Experience description:

I was about 4 years old, maybe 5. My family lived in a trailer down a dirt road in the Ozark mountains. My mother was obsessed with physical punishment so I got spanked and hit a lot, for basically no reason. One day I Was getting whipped again, and I defiantly told her that her spanking didn’t hurt. This was a lie, I was just trying to be brave. This defiance  caused her to lose control of her temper and begin beating me severely. I remember looking at the door screaming for my dad to help. I knew he wouldn’t come, but I just kept screaming.  Then suddenly I was laying on the ceiling looking down at my mother beating me. I don’t think I could hear myself screaming or anything like that, I just observed her hitting me. I watched for a few moments without much emotion. Nothing else happened, I just floated on the ceiling and watched. Then the memory ends. It was almost 30 years ago, I can’t remember what happened after. I didn’t get as severe of punishments after that, so I wonder if I scared her by leaving my body? I don’t know if she even noticed, but she switched to emotional punishments mostly after that.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?      No     

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words?          No     

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event? Uncertain     Was being severely beaten by my mother. As an adult I know I was unlikely to die, but as a child I didn’t know that.

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?    Highly alert until the end

            Was the experience dream like in any way?  It felt very real and mundane, my dreams are usually fairly emotional and fantastical, this felt real

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?   Yes    I didn’t notice that I had a form. I was just watching my body below. I’d never heard of an OBE so I didn’t know what was happening.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          Terror at the beginning, but when I separated from my body I was just detached. Like I was watching something neutral and not very interesting

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?         No

LOCATION DESCRIPTION:  Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures?         No     

Did you see a light?        No     

Did you meet or see any other beings?         No     

Did you experiment while out of the body or in another, altered state?         No     

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

Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different? 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?         No     

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?           No     

Did you become aware of future events?      No     

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?          Uncertain     The memory just stops halfway through

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?      Uncertain     A lot of weird stuff has happened to me since then but nothing too interesting. I have had some bizarre intuitive moments and some spiritual experiences I can’t explain or understand

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?     Uncertain     I was so young I’m not sure what I was like before

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?   I’m sure it has impacted my life but I was so young I have nothing to compare it to. For many years I was convinced it was a hallucination, atheism was very comforting to me. My mother used religion as an excuse to harm me. But now I’m not so sure. I do believe there’s more to life than our perceptions allow us to see. But that’s the extent of my belief and knowledge right now.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Uncertain    

Have you shared this experience with others?       Yes          I’ve only told a couple of people, I think one believed me, unsure about the other.

What emotions did you experience following your experience? I don’t remember, probably confusion and fear

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          The beating didn’t hurt when I left my body. I assume I did hurt when I came back.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience? I didn’t know what was happening but it was not scary. Just kind of confusing. I don’t know why I wasn’t scared during it, it was a scary situation and I was being hurt.

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

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?           Yes    I don’t have much info about my experience, but I’ve told it as truthfully as possible. I hope it can help in some way