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Dear readers, |  |
I interviewed Sara several months after her full recovery. I routinely videotape many of my interviews to document the exact words and facial expressions. The first interview is the most crucial one. After they tell the story several times, memories are altered and cultural expectations begin to creep into the stories.
The interview is fascinating in that she tells us a tiny fragment of what was clearly a powerful experience. She has no memory of collapsing at home, being brought to our office, being airlifted to Children's Hospital and being in the Intensive Care Unit.
However, when her heart stopped beating, and the doctors had to stick a needle into it and inject medications to restart it, she has the distinct memory of seeing her (deceased) grandmother. She knew it was at the time of her cardiac arrest, because she could her the nurses calling for the "crash cart".
"And then I was back". When I asked her what she meant by this, she clenched her fists and frowned with intensity and said "that's what I have been trying to figure out".
Sara's experience is a vivid demonstration of the return of expanded
consciousness and awareness, at the point of death. She has no memories
at all, until her brain STOPS working, and then she suddenly perceives
some other reality, as well as hearing what is going on around her, even
though her brain cannot process signals from her ears.
Sara and her mother have graciously allowed me to use this early tape recording of her memories of what happened when she almost died.
