"Death Does Not Exist. It Is an Illusion." | Claudia Schäpper's Near-Death Experience
What Researchers Found
The Story
Ms. Schäpper, a 20-year-old woman, experienced a near-death event in a car accident. She drove her new car to work on a rainy day, swerved to avoid an animal, skidded, and crashed into a tree at 80 kilometers per hour. During the experience, she felt pulled out of her body immediately after the impact and saw herself from above, lying on the steering wheel with no pain. She noticed the damaged car, then moved toward a bright light in a tunnel. She met a loving figure of light that felt familiar. They communicated telepathically, and the figure told her it was not her time and she had tasks to complete. She decided to return despite wanting to stay. After the NDE, she suffered severe injuries including abdominal hematoma, spine damage, and whiplash, causing years of pain and disability. She became a spiritual seeker, trained as a medium, and started life coaching. She processed childhood traumas, found inner peace, and now integrates spiritual guidance in her work, believing death is a transition.
“An incredible love emanated from this light figure. Even though I didn't know this figure or this being of light.”
The account features a clear out-of-body experience with a self-view from an impossible vantage point immediately post-crash, but lacks any verified perceptions or attempts at verification. Details of body position are moderately specific yet predictable and unconfirmed, with reporting delayed by years without prompt documentation.
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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These accounts were gathered because death may not be the end. Thousands of people have experienced something beyond — and come back to tell us about it.
What Researchers Found
The account features a clear out-of-body experience with a self-view from an impossible vantage point immediately post-crash, but lacks any verified perceptions or attempts at verification. Details of body position are moderately specific yet predictable and unconfirmed, with reporting delayed by years without prompt documentation.
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.