Rebecca's Experience
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Experience description:

I was fighting with my older sister, it was ANZAC day in New Zealand.  I had a friend over and my friend went off with my sister and I was sad.  My sister had a marshmallow lollie and got me to get the matches from the high up cupboard (we were not allowed to get to) but I climbed up and found them.  They used the matches but did not share them with me.  Playing with matches, I was lighting my dress and watching the flame.  Then blowing it out.  But of course as the circle got bigger, I could not blow it out.  My dress was engulfed with flames.  I was screaming and my mum (an RN) came running out she ripped off my dress.  She then wrapped me in wet towels and took me to the hospital.  I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 60% of my body.

The near death experience was in hospital. I think it was the first day it happened when I was hospital in emergency. I had been put in a bath then I was laid on sheets.  I remember this, as they moved me off them and the sheets stuck to my skin causing great pain.  I remember feeling the burning heat but freezing cold of my legs which were not burnt.  The experience I had was once.  I was in a tunnel of light, and I felt like I was being made to come back to consciousness, this world, and I was not happy about it.  I came back too, to extreme pain and months of this to follow.  I was in a tunnel with bright light.  I was safe and comfortable there not in my body.

At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   Yes  Burns by fire.

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  No    

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    when I was moving through the tunnel to come back.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      Normal consciousness and alertness   It just seemed normal to me. I was 8 so it "just was"

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   I can't compare. I was 8 there was not a lot of thinking going on.  Just happening.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Cant remember hearing anything around me, it was blissfully peaceful until I had to Come back or wake up.

Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body?   No  

What emotions did you feel during the experience?   Peacefulness until I had to come back then I could feel the pain in my body as the light got brighter and brighter.    Then I felt that I did not want to come back.  

Did you pass into or through a tunnel?   Yes  

Did you see an unearthly light?   Yes   Bright shinning bold and peaceful light.  I was in it.

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
I knew I had to come back, that something some one was making me but I saw no one, heard nothing.  I just knew that.

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  

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   No  

Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience?   No  

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   A clearly mystical or unearthly realm

It did not feel unfamiliar, or strange, but I am not sure I can call it mystical or unearthly either.  It just was.

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 very very much in a bad way.  It was massive trauma so I don't remember in that instance, the whole experience was not remembered.


Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?   No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   No

Did you come to a border or point of no return?   I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

Did scenes from the future come to you?  Scenes from my personal future 
very rarely but its happened a few times.  Once was about a woman who was in a relationship for a man that beat her.  I used to flat with them for a short time 6 weeks.  I moved out, and I cant remember how long after maybe weeks or a month, I awoke at night to the same bright light from the tunnel but terrified of this ball or entity.  I was too scared to get up out of my bed.   I went to visit this woman, the partner answered the door and said she was sick, I was pushy and got my way into the house, and she was in the bedroom beaten head to toe, but would not leave him.  I offered to rent a trailer to get her out, move her but she said she loved him.  I could never go back.  Didn't ever see her again.  I was 20 years of age.  The other two experiences were around the same year.


During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (�life after death�)?   Yes   Just a feeling I was left with, and it did not frighten me at all.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist?   Yes   I don't know about God, but something, there's something there.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that you either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime?   Yes   Yes but not until I was 29 years of age.  I grew up around addiction and had very low self esteem about all my scars.  I lost my left breast and nipple.  Along with a lot of skin.  At the time it happened I never told anyone as it was at the beginning of 6 months of utter pain in hospital, drugged, operations to change bandages and then skin grafts from legs.  I had to learn to walk twice.  So that was just how it was.  At 29 I got into therapy with a Gestalt Psychotherapist, and it was only going back to things like this, that it came back to me.  I started doing Yoga and Meditation and then was like, Oh I can do this easily I can get myself out of my body that's easy.  After the NDE I was in intensive care. I used to count the tiles on the ceiling to avoid the pain in my body.  I have heard other victims of trauma do the same thing.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life�s meaning or purpose?   Yes  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life�s difficulties, challenges, or hardships?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives?   No  

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose?   Yes   Now as I am older I am very spiritual person.  No god in mind, just know that some thing exists.  I am not afraid of death.

What occurred during your experience included:   Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience   I can't tick any, I didn't have formed opinions to answer these questions due to age 8.

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 as accurately as other life events that occurred around the time of the ex  

Discuss any changes that might have occurred in your life after your experience:   I just want to say that age 8 I was made to go to church but I was at an age I did as I was told.  I was exposed to religion and church but at 8 I did not have "beliefs" these are adult concepts.  I just watched Heaven is Real the movie, which made me look for something like this, as I am more and more spiritual with age.

My experience directly resulted in:   Large changes in my life

Did you have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience?  
No  

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?   Uncertain   I have answered this.  When I was young I could sense a lot and was scared of the dark.  But nothing more.  I became a drug and alcohol user age 13-29.  So 5 years after my accident.  I stopped went to therapy then unraveled my past, including that trauma, and have had a few physic experiences but mostly instinctive and with PTSD left over from the trauma hyper sensitive, hyper vigilant.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?    
Just that it made my life very very hard the burns, the fact I had the NDE was tiny part of it.  It meant nothing to me until I was older.

Have you ever shared this experience with others?  
Yes  Just my therapist at 29 years of age.  A couple of people I've met now as Massage Therapist whom have had major trauma themselves i.e. car accident.

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   Just was.  IT was what happened I never thought about it, afterwards I was in too much pain for a very long time.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience at the current time:   Experience was definitely real   I think it was from the third eye or between the eyes channel.  It was an experience probably out of body, to avoid the pain and trauma maybe unconscious, and I was 'made to come back' I did not want.  IT was very simple.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   I always feel like I live a foot in this world and one in the next.  So that makes me harder to live with.  I have a very loving man now.  I am very lucky!

Have your religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   I do not live life as it its for ever.  I am acutely aware that a point we die.  We don't have control of that. Life's not a dress rehearsal. I am not money focused, (lucky my partner is) and I am not interested in material things.  Life to me is about evolving into a more compassionate human being.  Learning to grow and be as kind and generous as possible.  Help where possible.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?   Yes   Only meditation.  But nothing as bright as that light or as I was way down that tunnel!

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience?   Just good to be able to discuss it! At 45 I am more and more interested in supporting others and helping to be a supportive person, and to be positive.

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?   No   Just they are adult questions, not questions for children, but I feel like you will get that.

What could a national organization with an interest in near death experience (NDE) do that would be of interest to you?       Put out information such as your research in an article or a book.  Not of our stories but of the after experience of HOW peoples lives were impacted and changed.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience?                        I guess that having questions for children?