To ask if you've ever had a near death experience and what went through your mind?

I suffered a massive brain haemorrhage (SAH) I remember being in bed and having the most horrific headache, husband called an ambulance and I remember them coming upstairs and telling him to just give me some Paracetamol! (fortunately he refused) Then everything went blank!
I do remember seeing my precious little dog who had died previously and she wouldn't come to me, this I think was her telling me that it wasn't my time! That's all I remember and I came round two wks later thinking it was the same day!

Yes, I had severe hypokalemia several years ago. I managed to get a taxi to A&E, stagger up to the desk, and the only words I could say was "my heart". I was rushed into a cubicle and wired up, at which point the machines gave this one long, loud continuous beep, which was very scary. My heart was very painful, like I couldn't breathe but it was my heart instead of my lungs. Then as I was lying there, everything started to go black and the beep faded away.

I remember thinking that I would never see my son again. I had a crystal clear picture of his face in my mind. I was peaceful about it though. I felt like I was psychically saying goodbye to him.

Thankfully, it didn't last and I started coming back to consciousness.

Yup. Another calm experience here. I thought, ah so this is how I go. Damn it. And I was a bit miffed. But accepting.

This sounds like other descriptions of NDE I have read in the past.

Absolutely fascinating that you 'saw' your Uncle who had died not long previously.

The ''Seeing'' one's body from above and being calm and literally 'detached ' sounds very similar to reports I have read in books.

Is it the last desperate electrical firings of an 'in extremis' nervous system?

It would be wonderful if there was life after death on another plane, where we were reunited with our loved friends and family - and pets.

Wishful thinking?...but who knows.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Yes but it was my own doing TW a suiicde attempt took an overdose of insulin (I’m not diabetic) I felt all warm and a sense of calm then nothing. Luckily i was found by my husband he administered glucagon injection ambulance was less than 3 minutes and then spent 5 weeks in intensive care before being sectioned

I was sent to A&E during lockdown - OH was not allowed to stay with me. My GP sent me because I had flu type symptoms and a band of swelling across my throat. He didn't know what it was but was worried.

I sat in A&E and felt my hearing go muffled and then had the sensation that I was no longer in my body but sitting next to it. I felt very calm and peaceful and absolutely tired out with no energy. I felt like I was melting away.

I was diagnosed with sepsis and in hospital for 13 days. The doctors told me I'd have died of I hadn't taken my GP's advice immediately.

I'm forever grateful to him and all the staff at the hospital who saved me.

I nearly died from peritonitis. I was lying in a bed on a ward because it was a Sunday and the scan room wasn’t open. I couldn’t breathe deeply because it caused terrible pain. I saw a doctor come onto the ward around 1am and managed to press my nurse call button. He took one look at me and pandemonium broke out and I was whisked off to theatre. He told me later I had 30 minutes left at most. Funnily I was incredibly calm and totally at peace, I’m not frightened of dying but I am frightened of being left in terror and pain which has given me lifelong health anxiety.

Thank you Mr Little for saving my life.

This happened to me too, years ago! I’d forgotten about that. I only felt the fear afterwards.

When I have birth to my DC, I had an operation as my placenta was stuck. During that operation I lost a lot of blood and I remember the most beautiful blocks of light that I was following. At some point the lights turned into 2 opposite directions and I had to make a choice which to follow. I felt strongly that one of the lights was my newborn child so I followed that. I am sure if I followed the other direction I would not have woken up. Later I was given multiple units of blood and IV antibiotics in high quantities to combat an severe infection.

Similar, although slightly different as I never actually came to any harm- but was walking along and a car lost control on a bend and came absolutely flying towards me. It was as if someone was watching my life and pressed the slow motion button. And I thought nothing. Literally, nothing. Mind went blank. I didn’t move, I didn’t make a noise. I just stood there, waiting for the impact. And it flew past me with cm’s to spare and ploughed straight into the wall behind. Apart from being knocked slightly off balance by the wind rush as it went past, not a mark on me.

I had a choking incident, on a boiled sweet, when I was alone, with no help within reach. No air moving at all. I remember just going calmly logical. Can't administer myself a back slap. Or a Heimlich. Hang on, there's the self Heimlich technique over the back of a chair. Damn, wrong sort of chairs. Wait, there's a blank wall. Used what energy I had left to run backwards at it, which worked. I don't recall being worried about dying, though I was concerned for the person who was later going to find me dead on the floor.

I don't think this was a NDE experience but it has made look back and think. I went into early labour with twins. Twin one was delivered. Twin two would not come. My blood pressure kept dropping and I was in and out of consciousness and I was exhausted and did not care and wanted to remain in the unconscious state. There was a room full of people and lots of activity. Everyone in that room were willing me on. They kept me going. My poor dh could not get near me. Somehow I managed a natural delivery albeit twin two was in hospital for a few weeks.

What a fascinating thread, thank you!

If you like this thread you'll like a book called After by Dr Bruce Greyson who is a leading researcher on NDEs. One of the most interesting and beautiful books I've ever read.

I had a random seizure once and went to this kind of timeless black void, like outer space, for what felt like a very long time. I tried to explain what a profound experience I had when I came round but you can't really. But that book has a few examples of this, as well as of the kind of journey @SerenityNowInsanityLater described. Turns out I was only unconscious for seconds with that seizure.

@SerenityNowInsanityLater thank you for your incredible story. I'm glad and grateful you came back to share it. ❤️

Heartbreaking to read the ladies who have survived violence. Likewise so glad you are here to pass on your survival stories ❤️🪷

Similar. Near drowning in similar circumstances. Trapped under a boat. I tied to escape by swimming out. I felt calm acceptance that my time was up when I couldn't. Then was pulled out

I was swimming with friends in a lake when I was 10, I had my head just above water, then all of a sudden, I was under water, and I couldn't reach the ground. I couldn't reach out, I was fighting and fighting to try and get back to where I was. Fighting for what felt like ever. I felt tired, and a sense of calm came over me.
The same sort of calm I now think of when I'm put to sleep before an operation. It was OK. I'd stopped fighting and I accepted that was it.

Then out of nowhere there was this green, light? Aura? I have no idea, like paramedic green, but brighter and I was out. Something pushed me... my mum. Mum couldn't swim, and was shorter than me. She wasn't watching us, and even if she was, she was ahead of us, not even in the water. No idea how she got behind me.

Weirdly, I'm not scared of death since..
I've never seen that colour green again in my life though. I've been looking for that exact colour for the past 23 years, since it happened.

Turned out that lake had a 20ft drop in it. Lots of bodies have turned up in it over the years...usually not in the height of summer like it was when I nearly died there though.

Not a NDE as such but when I was being wheeled in for c section for placenta praevia I knew there was a chance (small) that either me or dc or both wouldn’t make it. I felt strangely calm as I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

I had a large pph after a homebirth 40 mins from hospital and I was certain I would die I was absolutely terrified and I’ve actually found it hard to get over it even though it was 6 years ago, a picture of the midwifes frantic face in the ambulance when nothing would get it under control is forever ingrained in my brain.

💐💐 to so many of you.

I choked on a piece of meat a couple of years ago - well it was more stuck and I just couldn’t dislodge it. Eventually dh realised and slapped me several times on my back.

My dad had to be resuscitated twice. He said he was no longer scared of death as what he saw was so beautiful. I hope that sustained him when he was actually dying.

Me and a group of friends went for a good friend’s wedding in Cyprus. Glorious time with fab friends on the beach the day before the wedding.

Two of our group came running over saying that they’d just paid for a paraglide and they were taking me with them, but we had to leave now as the weather was changing. It was a three-seater paraglide and I was put in the middle of my two friends.

As we were in the air we looked down and realised something was wrong. We were in the air on top of the boat that was pulling us, and we could see frantic phone calls being made. The boat below was coming out of the water due to the wind, so the boat cut our rope. As we were coming down, I remember saying to the other two “don’t worry, it’ll be OK”.

Yeah right. As soon as the parachute touched the water we were swept by the wind. Massively swept. Imagine being water-boarded for 20 minutes. One moment under the water, the next trying to grab a breath. I tried turning to face the water, but all I could see was my friend bobbling seemingly life-less next to me.

I didn’t have the strength to turn to see my other friend. I have been a professional diver and I put it down to that that I was able to breathe and take a breath whenever possible as we were bashed by the waves. I remember thinking that it would be ironic if I died ABOVE the water rather than under.

We eventually got rescued. We all survived, but arriving back to our country afterwards we were checked out at the hospital to find that one week after the event, the levels in our blood tests and bruising were way off the chart. After a week. And two broken ribs.

We didn’t want to cause unnecessary drama for wedding so didn’t say anything at first. Told my partner, who didn’t speak to me for the rest of the trip. Three years on, I and my friends are all alive; the marriage in Cyprus has now been dissolved and I am divorced. Note: never go paragliding on holiday. Was I serene at the point of really thinking I was going to drown? Nope. I thought what a fucking stupid way to die.

Not sure if it's considered a near death experience or not - but I choked on some garlic bread a few years ago, I was eating just at the dinner table with my family. It got stuck in my throat and I just panicked, got up from the table, don't remember what I did but remember thinking "this is how I die". My husband gave me a whack and it flew out my mouth and I cried my eyes out for a bit. I had also wet myself in fear . The stupid thing was, literally the day before I'd watched a YouTube video about how to save yourself if you choke when alone. It was hours before I remembered that.

I also remember thinking I was going to die when I was raped at 20. Obviously I didn't, but I still remember his hand over my mouth and nose. That was pure panic as I could breathe, I just thought he might kill me to cover his crime

Yes about 12 years ago I was extremely ill and in intensive care at hospital. The doctors were around me and trying to stabilise me. I felt so ill and just wanted it to stop. I was calm and not anxious at all and happy for it to end. Of course I am here to tell the tale but I hate the fact that I was prepared to leave my DC! It still makes me feel terrible and cold to think I really felt like that. I did have counselling after but still it haunts me.

I breathed in a drop of water while swimming, my throat closed up and I couldn't breathe. I was trying really hard to inhale and my throat just wouldn't do it.

I was extremely calm - I am the most anxious, cautious, risk averse person in life but I was completely calm, thinking 'hmm, I can't breathe. I don't see how this is going to end well. I'd have thought I'd have passed out by now, wonder why it's taking so long?' just completely calmly.

The lifeguard was trying to get me to get out of the pool and I was just thinking he looked pretty panicky while I was as cool as a cucumber,and another swimmer was talking to me and trying to answer her (to tell her I was fine!) somehow kick-started my breathing again and then I could breathe.

There must be a chemical or a process in our brains or something that gives that calm feeling in extremis, so many have described it on the thread, it can't be coincidence.

I’m also terrified and that is the most comforting thing I’ve ever read.

Yes. I was crushed at a music festival. And was suffocating. On the floor with the crowd on top of me.

I don’t know who it was but someone never let my arm go the whole time. And if it wasn’t for them I’d probably be dead.

it was the worst, most scariest moment of my life. The world fell completely silent. After a while I didn’t feel I was struggling as
much as I felt. But I hones believe it was
me slipping away. I was then pulled from the bottom and thrown on top of the crowd and over the barrier.

And I’ve never stepped back into a crowd again.