Experience description:

I realize my experience is only a small fraction of what others have experienced and that I never actually died, but I keep thinking about this event that happened years ago. In fact, I can't even remember precisely what rollercoaster I was on, which theme park we were visiting that day, or what year it was. What I do remember is this incredibly weird feeling of sliding forward out of my body for about 1 second (maybe less - not sure) then sliding right back in again. I kept thinking, "That was weird! What just happened?!" After my husband & I got off the ride (he was sitting next to me), I asked him if he felt as if he slipped out of his body too. He said no but that he loved the feeling of falling (and, not surprisingly, roller coasters). I told him what happened, and he laughed & said I was only feeling the weightlessness, but I know it was something much more. I've been on rollercoasters before (although I've never liked them) and also on turbulence-filled flights, and that feeling was completely different. That feeling is one of falling downwards while you're with your body the whole time, but this feeling was one of forward sliding out of your own body, even if it only lasted for a  split second. That's what makes this weird experience so difficult to explain. I never had enough time to encounter a tunnel, beings of light, or anything like that (as I said, this experience lasted for about one second), but it was the first time I had ever been out of my body! What's even crazier is that now I'm tempted to get back on a roller coaster to see if I can re-create that specific experience.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? Yes     What makes this experience frustrating to communicate is that my husband keeps telling me that what happened was only normal feelings of weightlessness as you get with turbulence on an airplane. I've been on roller coasters & on airplanes many times before, and THIS was definitely different!

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No       however, at the time I couldn't stand the feeling of falling. I've never liked roller coasters!

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    during that one second and for many hours afterwards trying to figure out exactly what happened.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    Normal consciousness and alertness

            during that one second and for many hours afterwards trying to figure out exactly what happened.

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  No      

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?
            No      

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            a mixture of emotions: fear, amazement, confusion

Did you pass into or through a tunnel or enclosure?          No      

Did you see a light?           No      

Did you meet or see any other beings?           No      

Did you experience a review of past events in your life?    No      

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No      

Did you see or visit any beautiful or otherwise distinctive locations, levels or dimensions?           No           

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No      

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?     Uncertain            Immediately after this experience, I had a sudden insight that people who fall to their death (by either jumping or by accident) are most likely not inside their body by the time of impact. I'm also not AS AFRAID of death.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? No      

Did you become aware of future events?       No           

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?     Yes     I had two different vivid dreams about a visit from a deceased relative. The first was from my father-in-law who had died a few years earlier. The second was from my brother-in-law's brother who died of an accidental drug overdose of pain medication. These dreams seemed VERY real but, I confess, occurred while I was sleeping! Both dreams involved giving me messages to give to other people, but no one believed me. Another change is that I'm now able to figure out that I'm dreaming in the middle of a dream which enables me to wake up! I realize none of this makes any sense, but dreams like this never happened to me before this particular rollercoaster ride.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     I told my husband right away. To this day, he thinks I merely experienced the "norm." I've only told a few other people.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    Uncertain            I'd heard of the phrase "Go into the light" in movies, but that's it!

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real   

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?    I wouldn't necessarily use the word "meaningful," but it definitely messed with my head for a few years. Finally, I began to check out books from our library about this topic (even though I was only close to death in my thoughts) and feel comforted knowing that other people have had a heck of a lot more of this experience (& much deeper!) than I did and were truly very near permanent death.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was probably real            After hearing my husband repeatedly tell me that everyone feels odd sensations during a roller coaster ride and that I simply misread them, I'm not 100% sure it was real. I'd say about 75%.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           Uncertain      I really don't know, and self-analysis is a tough one.

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            Uncertain      Hard to say, because I'm continuously living by "Seek and ye shall find."

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No      

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        I've been under general anesthesia many times in my life (tonsillectomy, gallbladder removal, D&C during a miscarriage, colonoscopy, etc.) but never flat lined to have the full-blown experience. On the one hand, my anxiety of death has lessened as a result of what I experienced & have read over the years; but, on the other hand,  my anxiety over still having so many questions has increased! For instance, I wonder if the percentage of people who do NOT have NDEs after flat lining are due to actual death of spirit along with body (as in not "making it" into Heaven) or due to some other unknown reason.

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes    

Are there any other questions we could ask to help you communicate your experience?   Perhaps a question that specifically deals with an NDE-related experience, such as when a person feels psychologically close to death, even if it turns out their physical safety was fine.