Experience Description

I was pregnant with my first child, a girl. I underwent an urgent cesarean section on the June 24, 1978. Immediately after waking up, I felt that something was wrong. I asked for help from the mid-wives but nobody listened to me. Four days went by and finally a surgeon came to see me. He immediately located the problem. I had a hematoma between the belly muscle and the uterus. As the mid-wife had forced me to eat something to gain strength, the surgery could only be performed the next day.

I remained one night between life and death. I felt my strength abandon me, to such a point that death didn't scare me. I was resigned to die. My father and eldest sister had been allowed to stay with me. The surgeon told them that my life was in the hands of God. I had an infection. The pain was so intense that I got morphine during the whole night. The next morning I was wheeled to the operating theater. I don't know how much time the surgery took.

I found myself enveloped in an unbelievable white light. I felt good and had no pain anymore; I was like appeased, I felt so much love! That space had no limits. I was part of this space! Then all at once everything disappeared. I woke up in my room.

My mom was with me. She said, 'Stop shaking your head,' since I was vigorously shaking my head because I didn't want to leave this wonderful white paradise.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 29 juin 1978

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth While under general anesthesia. Hémmoragie. Life threatening event, but not clinical death I had a hematoma of 2 kg; it was discovered four days after the cesarean.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? No 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? Normal consciousness and alertness

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? In the light.

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. It was the same.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. It was the same.

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

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 It was everywhere around me, I was this light!

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Bliss, communion with the world, truth about existence.

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? 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? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:


What importance did you place on your religious/spiritual life prior to your experience? Unknown

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Catholic non pratiquante

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Unknown

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic non pratiquante

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience

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

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

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 probably 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 probably 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 probably 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? An afterlife probably exists

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

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I moderately feared death

Do you fear death after your experience? I do not fear death

Were you fearful living your life prior to your experience? Moderately fearful in living my earthly life

Were you fearful living your life after your experience? Not fearful in living my earthly life

Did you believe that our earthly lives are meaningful and significant prior to your experience? Are probably 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? Moderately 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? Slight changes in my life Slight changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:


Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes As there is no word that exists on earth to describe and above all to recreate the feeling that I experienced.

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

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes I hear voices, noises, objects moving, and visits from deceased close relatives in my dreams and in reality. I have a great sensibility that I didn't have before.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? No

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 I tried to find explanations about what I experienced and thought that maybe it had been caused by the morphine injections. In 2014, I had a serious road accident and received a lot of morphine for the resulting pain. My prognosis for survival was at stake, I underwent two operations, with one of them an important one. I now know that it was not caused by the morphine.

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

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? This questionnaire is quite complete.