Karen V Probable NDE

Experience Description

As a precocious two-year-old, I opened the lower kitchen cabinet doors and climbed up onto the counter. From there, I opened an upper cabinet and continued my ascent. My goal was a bottle of St. Joseph Aspirin for Children. I wanted the delicious orange tablets that I mistook for candy.

I must have succeeded, because they found me sprawled on the kitchen floor and rushed me to the hospital where my aunt was a nurse. She later told me that my heart stopped and that I was clinically dead before the doctors were able to revive me and pump my stomach.

I do not remember the doctors working on me or the pumping of my stomach.

What I do remember is a sky glowing with the orange-yellow colors of autumn and a clearing beneath a tree. As the years pass, I can no longer recall whether I was sitting or standing, but I believe I was still a child. A man was there who spoke to me. I no longer remember his words, yet I have always felt certain that I will remember them at the time of my death.

I awoke in a hospital bed with my mother at my side. In the bed next to mine was another little girl, accompanied by her mother. She gave me a chocolate-covered cherry, my mother’s favorite candy.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: 05/05/1964

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
If I understand the question, I had an NDE because I clinically died from an overdose of children's aspirin.

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

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 believe so because I was too young to hide my light and was therefore at my highest level of consciousness and alertness.
Since I still remember this experience after 62 years, I believe that it was more special than normal.

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? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
I was unaware of time and when I became aware, I was back in the hospital bed with my mother at my side.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? More vivid than usual

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I remember the sky being orangey-yellow like autumn and very vivid, but not so bright that it hurt my eyes. Overall, I was comfortable and everything was beautiful.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I know that the being spoke to me, but I don't recall what he said. I believe that I will remember at the time of my death.

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

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain
I was lying under a tree but I don't know how I got there.

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased beings? Yes
The man who spoke to me as previously mentioned was present, but I was not aware of any other beings.

Did you see or feel surrounded by a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes
The entire space was suffused with orangey-yellow light.

Did you seem to enter another world? Some unfamiliar and strange place
I was on a grassy knoll with one tall tree in the center surrounded by trees below.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I felt calm, peaceful, and happy.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

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? No

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian - Catholic
I went to Catholic school, and was an altar girl and later a lecturer. I also took all of the sacraments. I did not convert without first receiving my mother's approval.

Have your religious practices changed? Uncertain
I suppose I found a religion that spoke to my beliefs in our oneness and the emptiness of existence. Also, it teaches that I have practiced Vajrayana in many lives.

What is your religion now? Buddhist
I was raised Catholic but in my 30s I converted to Tibetan (Vajrayana) Buddhism and have a strong practice devoted to the deity, Tara.

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
I was so young that I didn't come out of the experience feeling particularly special, but I was always what I call psychic and able to see auras. Then after the death of my mother, I pursued a PhD in Women's Spirituality and became a chaplain who has worked in hospice and hospital care. I feel particularly drawn to work with the dying and to teach, and I am delighted to share that I will be teaching a course of my creation on Spiritual Care in Medical and Community Settings. Ultimately, I feel that I am here to ask others not to fear death.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain
I have lived my life unafraid of death, but that hasn't led me to be a daredevil or to take life-threatening chances.

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
Yes, he spoke to me. It was a man who was taller than me and he may have been dressed in a white gown or robes.

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.)? Yes
I may have seen a male God, but in another, later experience, I saw God as a woman. So, now I believe that God is both nothing and everything.

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Uncertain
I believe in oneness, but I cannot be certain that this is because of my NDE or a life spent with the dying.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
Because of this experience and the peace and happiness that I experienced, I believe that there is something else.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

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? Unknown
When my NDE occurred, I was just too young to know if I had religious beliefs. Currently, I don't know what I believe anymore because as an interfaith chaplain, I have encountered so many beliefs.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

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 remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
At the time of my overdose, my aunt was training as a nurse and was present at the hospital when they brought me in. I shared my story as it is written here and she confirmed the accuracy of my account.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
I believe that I am psychic, but I do not know if I was born this way.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? I believe that I have lived a blessed life surrounded by love and I recognize that this is not the normal or common experience, so I express my gratitude to Universe or Deity daily.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
I have shared this experience with others for 62 years. Most recently, I decided to write it down after listening to the Telepathy Tapes. I then shared it with my aunt, who confirmed my memories of the event.

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
Strangely, I never doubted the validity of my experience. I have always known it was real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I have no doubt that I died and went to another realm then returned to this life.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? Yes
In the mid-90s, I went to the Matrimandir in India where I meditated on the question: 'What is freedom?' A female voice answered: 'Life Without Fear.' I believed it was God but perhaps it was my inner wisdom, but maybe they are the same. I was at first frightened, but I continued to meditate and then realized the wisdom of what I had been told.

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes
I believe this was a thorough investigation into my experience. Thank you.

Anything else to add? I find it interesting that my first experience of God was a man then God returned to me as a woman. Now, I believe that God, Goddess, Wisdom is beyond gender and is everything and nothing all at once.