Experience description:

Every free moment, I had been performing searches for the said SYLVIA, who was computer illiterate.  I even had given-up my lunch hour to search for her topic, creating many paper lists for her to look-up the periodicals needed for a class she was taking for her A.S. degree. (She was in her late 50's, at this time. Incidentally, this day was her birthday.)  I had done this before on many occasions for her.  Just before it was time for me to leave, she had an absolute FIT that these articles were not available in "full-text" therefore she was going to have to find the periodicals in our collection, herself.  She was going on and on and on.  I was so angry (as usual) she was not thankful for all my time in efforts put into doing this for her, this was still not enough.  The people I worked with were mortified on how she was acting, like a little kid. Some worried about me when I left, as she had really caused me due stress, which was "written all over my face", which I was told by others later, when I finally got back to work after the accident.)  Here I had done hours and hours of work for her, which she did not have to do, and she was acting like a "banshee!"

I normally do not drive the fifty-five minute trip home with my radio on, as I relish the "peace and quiet" but today I put on the radio as I wanted to "drown out" and stop thinking about my frustration.  I put on the local "rock" station WPDH.  I do not like to drive with music as I found that the faster the music, the more I put the "peddle to the metal", and I would drive fast.  I was driving the speed-limit on Route 17 from Sullivan County to Orange County.  I got off the exit ramp and was driving down a country lane, still with the radio blaring and I was busy "grueling" over what had happened, as the music was not soothing me, but more or less was an accompaniment to my anger, a kind of "mood music!"  I was not paying attention to my driving, on this back road, but all of a sudden I looked at my speedometer and I was driving 70 on a road that should have been no more than 35-40 mph! But no sooner that I noticed this I hit a series of potholes...

Now I must include a digression here:  when we bought the car, it had ABS braking system, and on a numerous occasions, I had verbalized to my husband that I thought the car was "going to be the death of me yet" as when I applied the brakes (at low speeds, no less... 10-15 mph, inclusive) the car veered to its right.  I would have to fight and tug with it to make it go straight when applying the brakes.  It was as if it had a "mind of its own" in defiance, as it kept "pulling to the right."

Meanwhile, when I hit the series of potholes, I started to tap the brakes, and it did not good, I then hit the brakes and they "froze" and then I tapped.  Somehow I missed a car that had just gone past me going in the opposite direction (and they saw this happen, a female... who stopped) and I left the pavement and was in a "field" heading for a series of big- trunked trees. I could not release my seatbelt.  I tried, to no avail.  I was pulling and tugging at the wheel trying to get the car to go between the trees, and I had just bought gasoline, a full tank about 15 miles, back.  At this moment, I recalled a member of my father's congregation (she was the department-head of Nursing at the local community college), back in the early 1960's had a Volkswagen "bug" and she had just bought gasoline and she was going over an embankment, and she remembered to turn the ignition off, turn the key, and those in attendance at the time said that had she not have done that, she wouldn't have survived.  I tried to turn off the key and I could not get it to turn in the ignition. I tried to throw the "shifter" into reverse or a lower gear and it wouldn't go.  All the while this was happening I heard the following "going on" in the back seat of the car:

AN ARGUMENT WAS GOING ON BETWEEN A MALE AND A FEMALE THAT I HAD IDENTIFIED AS MR. AND MRS. EDWIN ALNER.  THE ONE PERSON FELT IT WAS MY TIME, THE OTHER ARGUED AGAINST IT.  THE WORDING WAS: "NOT THIS TIME"; "NOT NOW"; "NOT YET!"

I KNEW THAT NO ONE WAS IN THE BACK OF THE CAR, YET I TURNED FOR A SPLIT SECOND AND LOOKED, SAW NO ONE.

I knew that I was going to hit the tree so I held the wheel with my arms extended straight out, twisted my torso to my right as far as I could into that passenger side section of the car, and took the impact... dead center of the hood area, and the dashboard hit me in my left rib, the airbags barely deployed (the drivers one did not envelope the inside circumference of the steering wheel!) On impact, the seatbelt came undone.  There was glass all around me, and I could not get either door to open.  I insisted on having a car with NO ELECTRONIC WINDOWS,  so I was lucky to roll-down the passenger side window, and go up and out through that.  I grabbed my handbag inside the car, and started to run across this "field" toward the house and I heard a voice of an elder woman scream "my God, you are alive" (Mrs. Pitinger) and I knew that I mustn't have broken bones as I was able to run towards the house.  As I ran (this was about 600 feet from the tree to the house) the car burst out into flames...

had the seatbelt not come undone, I would have been burned alive, FULLY CONSCIOUS!  I do not know what it was that happened inside the car that day.  All the things that I was able to "perform" in such a minute period of time, which seemed like 'forever', yet "quick"... are unfathomable.  I told my family immediately, and my father was not one to "discredit" anything, and he said he felt there might have been a "possibility", who knows?!

Those who I have carefully chosen to disclose this information to, not a one, seemed to mock it in their facial expressions when I told them, and certainly not in what was conveyed in conversation. 

Modine Alner said that it sure "sounded very much like" her parents.  I do not know.

I have a picture of what was left of my Neon, should anyone wish that I forward it as an attachment to an email.

I am a very lucky person, as aforementioned... had the seatbelt not come undone, I would have been cremated alive, fully conscious.

I do not know how all those things happened in a matter of a few hundred feet at such a speed--!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may contact me should you wish through my email account, and when time permits, I will convey to you other "strange" accounts throughout my life.

The first people I told this to were: my spouse, my parents, and a few of my co-worker "friends".

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?           

No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:   "Clear as a bell"... over my right shoulder, in the back seat of my small compact car, a Dodge NEON. (see #3).

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  It was NOT in my head, but sounded from the back seat of my car... I even turned, for a split-second and looked in the back (fully aware that NO ONE WAS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY CAR), while I heard this argument "going on."

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           It sounded very much like their voices at the time of their deaths, and throughout the later part of their lives, of which time frame I was familiar with. (That is why I was pretty sure on with whom I was identifying.)

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           Absolutely not.

I was on a QUIET country lane, void of any people within audible sound distance.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   Not to my knowledge, nor belief.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  No.

Did you see the deceased?         No

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       They SOUNDED as they did during the two decades in which I new them before they died.

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            They had slight "accents" which they had in life, which were distinct "identifiers".

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

            What smell, scent, fragrance or odor did you smell?           But my sense of smell seemed "clearer", more pronounce, but no "special" smell was detected.

How long did the experience last?        A matter of moments.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         It ended as "abruptly" as it started... but the impact of my hitting the tree is what probably "force ended the communiqué."

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Agitated, on their part.  Argumentative, on their part.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Yes, their wording: "Not this time"; "Not now", "not yet."  ... makes me wonder "when!"?!

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was probably real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:          From my many readings about this phenomena, and conversations... doubt was introduced.  Was my "brain" playing "tricks" on me as I was hurling towards the tree, or was I witnessing "my life rushing before my very eyes", but I did not get to see "the entire picture" as I LIVED and this interrupted "the rest of the viewing?"?

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

clear as could be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           calm about the "conversation" going on in "the back seat"; worried as I knew my husband would not be "happy" about my TOTALING an almost brand new vehicle; concerned about what could happen to my aged parents if I became a "fatality"; angry at what precipitated this; feeling stupid for being so lackadaisical in my driving ("Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: 'There'll be no time to correct lackadaisical driving techniques after trouble develops' (William J. Hampton" www.dictionary.com), "bargaining" if "I get out of this"...alive... many, many emotions all at once, in a very small timeframe.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

I slowed down quite a bit.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      THE "WAKE-UP CALL!"

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

            Describe:      I drive more responsibly, slower.

What other attitudes and beliefs about your experience do you currently have?        
  
Other belief 
I "just don't 'KNOW!'"

If someone could "confirm" this as to be true, that I did hear from someone in the afterlife...I would be ecstatic.  I am calmly trying to remain cautiously "reserved" about the entire experience.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Yes

I have seemed to be "less in TUNE" to "feelings". Will explain when time permits.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Uncertain

That GOD was trying to keep me alive on this earth, longer, for whatever HIS reasons may be.

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          Yes

Their daughter MODINE, said that she thought that I possibly had contact as "it sounded just like them!!!!!!!!!"

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            wild civility

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Yes

EVERYTHING mentioned in # 3 happened in a relatively short span of time, yet it seemed "like an eternity", fast, yet, almost slow motion, as when you read # 3, a lot HAPPENED as I was careening toward the tree.

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Yes

That I was given another CHANCE, for "the time being!"

Did you become aware of future events?       Yes

See #35... I was given a longer time to be on this earth, a reprieve.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Yes

I will write them to you, when time permits.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Never lost consciousness either.

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes, Not a single soul has mocked my "revelation" to them.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

... not at the moment, you are the first, but I do plan to let other researchers know as I wish to help "this cause", if I may be revealing something much needed.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

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

I abhor drugs, cigarettes, drink or anything that is in excess, addictive.  There is NOTHING in my life that I would "need" to resort to such "crutches!"


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

I sincerely hope so.  It would be most helpful if you could email me these replies so I may review them, and if I find that I need to add to them I may send you an addendum.

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    It would be wonderful if you had a "download" feature where one could send photos if one deems them of possible importance/as possible "proof" (I would like you to see what was left of the car!).  It might be advantageous to inquire of the subject their prior KNOWLEDGE about NDE.

Part II - 3/28/07

Our family has had a lot of "strange things" that have happened to us.

My father had Parkinson's disease, and he was just starting to have major problems (we thought we all would be in for a "long haul". He just died one night -- dove into bed, and the next morning, never awoke. It was wonderful for him, but a surprise for us. We were thankful that he did not have to go through what we were all expecting would happen.) A couple of months before he died, he looked outside our sliding glass door in the front of our home, and said something to the effect of "ah, oh", and I went over and looked outside and did not see anything remarkable. I asked him what he saw. He said "don't you see that little boy out there? Look!" There was NO little boy out there. At first, I thought maybe he thought it was himself, as a child. (My Mother said that just prior to this, he was "seeing" his father who died before my Mother and Father met... i.e. pre-1950. He was saying "Daddy" this "Daddy" that -- almost as if he were speaking to him in the timeframe when he was a young child.)

Then, I thought maybe he saw my brother who was a "spontaneous abortion" in my Mother's sixth month-- as over the years we would talk about him. She had lost two other fetus' between me and my brother (sex unknown as they were only in the first few months of the pregnancy).

A couple of weeks before Dad died, he was sitting in our living room and was very insistent we be quiet as Mr. Brady was taking his picture for posterity. Mr. Brady was getting angry, he didn't want my father to move. Mr. Brady wanted us to be quiet. I kid you not, I was fascinated as my father saw Mr. Brady and there was no one there -- with the exception of my mother and myself... and I was trying to find out if there was a BRADY photography studio on Staten Island (New York) where my parents originally were born and lived for a majority of their lives. Mr. Brady was getting agitated (according to my father) as we were getting noisy-- when we were having this conversation. After 2 1/2 hours, I said "enough". I was angry because I really thought the medications were doing this to my father and I felt he was over medicated, or the medications did not "mix". He had that happen once before, and wound up in an operating room in Cooperstown, N.Y. with a hydrocele. He had severe asthma and arrhythmia. I couldn't find any Brady studios in any of the areas where we lived (Philadelphia area, inclusive.) Two days after Dad died, it "hit me like a ton of bricks"... Brady... Mathew Brady. (Do take a look at what I scanned in for you!!! It sounds very much like what transpired in our living room.)

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My late father a E.L.C.A. Pastor

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Feist&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GSsr=81&GRid=6694390&

attended a ministerial conference in the late 1960's and he came back telling us about a keynote speaker told the Pastors in attendance, of this phenomena. When Moody's book was published, I asked my parents to find it for me as a birthday or Christmas gift, and when I received it, I turned to my father and asked if Moody was the doctor who spoke at the conference. My father took one look at the photograph and shook his head and said "no."

Since my father died, my Mother has been having quick "snippets" of people appearing in her bedroom (and while this is happening she can not understand why a window may be behind this person, but in actuality, there is no window located there) and when she speaks or moves to acknowledge them, they disappear. This has been going on for almost five years now. I told her doctor about it, and she did not seem concerned about it. (I guess she figures, she IS 88 years of age!) I "ignored" and was ignorant (or in denial) to what was "happening" with my father prior to his death, I do not want to do the same with my mother.

As time warrants, I will clue your staff at your site into this "ongoing" saga. (It just seems that in my family there is an "over abundance" of whatever this is.) I was always afraid to talk about this, but I am finding out in this day and age, there are more and more people willing to listen without judgment; and there may be "more to it" than "meets the eye!"

Thank you for replying to my email. "Pictures say a thousand words!"