Hannah M STE

Experience Description

I had a new baby who was almost three months old, and I was filled with absolute joy and gratitude over having given birth to our first child. My husband had gone north for the night with a friend to fish. Our baby was calm, and I was calm.

I went to bed just before midnight on March 16. I had just settled into bed when I began moving, while lying on my back, down a shallow and narrow warm waterway.

When I came to a stop, I had an intense urge to scratch the thing that was blocking my movement with my toe. Physically, I could not move my body. However, my toenail somehow ripped the door open, and I flew through it.

I began spiraling upward into the darkness. I could see and feel myself slowly spiraling upward. With every turn of my body, I noticed that I was letting go of a negative human trait. These included regret, ignorance, anger, disappointment, hatred, envy, and other negative emotions.

As I continued spiraling upward, I began gaining positive qualities such as joy, tranquility, and euphoria. Those were the strongest ones. I did not simply feel them. They completely filled me. I became 100% joy, tranquility, and euphoria.

I continued spiraling upward very slowly. I was lucid enough to know that what was happening was not of this earth. I assumed that I was dying and asked out loud, "Am I dying?"

I did not hear an answer, but I felt certain that I had a choice whether to go or stay. I calmly said, "I can't go. I have a baby to look after."

From that point, I began spiraling slowly downward. With each turn, I gradually lost the positive feelings that had completely encompassed my being. At the same time, I began picking up the negative human traits that I had lost while spiraling upward.

Eventually, I finished spiraling downward and found myself back in my bed. It was now after midnight on March 17, 1985.

I got up and walked to the bathroom, but I felt as though I was partially floating. The next day, I had a very strong feeling that something BIG had happened. However, I had no idea what it was and was still in disbelief.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: 03/17/1985

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

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? I feel it was from start to finish.
Slowly, over the 42 years since my experience, I have opened my mind to many things that normally wouldn't have made sense to me before my experience.

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Time seemed to go faster or slower than usual
Very, very slow.

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 during the experience was 100% focused on the experience.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience My hearing during the experience was 100% focused on the experience.

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 beings? No

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

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter another world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm
It was just me alone spiralling, but I felt someone listened when I said I couldn't go because I had a baby to care for.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I became pure joy, euphoria, and tranquility.

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 understand everything? Everything about myself or others
I understood what was happening to me as in joy, euphoria, and tranquility. It was full body.

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain
It was my decision not to carry on.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life
I chose to come back to look after our new baby.

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Unaffiliated - Atheist
We were sent to church as kids, but we rarely attended. Instead, we were on a dock looking at starfish.

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
There is a spiritual aspect to every day, everything, and all of me!

What is your religion now? Other or several faiths
A little bit of everything, as I find learning about all faiths and all gods teaches me more than just one faith or God.

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 was very young and had never really thought about anything unusual, nor would I have believed it.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
There is more to my life than what I see. What I feel deeply is also significant.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? 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? Yes
100% full joy, tranquility, and euphoria.

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 felt like I had a choice as to whether I would stay in that realm (as in death, I suppose) or come back to look after my baby.

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
I have had many, many unusual experiences since then. I know I'm not alone. I feel well looked after spiritually. I cannot seem to learn enough about the world, its people, experiences, life, behaviours, and the other realm I visited in 1985, which holds as much significance or more than the one I'm in now. I trust that realm more than the one I'm in now. I have changed a lot, but I think the most significant changes came from my experience on March 16/17, 1985. I'm still mystified by it all, but I also feel a more all encompassing spiritual joy than I ever felt before.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
42 years have gone by. I am more mature naturally, but I am also aware of something extraordinary in the realm I was lucky enough to visit.

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 do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
I will never forget any of what happened that night 42 years ago. I think about it often. I wonder about it. I still have many questions that remain unanswered, but I have also changed considerably since it happened.

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 had many experiences that defy explanation since March 16/17, 1985. Dreams that explain things too. I cannot get enough knowledge.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The negative traits that dropped off me when I spiralled upward, and the positive ones that I gained.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
I shared with my kids and husband and no one else until a hospice nurse asked me why I'm not afraid of 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
It was the most significant experience I've ever had. It lives on with me every single day.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
What I felt was deep. Unexplained, but as real as can be. It happened over 15 minutes or so, but it seemed like there was no time measured in that place.

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

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes
I was glad I was able to elaborate.

Anything else to add? Despite how realistic I can be about things on this realm, I absolutely know there is another realm.