This site uses affiliate links to Amazon.com Books for which IANDS can earn an affiliate commission if you click on those links and make purchases through them.
1. About Karen Schaeffer
As a teenager, Karen Schaeffer had several psychic experiences often occurring in dreams. As she grew older and life became more hectic, these experiences diminished and almost disappeared until the pregnancy of her first child. One psychic experience she had foretold was of a horrible car accident. Her psychic vision came true one day and it lead to her near-death experience (NDE). Her experience includes an aspect that rarely appears. Karen is shown the future and is told that she can change the outcome if she chooses which she does. Because of this, the future she saw was averted. Her NDE is detailed in Kevin Williams’ book, Nothing Better Than Death.
2. Karen Schaeffer’s NDE
a. Karen’s Premonition of Her NDE
Shortly after his birth I had the most horrific dream that I would be in a terrible car crash that would take my life. For months I was terrified and was extremely cautious and on the lookout for that monster vehicle. By the time my son was seven months old, I convinced myself that it was only a dream … nothing of what was to come. I had a brand new teaching position, a baby, a home, my husband to take care of … I had put too much energy into this thing. Then it happened.
b. Karen’s Premonition Comes True
I had left school right away that day. I wanted to pick up my son from his grandmother and hurry back to school to watch a baseball game. It was a picture perfect way to spend the afternoon with my son.
As I was exiting the freeway with usual caution, I made a left-hand turn on a light that had been green for some time. This was my lucky day I thought. Then in an instant I was gone.
c. Karen Learns of Her Son’s Future Without Her
Immediately I was in the most beautiful serene place I had ever been. My grandfather, another person whom I had known in a previous life, and a guardian were ready to help me with the transition. They told me of the accident, showed me the site. It was my time to come home they said.
The overwhelming love and happiness of that place was so inviting. I could feel myself becoming lighter each moment.
In a fit of fear and panic I began crying. No, I couldn’t be dead. What would happen to my son? He was seven months old! He would never remember me. His father didn’t even know how to take care of him. I didn’t want him raised by his father’s parents. No, no, no … this was not the time to go. They were wrong.
In an embrace of love, they calmed me by showing me that my son, my entire family would be okay after my death. My mother could lean on my grandmother. It would take time, but she would heal. My husband, hurt, sad, and lonely would also heal and eventually find love once again.
Death is part of the lessons we are to learn on Earth, and my death was an important lesson for those involved in my life. I was shown my funeral, taught how to be near those I loved and told I could eventually communicate with those whose spirits were open. I could accept this. They would be fine.
I was feeling lighter all the time. But wait … my son. I couldn’t leave my son! Babies need their mommies. I needed to be his mommy. I couldn’t let go. So much patience was shown to me – so much love.
My guides explained that the feelings I was having were still a connection to my human side. Once my human-ness wore off, I would feel light as air, utter happiness, and extreme love.
Words do not do the feelings justice. They worked to help me throw off my human weight. The feelings were so great and seemed to pull me in stronger and stronger; yet my connection to my son was so strong.
We wandered in this beautiful place for what seemed an eternity. We discussed my life, we discussed religion, we discussed secrets of the soul that as humans we must forget, lest we’d never be able to thrive on Earth. All the while I was in awe. Some things were just as I always dreamed an afterlife would be; some I was just plain wrong and I remember thinking, “Wow.” “Where were my other loved ones? When could I see my other grandparents who had passed?” In time – they were on a different realm. When my transition was complete I could choose to go to other levels when I was ready.
Every now and then, thoughts of my son would make me heavy once again. I couldn’t bear the thought of him growing up without a mother. I was told others would be a mother for me. First grandparents, and then they showed me Jake’s life. He was the most beautiful boy, so happy, but with a touch of sadness that seemed to pierce his soul. This was his lesson to tackle. He knew coming into this life the main lessons he was to learn. It was meant to be. I saw a new mom for Jake when he was about seven or eight. A beautiful woman, kind hearted who definitely cared for Jake, and treated him well, but she was to have her own child with my widowed husband and the love she showed for her own child was different and unequal to the love she showed for my child – her stepchild. This isn’t what I dreamed for Jake. This couldn’t be. I was happy for my husband. He was okay. He was happy. My son was a different story. Other lessons were learned in the constant patient job of transitioning me to the Other Side. I had to let go. At times I became hysterical and then moments later I was calm and serene.
I saw a girl child who had been meant in Jake’s place, but before conception, plans changed and there was a need for Jake’s spirit to take her place. There was much upheaval that Jake could help mend [and he did].
At a time when I felt the closest to accepting my death, I experienced a resurge of sorrow and pain, longing for my son, for my life. I couldn’t let go of my human life. My guides tried their hardest. They never gave up. They never became discouraged. It is unbelievable the amount of patience and love they exuded.
d. Her Son’s Future Without Her Is Averted
Finally, my hysteria was calmed by a higher spirit who seemed to envelop me in love. My guides were instructed to allow me to return. Despite their pleas to allow them more time, they were told that at this point, my spirit would not rest. It was best to let me return, to settle my spirit, learn further lessons. My pleading won my return for the time being. I understood before my descent that my friends and family had lessons that were being postponed, but they would have to learn the lessons at some point that my death taught.
Arrangements were made for when, where, how my spirit would return; what lessons were I to have enriched or acquire new. Some lessons learned in my arrival on the Other Side would have to be forgotten, and it was not good for my soul to know when I was dying again or else as a human I would focus on only that, especially as the time neared.
The last things I remember were being taken back to the accident site, and just before my descent, I was told that when my children were older it would be time to come home for good. I accepted it immediately, but then, wait! What qualifies as older? Does it mean only a few years older? Teenagers? Will I live to see them marry and have their own children? This was a difficult aspect to deal with immediately after the accident.
e. Karen Returns to Life
I had a life with my son again. I had to spend it right for I had no idea how much longer I had left.
I was told I was lucky to survive. A large utility truck ran a red light and hit the driver’s side of my tiny compact car. Despite wearing a seatbelt, the doctors say I would not have survived if it were not for the airbags to open, something that is not supposed to happen in a side impact.
The first year after the accident was an attempt to live the best I could, the happiest I could. I was suffering however from severe pain from a fractured shoulder bone, broken ribs, and two hip fractures. I was told the pain should disappear in six months to a year at the worst.
Three years later, the pain has not gone away. The second year however seemed to be the worst. I became so suicidal. All I wanted to do was to return to this place, this life that was so awesome, so love-filled, so joyous. My son, and later my daughter were the only things that made me go on. I was here for them.
Today, only three years later I have accepted my return to Earth, long to return to my afterlife home, and struggle to find peace and happiness until my time here comes to its final end.
3. An Analysis of Karen Schaeffer’s NDE
Karen Schaeffer’s NDE contains many of the classic elements reported in NDE literature, while also introducing several elements that are less common and therefore especially noteworthy. One of the most intriguing aspects of Karen’s experience is the vivid dream she received months before the accident. Reports of premonitions prior to life-changing events are not uncommon among NDErs. In Karen’s case, the dream appears to have accurately foreshadowed a fatal-looking automobile collision. Such experiences raise questions about whether consciousness can access future possibilities before they occur.
A central theme throughout Karen’s NDE is the conflict between two powerful forces: (1) The overwhelming love and bliss of the spiritual realm; and (2) Her intense maternal attachment to her infant son. Many NDErs describe being reluctant to return because the spiritual realm feels more real, more loving, and more fulfilling than earthly existence. Karen experienced the opposite struggle. While she was drawn toward the beauty of the afterlife, her love for her son anchored her to earthly life. This conflict highlights a recurring NDE lesson: love is the strongest force in both worlds. Karen’s desire to remain alive was not motivated by fear of death but by devotion to her child. Ironically, the very quality that many NDErs identify as divine love became the force that prevented her transition.
One of the most unusual aspects of Karen’s account is her detailed vision of her son’s future without her. These visions often convince experiencers that life unfolds according to a broader spiritual design.
Karen’s statement that she recognized someone from a previous life and her description of a spirit child being replaced by her son introduce elements associated with reincarnation and pre-birth planning. These elements suggest: (1) Souls exist before physical birth; (2) Future incarnations are planned in advance; (3) Individuals may belong to recurring spiritual groups or soul families; and (4) Major life events are coordinated before earthly existence. Such elements are common in NDEs but are often absent from traditional Western religious teachings, making Karen’s account particularly interesting from a comparative religion perspective.
Unlike many NDEs in which a Being of Light or divine authority directly commands a return, Karen’s return appears to result from her persistent refusal to release her attachment to her son. Her guides eventually conclude that her spirit cannot fully settle into the afterlife and that returning is the best course. Her return is depicted as an adjustment to accommodate unfinished earthly responsibilities.
Karen reports learning profound truths about religion, the soul, and existence but being told that some knowledge must be forgotten upon returning. This “veil of forgetting” is another common NDE theme. Experiencers frequently report: (1) Receiving vast amounts of information; (2) Understanding the nature of existence; (3) Feeling they know everything; and (4) Losing most of that knowledge upon returning to the body. The implication is that complete spiritual knowledge might interfere with the purposes of earthly life, where learning often depends on uncertainty, faith, and free choice.
The years following Karen’s experience illustrate one of the most significant challenges faced by many NDErs: the difficulty of readjusting to ordinary life. Her admission that she became suicidal during her recovery is particularly important. Researchers have noted that some NDErs experience profound homesickness for the afterlife. They do not necessarily wish to die because they hate life; rather, they long to return to the overwhelming love and peace they experienced during their NDE. What ultimately anchors Karen to life is once again love – this time expressed through her commitment to her son and later her daughter.
Karen Schaeffer’s NDE is a powerful account centered on maternal love, spiritual guidance, and the tension between earthly responsibilities and heavenly bliss. Her experience includes many classic NDE elements – deceased relatives, spiritual guides, overwhelming love, future visions, life planning, and reluctance to return – while also incorporating unusual elements such as a premonitory dream, previous-life recognition, and detailed visions of an alternate future. Perhaps the most profound lesson of her experience is that love operates as the central force in both worlds. It drew her toward the afterlife, yet it was the same love for her child that ultimately brought her back to continue her earthly journey.
