Oscar's Mother's ADC

Experience Description

When she was thirty-three in 1945, my mother had a vivid dream that she described to my three brothers and me many times. My brothers were aged five, seven, and ten at that time. I had not yet been born. Their father was serving in the Pacific. Although she was born and married in Chicago, Mom was living in south Alabama to be near her parents while her husband was overseas.

In the dream, her husband Stod spoke to her, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be alright." Mom always told us that it wasn't Stod's remark that made the dream so vivid in her mind; rather, it was the way Stod was dressed. They had been a stylish couple, and she said in the dream Stod was wearing a "horrible suit" that "he would never have worn in real life."

Two days after the dream, she received the telegram from the War Department that Stod had been killed when his destroyer was sunk. The telegram established the time of death, and she realized the dream came at the time Stod died.

Left alone with three young boys, she lived hand-to-mouth with the help of her parents until she eventually got a job as a reporter at the local weekly newspaper. In early 1947, she got an assignment to do a feature story about a local boy who had come back a war hero and started a crop-dusting business in Gulf Shores.

The interview was scheduled, and Mom drove to Gulf Shores. When she met the man she was to interview, he was wearing the exact suit that Stod had worn in the dream. They got married; it lasted fifty-six years, and I was one result. Over the years, the story never varied.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: 00/00/1945

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? Neither pleasant NOR 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? My mother never mentioned it.

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

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

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 It was a dream. My mother never elaborated.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Again, my mother did not elaborate.

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? Yes
Her husband

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? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Perhaps a little confusion.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Relief or calmness

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did scenes from the future come? My dad wearing the suit she had seen in the dream.

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? Unaffiliated - Agnostic

Have your religious practices changed? Uncertain

What is your religion now? Unaffiliated - Agnostic

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
My mother had not believed in an afterlife, I think.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain

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? No

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? Uncertain
Mom never said.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
Stod was deceased when he appeared in the dream.

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? Yes
Sort of. Stod said, 'Don't worry.'

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Moderate changes in my life

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Uncertain
She never really said.

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
The story never varied.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
Not sure how long after. She shared the story with family for sure.

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
I'm really not sure.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
Again, my mother has been gone a long time.

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? Uncertain
Mostly, except I had nowhere to list it as a second-hand experience.