"I Was Convinced that I had the Devil in Me" | Claire Stiefel's Near-Death-Experience
What Researchers Found
The Story
A six-year-old girl experienced a near-death event during a swimming trip at a lake near her village. She fell off an air mattress while trying to turn around and could not swim. She struggled to grab the mattress but lost energy and began drowning. An old fisherman rescued her from the bottom of the lake. During the experience, she first felt panic from seaweed around her legs, but this quickly turned to complete peace and no fear. She felt intense bliss and happiness, stronger than anything since. She saw an indescribably beautiful color with a glow that she later tried to paint but could not. She heard harmonious humming like a huge choir and felt supported, safe, and cared for. Time felt eternal as she absorbed into a field of bliss. After rescue, she felt sad and angry to return to life. This early event shaped her life deeply. It opened an inner world that became as real as the physical one, giving her inner freedom and reducing the importance of material things. She kept the experience secret due to a violent family who called her devil-possessed for her joyful nature and later visions of colors around plants and beings. As a teen, she felt lonely and suicidal, longing to return to that world, and escaped to nature. She once thought she was schizophrenic but a psychiatrist affirmed her paranormal abilities. She integrated them, using them in coaching to get helpful hints from spirits. She works in end-of-life care, helping the dying without fear, and looks forward to death as a joyful return home.
“that i have never again in my whole life and i can dive into this vivid memory”
This NDE lacks any veridical perception claims, featuring only subjective experiences of bliss, an indescribable color, and humming sounds during drowning. Despite a severe medical crisis, there are no reports of observing real-world events from impossible vantage points, specific verifiable details, or subsequent verification, limiting evidential strength.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.
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What Researchers Found
This NDE lacks any veridical perception claims, featuring only subjective experiences of bliss, an indescribable color, and humming sounds during drowning. Despite a severe medical crisis, there are no reports of observing real-world events from impossible vantage points, specific verifiable details, or subsequent verification, limiting evidential strength.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.