She suffered a fractured vertebra, five broken ribs and a broken heel bone. After a five-and-a-half-hour operation, which included screws being inserted into her spine, and a three-week stay in hospital, she was discharged with a corset on her upper body and on crutches. The 41-year-old woman explained later the cause. She came under the influence of drugs during an ayahuasca séance and fell into an uncontrollable trip. She saw Satan in the leader of the séance and tried to flee in panic, seriously injuring herself in the process. Fortunately, she was found several hours later, which saved her life.
"I remember telling my friend, who was at the spiritual meeting, that I was already having hallucinations. And suddenly it hit me ..." says Anett Béres. While her friend did not have hallucinations, she experienced hell. "Under the influence of the ayahuasca potion, I imagined that Satan was trying to enter me. I believed that the woman performing the ceremony was Satan." Anett's friend later said of the spiritual meeting: "We didn't go there to party, it wasn't for the drugs. Just two desperate girls who wanted to sort their lives out this way."
The leader of the ceremony had said that the psychoactive substances would be gone from their bodies in six hours at the latest. So they wanted to go home in the morning. They went to bed. "My girlfriend fell asleep. It was like I was falling asleep, but I struggled the whole time to get out of it, but I couldn't. I imagined that if I fell asleep, I would be trapped in the situation forever. So I tried to keep myself awake." She gasped and slapped herself to stop herself from falling asleep. She finally woke her friend. She tried to calm her down. She finally gave in, went to get her bag and then went home. But in the meantime, Anett decided to escape on her own.
"At first I walked along the road towards my car. Then I realised that it wasn't a good idea to get into the car in my condition. I had it in my head that these people would find me if I was on the road. So I ran into the woods," said Anett. "I ran away from the leader of the ceremony. I felt like she was cheating us, robbing us, I had a completely bad feeling." It was getting dark. She wandered around the forest for hours until she finally found her way out and saw a high seat. "I climbed up and sat down. I was very, very scared. I tried to overcome my fear. And my next memory is of falling down."
The night became very cold. "I could feel my back hurting, but I thought it was just a bruise. I could actually see from my ankle that something was wrong. From then on, I couldn't get back on my feet. I was in so much pain. And I was so cold, I was squirming so much that I was gritting my teeth. I felt like my brain couldn't take it anymore. I lay there and told the good Lord that I wanted to die. I was waiting for my soul to leave my body. I felt that I was going to die from this pain," says Anett, describing her desperate situation.
At this point, several dozen police officers were searching for her in the forest with sniffer dogs. Her parents were only informed of her disappearance at around midnight. "The police called us. They said we shouldn't come. Because it was too dark, they would call off the search now anyway and continue at half past seven in the morning," recalls Anett's mother. But the police also said that her daughter was lightly clothed and might not survive the night-time cold, especially if she was injured.
Lying on the ground, the blonde woman shivered not only from the cold but also from pain. She didn't sleep and was more clearly conscious again. "I saw a car drive past me at dawn. I screamed for help at the top of my lungs." It was field workers who eventually found her. An ambulance was called immediately. Initial media reports stated that she had been found naked and with broken bones at the edge of the forest. She had taken off her T-shirt during the escape, but she was still wearing a bra and her trousers. She had also lost her bag with her mobile phone, so she was unable to call for help. In the meantime, her parents arrived at the scene. "I wasn't worried about anything, I was just happy that she was alive," said Anett's mother with tears in her eyes.
Weeks after being discharged from hospital, she was only able to talk about what she had experienced. She emphasises that she still has a long way to go and is working hard every day to get better. She often has to lie down, is still unable to put any weight on her right leg and continues to wear a spinal orthosis. Daily physiotherapy supports her healing process. Psychologically, however, she will have to struggle with it for some time to come. She had nightmares in the first week, for which she was given medication. They disappeared over time. "Of course I cry too, but I can't complain," said Anett Béres. She regrets taking part in the séance and would turn it back if she could. But because of what happened, she now appreciates her life, her family and her friends much more.
