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4607
qualitative
journal
White, Patti R., "The Anatomy of a Transformation: An Analysis of the Psychological Structure of Four Near-Death Experiences," Journal of Near-Death Studies 15(3), Spring 1997, pp. 163-185. Case 2: Raquel.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, Vol. 15(3), pp. 163-185, Spring 1997
1992
1997
55
F
Raquel, a 55-year-old divorced Hispanic woman and self-proclaimed workaholic, developed a severe yeast infection that progressed to blood poisoning in November 1992. As a public health worker and Latino rights supporter with diabetes, she was caught off-guard by the swift onset of the infection. She was rushed to the hospital where doctors and nurses worked feverishly to stabilize her blood sugar and control the potentially fatal blood poisoning.
Two days later, alone in her darkened hospital room, Raquel witnessed a black swirling hole appear in the middle of the room, resembling a whirlpool or tornado. Frightened and realizing she must be dying, she fought against being drawn into it, determined not to die because she had too much left to do. She experienced herself suddenly flying up and looking down at her body lying in the bed, struggling to live, before being pulled back into the whirlpool-like tunnel. This out-of-body journey repeated at least three times. At the entrance of the black hole, Raquel saw her deceased parents and grandmother who had died many years earlier. Her grandmother repeatedly said "Come on, mija" in Spanish, while her father insisted "It's time for you to go. You have done enough. I want you to come." Despite the familiarity bringing initial relief, Raquel resisted their calls, praying to God that she could not die because her six children needed her and she had no husband to support them. As she crawled out of the tunnel for the final time, she saw a bright, peaceful light to her right that she thought must be heaven. The experience profoundly impacted Raquel, who believed the black hole might have been hell or purgatory because "the darkness at the end held no hope." She credits her spiritual power and prayer with rescuing her from the darkness, recognizing that her workaholic nature had contributed to her body's deterioration. Following recovery, she quit her job to focus on healing and her own best interests for the first time.
5
Hospital
7
12
24
Suggestive Evidence
5
Life-threatening blood poisoning (sepsis), multiple medical staff working to save her life
Out-of-body experience seeing her own body, encountering deceased relatives with specific dialogue
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7/25/2025
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