know who they are.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I believe that I talked about with my mother very soon after, but I think that at the time nobody attached any importance to this. Around my thirties I talked about with my then boyfriend, he passed on the day of my birthday and came to visit me in a dream a few months after this passing to tell me that you shouldn't fear death.

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

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes I was confronted three times with experiences, either of out of body or appeals towards the other side. Not counting my dreams with certain deceased people of my surroundings.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Some questions seem difficult to answer for me (see my remarks) and at times there are repetitions, as in the narration of the experience I described with most possible detail what I experienced. The more I couldn't find in the questionnaire the possibility to skip some questions when you experienced those events as a child.