Human perception of clinical death

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is a common image in the face of death, but in fact, people may have other strange experiences.

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The mystery of human awareness when approaching death

In 2011, Mr. A, 57, was admitted to Southampton hospital after collapsing at work. While the doctors threaded the catheter to prepare for surgery, his heart stopped beating, the brain no longer reacted. And he died.

However, when recovering, A still remembers what happened and recounted what he " saw " within three minutes - the time when medical staff used an electric shock to save him. A said he heard the " shocking patient " request resounded twice. He saw a strange woman waving from behind the room, in a position close to the ceiling, then he walked towards this person and left his body behind.

" I feel that she knows me. I feel that I can trust her and there is a reason why she appears but I don't know what it is. Just a second later, I was floating in the ceiling. , look down at your body, nurse and another bald person, "he recounted.

The hospital record noted that the doctor had asked for AED for the patient twice. A description of the person in the room, people he had never seen before losing consciousness, and their actions were all accurate. He recounted what happened in three minutes of unconsciousness, though according to what we have known so far about biology, this cannot happen.

Researchers have recorded many cases of "returning from death" (Photo: Thinkstock).

A's story is one of many reports that challenge man's long-standing understanding of near-death status. Scientists believe that when the heart stops beating and does not push blood to the brain, all perceptions will immediately end. At this point, people are considered dead, although in some cases, this situation can be reversed.

For years, cases of " returning from the dead " have recounted their own memories. The doctor rejects evidence of hallucinations, while experts are reluctant to study in depth because they are considered beyond the reach of scientific research.

However, a scientist named Sam Parnia, director of the Resuscitation Research Center at Stony Brook Medical University in New York, and colleagues from Britain and the United States wanted to erase comments about whether people had or not experience at the last moments of life.

For four years, they analyzed more than 2,000 cases of cardiac arrest and were thought to be dead. Doctors recovered 16% of these patients and selected 101 people to interview. " Our goal, first of all, is to learn about their mental experience and their perception of death. For those who claim to hear and see something at the time of death, we can determine whether are they really aware or not? "Parnia said.

7 popular images when near death

A is not the only patient who remembers his own near-death experience . Nearly 50% of respondents remember something, but what they experienced does not seem to be related to the time of death. Instead, they see scenes like dreams or illusions. Parnia and her colleagues classify them into 7 groups: fear, seeing animals or plants, light, violence and terrorism, deja-vu phenomenon, seeing family or events that happen later when the heart stops beating (as in Mr. A's case).

Spiritual experiences vary in degrees, with people always feeling frightened or feeling punished. " I had to go through a ceremony and there I was burned. There were 4 other people who accompanied me, and whoever lied would have to die, " a patient recalled. Meanwhile, some people said that they were dragged through a deep water.

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel can be one of the things people can feel when they fall into a near-death state.(Photo: Thinkstock)

However, many people have opposite feelings. 22% say they are serene or pleasant, some people see trees or creatures, light or images reunited with their families.

According to Parnia, people have certain experiences at the time of their death, but the way each person expresses or interprets it depends on their personal biography or beliefs. People from India can " return from the regime " and say to see Lord Krishna, while people in America feel the same and say that it is God.

So far, the team has not yet detected predictability in people who can recall something, or an explanation of why someone is scared while others feel excited. Parnia said that people with near-death status may be more than the number that the study reflects.

For humans, memories can be almost erased after the heart stops beating. However, even if one does not remember clearly, the near-death state still affects a subconscious level. This may explain the different reactions in patients after they recover, such as no longer fear of death, or begin to show post-traumatic stress disorder.