Near-Death Experience after Malaria Infection | Rita Jolowicz In Conversation
What Researchers Found
The Story
Miss Jolowicz, a 22-year-old woman, had a near-death experience in Ethiopia after contracting malaria while living on a construction site with her husband. Workers took her to a Norwegian mission hospital in a modified Peugeot car due to poor road conditions. During the journey, she floated outside her body and saw herself lying in the car. She felt calm and moved toward a bright light that grew brighter. She dissolved into the light, losing her sense of self, touch, and time, blending into something like God or nothingness. She then opened her eyes in the hospital bed. After the NDE, she felt shock and anger at her husband for saving her life. Years later, in the 1990s, she recognized it as an NDE and joined self-awareness groups. This led her to start support groups for others with NDEs. Her view of death became positive, with no fear, and she grew more spiritual and appreciative of life and nature. Her relationship with her husband strengthened through sharing experiences.
“That and I think a life well lived and lived with joy enables me to proceed into death with more ease. If in the end, I’m able to say: ok, I had a good life.”
The account features a classic out-of-body experience during severe malaria-induced unconsciousness, but lacks any specific, verifiable perceptions from the OBE vantage point, such as details of rescuers' actions or hidden elements. No verification attempts or confirmations are reported, and the experience was only recognized and shared decades later.
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
The account features a classic out-of-body experience during severe malaria-induced unconsciousness, but lacks any specific, verifiable perceptions from the OBE vantage point, such as details of rescuers' actions or hidden elements. No verification attempts or confirmations are reported, and the experience was only recognized and shared decades later.
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.