James M NDE

Experience Description

My fiancé was training as a nurse in Edmonton, Alberta when I was transferred to Winnipeg at the beginning of 1954. We were engaged to be married in September after her graduation in May. On June 5, 1954. I received news that my father had died of a heart attack. I immediately applied for and was granted ten days' vacation. I travelled by train to my parents' home. There, I took charge of the funeral arrangements, and moved my mother and her belongings to Edmonton. I settled the estate and returned to Winnipeg by train and resumed my duties.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: June 20th, 1954

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event?

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

Did you feel separated from your body? No

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Moderate sadness and/or grief feelings

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

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Did your vision differ in any way from normal? He was dressed in the brown suit we provided the funeral director for burial. He was also wearing a shirt and tie and looked exactly like he did when I last saw him alive about one year prior to his death.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? I woke from a sound sleep to see my father standing at the foot of my bed. After my initial reaction of shock and surprise, I sat up in bed and greeted him. He responded with a smile and told me not to worry about getting married in September as he had no objections and encouraged me to go ahead with my plans. I placed my feet on the floor to get up and go to him but by the time I reached a standing position, his image disappeared leaving no trace of his presence.

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Uncertain Extremely good.

Did you see an unearthly light? No

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

What emotions did you feel during the experience? He seemed to be in a good mood and spoke to me in his typical fashion.

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Liberal

What is your religion now? Liberal Rarely attend regular church services but I have been asked to deliver a total of twenty one eulogies for family, friends and associates in a variety of diferent denominational churches and funeral homes.

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

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? Believed God probably exists

Do you believe in the existence of God after your experience? Believed God probably exists

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain Since I have no way of knowing and have no qualifications to understand what becomes of one after death, the experience did not significantly change my thoughts on the matter. A Near Death Experience in 1990 sort of reinforced my opinion that there is a future after death but since there appears to be no scientific explanation for a NDE, I am still uncertain of a person's destiny after they die.

Did you believe in an afterlife prior to your experience? Believed it probably could happen

Do you believe in an afterlife after your experience? Believed it probably could happen

Did you fear death prior to your experience? Not fearful

Do you fear death after your experience? Moderately fearful

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

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? To see my father once more before losing him forever was the best part. Seeing him disappear so quickly was the worst part.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real. I was fully awake and remained awake for some time after the experience. I was consious of my surroundings and felt confident that my father, who was always pragmatic, had purposefully visited me to relieve my anxiety.

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

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? Several years after my experience, I shared it with a nursing classmate of my wife. She described an event when her deceased father appeared to her in a similar manner shortly after his death. She was thinking of quitting her training prior to graduation as she was contemplating marriage and did not wish to delay the ceremony. Her father, who was very close to her, advised her against taking such action. She did graduate and had a successful career as a nurse, a wife and a mother. She has since died.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? A little more room to describe a NDE in question 45.