Ragan R SOBE

Experience Description

I had surgery on July 31, 2020. It was a very difficult experience in the hospital. I was alone due to Covid restrictions and my husband was not allowed to stay with me. I felt neglected and was mocked for being in pain. They did not feed me for 40 hours because they wanted to discharge me to free up the bed. I was told I could only have ibuprofen. I moaned in pain for five hours while nurses belittled and laughed at me. I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself. Finally, a nurse brought me crackers and grapes that she paid for herself.

I checked in the morning of July 31 and left late at night the next day, August 1. I cannot be sure exactly when the event happened, but I believe it was during one of the first two nights at home. It was definitely sometime between August 1 and 4, 2020.

I was on pain medication, but I could not tolerate it well because it made me nauseous. I was in a lot of pain.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up but could not move my body. I was trapped. It did not feel like a dream. I was alert and awake. I could hear my husband next to me, snoring. I felt like I stayed there for a minute or two, just wondering why I couldn’t control my body. Then I began to slowly rise into the air. It was a slow and very smooth ascent. At first, I did not understand what was happening and simply experienced the feeling of levitating. Then I looked down and saw my body and my husband’s body on the bed. That is when the experience became worrisome. I wondered why my husband wasn’t waking up as I floated toward the ceiling, and I grew concerned. Then I actually reached the top of the ceiling. I tried to push myself down. There was something over my left shoulder, a presence that I could not see. It was telling me not to worry and to relax. That is when I became frantic and started pushing down harder, arguing, "No! I have to stay with my kids!" I was actually speaking aloud. The other being did not use words; we communicated through thought.

I was not in a good situation with my husband. He was not sober, and my children were both in elementary school. I greatly feared what would happen if I were not there with them. My parents lived four hours away. So I kept fighting to push myself down and said, "No!"

I did not float back down. Rather, I was instantly back in my body. And then it was just over. The presence was gone. I could move again. I woke my husband up, and he thought I was crazy or high on pain medication. Since I never took more than one and a half pills every six hours, that was not the case.

I have never experienced anything else like it. I saw a view from my tray ceiling that I had never seen before. I noticed a small place on the wall where the paint was damaged. I stood on my bed and looked up there a couple of weeks later, and it was just as I remembered. It was not a dream. It felt just like being awake. I can tell the difference between a dream and waking life.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date of NDE: First week of August 2020. I cannot be sure of the day. Sometime in the first four days of August.

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
Major surgery during Covid. I was alone in the hospital and I was not well taken care of. I spent almost two days in the hospital. My husband was not allowed to be with me. They didn’t feed me for 40 hours. I was in intense pain and was mocked and told I could have ibuprofen because I was being sent home. I had just had a total hysterectomy.

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

Did you feel separated from your body? I clearly left my body and existed outside it
As detailed above, noticing the uneven paint.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? When I hit the ceiling and tried to push down, then was told to relax and basically just let it happen. That’s when I came out of my relaxed and floating state and started fighting.
It was not.

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? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Same

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience Same, except I could communicate with the being over my left shoulder without talking.

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? Uncertain
I’m not sure who was communicating with me.

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? First a pleasant, relaxed feeling with no worries. Then I felt worried and determined to get back down.

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

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 you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes
The ceiling. Then I refused to relax and just let myself go.

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
I was baptized into a Baptist church and confirmed into a Methodist church but, at the age of 40, I didn’t really believe in God or I was unsure. I viewed it the same way I did Santa or the Easter Bunny.

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
I pray and read the Bible and study Christian history.

What is your religion now? Christian- Other Christian
I do not go to church but am Christian. I read the Bible and follow the word of God and Jesus Christ.

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
It took me a long time to start to process what had happened. I got concerned when I started to hear the experiences of others and there were similarities.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
Became Christian

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify
The voice was in my head but I felt that it was coming from a presence over my left shoulder.

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.)? Uncertain
I’m not sure who was communicating with me.

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? No

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

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Uncertain
I’m not sure what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten back to my body.

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

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
I can still see it clearly in my mind.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
Probably crazy but I sometimes feel God when I pray. I pray outside and even feel the sun shine brighter when I follow certain routines in prayer.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? All

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
I told my husband right away and just told my daughter last night.

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
A year or two after it happened I heard the details of another person’s NDE and was shocked.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
I know the difference between being awake and dreaming.

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
Yes.

Anything else to add? That’s it.