What Happens When We Die? Near-Death Experiences Through Science and History

Humanity throughout history has struggled to know the answers to existential questions such as where we came from, why we are here on this planet and what will happen when we die. Near-death experience (NDE) is a subjective phenomenon that provides glimpses into the question, what happens when we die. This article explores the major experiences of NEDs, a scientific view and a historical background from where the modern study of this phenomenon sprouted.


The term first came into light by a French psychologist Victor Egger during 1890s and since then in the arena of science, this subject has been widely studied. Like, in 1892 Albert Heim reported his series of observations related to NDE of individuals falling from height, soldiers who suffered injuries and others, who had come close to death from incidents like drowning or accidents. In 1968, an analysis of 400 first hand out of body experiences (OBEs) was published by Celia Green. In 1969 Elisabeth Kubler Ross, a psychiatrist published her popular book, On Death and Dying: What The Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families. Then in 1975 came the popular work of Raymond Moody or Moody's report on around 150 patients, identifying 11-15 common elements such as individuals moving through a tunnel towards light, leaving the body or meeting with relatives or people who had already died and then returning back. And recently came in 2022 the guidelines for the study of death and recalled experience of death by Sam Parnia and others, and these guidelines expand the NDE horizons in 51 detailed themes which are separation, journey, life review, home, return and after effects. In the next section we will discuss what people experience in NDE or Recalled Experiences of Death (RED).
People who reported NEDs are from diverse background and their experiences are not always positive, some can even be frightening. Most of the time it is observed that individuals change significantly in their personal attitudes and behaviour. Here are a few common features:

• Separation from Body - At this point people feel detachment from their body floating above. This can be viewed from the medical chamber where the body is lying. Now they can view the world in 360° experiencing unexpected metal clarity.

• Toward a Destination Movement - Many describe the experience as a sensation of pull that gently draws them towards a specific place. It can be a passing through a tunnel like space or darkness and this travelling is without physical effort.

• Encountering Light, Presence or Beings - Many people experience meeting their loved one with a sense of peace or a kind of intelligence. These figures are perceived as light or ancestors. At this point, there is no verbal communication, telepathic communication or communication purely based on thought.

• Life Review - This is the most repeated and compelling part where life just plays back. One review their significant actions, the choices they made and their relationship with people. They feel emotional about their own actions or maybe regret. Now they understand their motives, the consequences of their actions and the ripple effects of their behaviour. This heightened their moral clarity or realisation of their ethical responsibility.

• Entering a Realm of Knowledge or Home - Many individuals reported entering an environment that they feel profoundly familiar with. They describe this place which is filled with peace, truth knowledge and belonging. It's like a sudden download of a vast understanding or information. They sense that this reality feels more authentic than earthly life and a perception of hierarchical realms based on wisdom.

• The Return - One feels they reach a boundary with a clear sense that if they move further they won't return. Many feel at this point a strong reluctance to return. They receive an awareness that their time has not yet come and a sudden return to the body often accompanied by disorientation.

• Life After the Experience - Almost all modern studies, including Moody and 2022 guidelines show that a person who experience NEDs reduced fear of death. They improve compassion and empathy towards others. They reevaluate their personal purpose. People move forward towards spiritual or ethical awareness. And the most important part is, those who experience NEDs or REDs, they felt extremely difficult to express the experience fully.

There are some researchers who suggest NDEs are mere hallucinations caused by dying or brain injury and the above studies pose a strong challenge to the current models of the mind-brain relationship. But there are also people who dedicated their life studying naunces related to NEDs like Bruce Greyson, a researcher at the University of Virginia. Who in the mid-1970s studied over 1000 cases and documented the effects on individuals’ attitudes, beliefs, values and personalities of NEDs. His research has also shown why these experiences cannot be dismissed as dream states or hallucinations. Believing the above studies on NEDs or REDs promote the idea that the mind might be functional outside the earthly body.

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