Karyn T NDE

Experience Description

After being in labor for about eleven hours, and it was time for me to begin the pushing process. I did not attend any child birthing classes and was relying on the nurse to help me with breathing properly. I seemed to be doing fine until all of a sudden I found myself above my body, totally disconnected. I felt no pain, no sense of urgency about my current situation. I seemed to be somewhere high up near the ceiling off to the right near the head of the bed. I was able to see everything that was going on in a rather close-up fashion. I saw the doctor's face. Although outwardly calm, he eventually did show a small twinge of panic right before I came back to my body. I was able to see my husband's face and his look of concern; and the nurse's face who was gently smacking me and saying, ‘Karyn, come back to us. Come on, you have a baby to deliver here.’ I saw my own face, my head rocking off to the right as the seizure took hold of my body. It was as if I was able to see all of these things all at the same time. It was not really switching from face to face, just seeing it all combined; yet separate as if I had ten sets of eyes. I was very aware (reminds me of the last time I smoked marijuana and how utterly clear everything seemed to be; so clear that I never wanted to be that clear again).

While still in this out of body state, I watched myself seize for a few seconds, not really sure how to digest seeing my body jerking around. It didn't seem to really matter at that point. I felt completely peaceful and at ease in my new state. It also seemed as though during this time when I was out of my body, someone was with me. I cannot connect the feeling of this other being with someone I actually know or knew, but this entity or spirit seemed familiar and comforting to me; the sensation of someone's arm wrapped around my arm, as if to help guide or steady me was definitely a strong sensation.

I remember thinking to myself that this was the most wonderful feeling I had ever had; I had no pain, no anxiety, not a care in the world. Sometimes I feel this way for very short periods during dreams while I sleep. I had no sense of time at this point, it could have been a minute or five, could have been a year that I was gone, but at some point the conscious thought came to me that I was in the middle of giving birth and that it was important that I get back to the task at hand. I vaguely recall a voice saying to me that I needed to ‘go back.’ And almost immediately I was back, as if a ripcord had been pulled and I zoomed directly back into my body. I immediately got back to pushing. The doctor went back to his nonchalant manner, and the nurse looked a bit concerned. As it turned out, my epidural wore off and I felt pretty much the entire delivery, although there actually was very little pain. When my daughter's head was out, the doctor announced that the cord was wrapped around her neck twice and that he needed to do some quick work to take care of that. None of this panicked me whatsoever. When she came out and they placed her on my chest, that is when I knew that God existed.

I suppose it was the thrill of it all, but I didn't really focus on the out of body experience until the nurse came in again about a half hour after bringing me back to my room. I definitely got the sense that she was a little freaked out. She mentioned that she had never seen someone seize during birthing and that she almost went over the doctor's head to do something about it. She felt that he didn't give much care to my situation. She actually said ‘I thought you were gone.’ I know from experience that trying to relate such things as out of body experiences is not very easy, and this did not seem the time to tell her of my little journey. It really wasn't until about three weeks after my daughter was born that I actually sat down and thought about what happened to me.

I mentally challenged myself to relive what had happened and to try to not lose track of how it made me feel. I really liked the peaceful feeling I had. I didn't have one speck of panic during that time when it came to the idea of ‘leaving’ and never coming back. I knew distinctly that what was ahead held peace and apparently a great amount of knowledge. I suppose that and seeing the miracle of my beautiful baby brought me to the conclusion about God's existence. Through the years, my daughter has led me down paths that I believe I was meant to walk. She even led me to being baptized a few years back, where I finally felt like I had come to accept that God not only existed, but that He is fully aware of where my life is going.

Every now and again, I conjure up that day and relive it. There are times when I have mentioned it to friends and I usually am given some sort of odd reaction. I hate feeling as though I'm a nut so I usually laugh and pass it off. Just the other day I mentioned it for the first time to my new husband. I'm not even sure what brought it up. He listened attentively and thought that my experience was exciting and believable. I loved being able to tell the story and feel as if he grasped what I was trying to relay. Occasionally I need another's vindication that I am not crazy in believing what happened to me was true.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 'May 15, 1994'

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Childbirth Seizure due to lack of oxygen while giving birth 'Illness, trauma or other condition not considered life threatening' Seizure while giving birth. I was in the midst of a seizure brought on by lack of oxygen while giving birth. Life threatening? Probably only in the sense that I had to make the choice to ‘come back’ and finish giving birth to my daughter. The doctor acted as though my seizure was quite normal whereas the nurse was very concerned with my situation.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Positive

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I didn't actually see the separated part of me, but it seemed as though I was still pretty much me, only light and airy.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? The spiritual Karyn was completely conscious and alert, and then some. I felt as though I was aware of every square inch of that room, of what each monitor was doing and how it worked, even what the other people were thinking and feeling. The body Karyn, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious. My body might have as well been clinically dead rather than seizing as my consciousness was so detached.

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I suppose I was only out of it for less than thirty seconds or so, but it could have been a year or ten years. I had no real concept of time while in that state.

Did your hearing differ in any way from normal? I heard everything, yet it seemed quiet all the while.

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes As I mentioned, someone was with me. I don't know who, but they were not a stranger to me in any way. I did not connect that spirit or being with a family member who had passed before, but somehow I knew them.

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm Every sense was more intense, yet they didn't detract from my experience. For instance, I loathe the smell of hospitals and I was able to smell everything in that room. It didn't bother me in any way. Noises seemed to be clear, yet muffled all at the same time.

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I was peaceful, calm, and content.

The experience included: Special Knowledge

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe During that time I sensed everything. My greatest desire when it comes to the idea of an afterlife is having complete knowledge. I had a small taste of that during my experience.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

The experience included: Boundary

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes It seemed as though I wasn't meant to leave that room or rise above the ceiling. I would have gladly gone though, had I been encouraged to do so.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will In addition to the nurse telling me to ‘come back,’ I vaguely recall that the person or spirit that was with me told me I needed to go back. Immediately after that I made the decision to go back.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate 'Held a belief in God, but questioned my belief often. Had a great fear of death, unsure of what would happen after I died.'

What is your religion now? Moderate Evangelical born-again Christian who is sure that God exists and I now have little fear of dying.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes Absolutely. I no longer question the existence of God and, although I have no desire to be separated from my daughter any time soon, I feel at peace with the idea that the next horizon is a wonderful place to go.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Uncertain Trying to describe how I was able to see everything that was going on in the room, seeing everyone's faces all at the same time including my own. I had complete knowledge of all that surrounded it me it seemed. This seems clear to me, but I'm not sure that I can translate it to others so well.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain I actually feel as though I was even more open to psychic and paranormal events prior to this experience. I had done exceptionally well on psychic tests and such before, whereas now it seems as though I can't find the concentration. I attribute much of this to being a single parent for so many years. At times since the experience when my life has been stable and more carefree, I have been able to connect to some of the psychic feelings I had before. Mostly I feel as though I interact with people who have passed on while I am dreaming. I've interacted with people who were connected to me in these dreams, who I have no real knowledge of, like grandparents who I never met yet who I seem to know so well.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The best part is my firm belief that an afterlife exists and that I will be there someday. The worst part is when I think that I could have made a different choice and not gone back. I would have missed so much, especially missed out on my wonderful daughter. This thought causes me some angst.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Some people who I have told my story to, who I believe to be less in-depth about their own spiritually, are polite, but all the while giving me the vibe that they think I'm a bit nutty. The people who I trust the most with my heart and mind seem to take what I have to say as fact and seem genuinely interested in knowing more. Not really sure that my experience can influence anyone, but I have had people tell me that they wish they could experience such a feeling.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No Not following, but prior to this experience, I had a short out of body experience when I was in junior high. A girlfriend told me of how she could make me faint by putting her hands on my neck and, stupid kid that I was, I thought it might be fun. This was done in a crowd of students and when I fainted, I found myself at the back of all of these people, watching myself faint and fall to the ground.