Nurse NDE

Experience Description

I was diagnosed with eclampsia. [Editor's note: An acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy.] They gave me a C-section in the afternoon. In the evening, I was having trouble breathing; it felt like an elephant on my chest. I was on oxygen but I was watching my oxygen saturations decrease. I was terrified. Next, everything went pitch black.

Then I felt a pop and I was out of my body. I was floating. I felt unbelievably good, about a million times better than I ever could imagine. When I looked down, I thought, 'I look terrible'. Next, I saw my urine collection bag and the urine was brown. I thought I am in liver failure. The bag was attached to the side of the bed near where my feet were. I felt myself saying, 'What about my baby?' I felt the answer, 'That she would have the people she needed when she needed them.'

I am hearing plastic being opened and people yelling. I notice I am standing in the back of the room and my deceased Father is there. He had been dead about nine years then. He took me into his arms, we were dancing, and he was singing to me. He sang the same way he sang when I was a child. He told me it wasn't my time.

I remember opening my eyes and looking at the ceiling. I was in horrible pain from head to toe. I was angry. I heard the doctor saying I had congestive heart failure (CHF). I pulled the oxygen off me. With labored breathing, I sat up and tried to yell, 'How did I get CHF from a Cesarean section?' I fell back onto the bed and someone put an oxygen mask on me. There were about ten people in the room. They started throwing all kinds of equipment on my bed and wheeling me to the Intensive Care Unit.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: 06/25/2001

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Uncertain Surgery-related. Childbirth. Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) I was diagnosed with Congestive heart failure after the event.

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

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal When I was with my Father. I felt more alive. I felt so wonderful, about a million times better than normal.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My vision was great.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. My Father was clear. There was a muffle of people yelling and plastic being opened.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes My Father.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

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

The experience included: Strong emotional tone

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt love.

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? Everything about the universe

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

The experience included: Awareness of the future

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? Slightly important to me

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

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Uncertain

What importance do you place on your religious/spiritual life after your experience? Greatly important to me

What is your religion now? Christian- Catholic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I never imagined anything like that.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I believe more in love as a top priority.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

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? Yes My child would always have people who would help her around her.

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I felt one with the universe.

Did you believe in the existence of God prior to your experience? God definitely 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 definitely 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 possibly 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 Yes My Father was there. He was flesh. I was dancing with him. He was physically holding me.

Did you fear death prior to your experience? I greatly 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 possibly 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? Yes I felt love.

Were you compassionate after your experience? Greatly compassionate toward others

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life Large changes in my life. I was angry that I had to come back. I am more religious now.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes I felt unbelievable, it was wonderful.

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? No

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes In the weeks after I was discharged, I told people.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain

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? No