5 Common Near Death Experiences According to People Who’ve Had Them

What is it like to die — then live again?

By Jessie Schiewe

Most of us have no clue how or when we are going to die, but we do have somewhat of an idea about what to expect when that time eventually comes. 

How do we know this? Because of people who’ve come close to dying but have come back, otherwise known as having a near-death experience. 

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to die, you’re not alone. In fact, that’s likely why there is so much interest in studying near-death experiences in the first place. Because we don’t know what exactly happens once our hearts stop beating, reports from people who have been on the brink of no-return are the closest we have to finding that out. 

Since at least the 18th century people have been recording their close encounters with the afterlife and what happened in those moments when they were neither dead nor alive.

What triggers these near-death experiences ranges from individual to individual, although a high percentage of near-death experiences tend to come from cardiac arrest survivors. 

Stories from people who’ve toed the line between life and death have been studied for decades, with researchers going so far as to devise scales that can measure the intensities of their experiences or that chronicle the sequences of events that occurred. There is even evidence that suggests taking ketamine can feel a lot like having a near-death experience. 

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As for how many of us have been on the verge of crossing over, that number is up for debate. A June 2019 study from Europe found that one in 10 people have had near-death experiences, while another, conducted in Belgium in 2017, came to the conclusion that between 4 and 8 percent of the population has had one. 

Of course, not everyone will have the chance to cheat death in their lifetime. We might just simply kick the bucket and be gone, with nary a second chance to come back. 

But among those who’ve had near-death experiences, there are common features that tend to repeat themselves from case to case. The psychologist and author Raymond Moody chronicled them in his groundbreaking 1975 bestseller “Life After Life,” and many more have picked up where he left off. 

The internet has only further improved our understanding of near-death experiences, particularly the website Near Death Experience Research Foundation. Established in 1998 by a Louisiana-based radiation oncologist, the website functions as a database where people can input stories about their own near-death experiences. With close to 5,000 posts translated into nearly 22 different languages, the NDERF is lauded as one of the largest collections of near-death reports in the world. 

So what exactly happens when we die...or come close to it? 

There’s no precise answer, but thanks to the many studies, books, and personal accounts that have been collected about them, we aren’t totally in the dark. 

Here are five of the most common phenomena reported by people who’ve had a glimpse of the Great Beyond. May it satisfy your curiosity and prepare you for the inevitable that we all face. 

1. Feeling “at one” with something universal

By far the most common aspect of a near-death experience is feeling a sense of peace, wellbeing, and an absence of pain. 

On the NDERF’s website, a user named Andrew S. shared this comment about a near-death experience he had on April 16, 1972 after experiencing an extreme allergic reaction at the age of 15:

“I remember feeling an indescribable sense of peace — it was so profound and complete it seemed as if I was swimming in it — as well as feeling very alive, with no pain.

I realized I was dying, but I felt so calm and relaxed about it. I thought for a moment that Mom and Dad would be very sad, but I knew that they would be all right, and that we would be together again. … I remember becoming aware of how much I knew, as if I understood the workings of the universe.”

2. The sensation of leaving one’s body

Known in the near-death experience community as an OBE (or, “out of body experience”), the phenomenon of detaching from one’s physical shell is the second most-commonly reported thing that happens when on the brink of death. 

An NDERF post by Marie B. tells of how she left her body during a near-death experience that happened in the summer of 1966 when she jumped out of a speeding car to escape a rapist:

“I flew out the door and landed very hard in the road hitting my head hard.

Instantly, I felt myself rising up into the air and gazing down below at my body. It grossed me out, as I must have been having a seizure. As I was floating above my body, I saw my body contort and my hands were like shaking and wiggling in a spastic way. I immediately felt revulsion to that body and thought 'How grotesque.’ 

I felt myself going higher up away from my body and I thought to myself, 'Oh no, I don't want to die now. My father and my dog need me.' 

At that point, I could not feel my body at all — just was viewing it from above. Slowly I felt myself 'coming down' and then I felt pins and needles in my hands and arms up to my elbows.”

3. Traveling through a tunnel toward a bright light

Entering darkness, usually described as a tunnel or a tube, is another commonly reported experience. People’s encounters in these tunnels vary from being negative (with descriptions of the tunnels as being cold and dark) to anodyne (with the tunnel simply serving as a route to another place). At the ends of these tunnels people generally report seeing a light, often described as being warm and welcoming. 

A German woman named Helga described journeying through a tunnel toward a soothing light when she had a near-death experience on September 25, 2003 after losing consciousness:

“I remember a black tube, which turned into a brick tunnel, and on the walls of the tunnel, there were old oil paintings, which depicted scenes of my life. While I was crawling through the tunnel on all fours, I felt like I was being crushed by an unbearable burden. 

I could see a faint, but very bright light at the end of the tunnel. I was pushed forwards by the thought that that was exactly where I had to be. 

The nearer I came to this light, the lighter the burden that was on me seemed to become. When I got to the light, I reached into it with my right hand first, and it was pleasantly warm in contrast to the tunnel which was cold as ice (I was sweating anyway).

As I stepped through the light, everything became very bright, airy, and wonderfully beautiful around me, and I lost the burden that was previously threatening to crush me.

I felt happy and free, as if I was lying in a fragrant meadow with a slight breeze on a warm summer's day.”

4. Seeing scenes from one’s life

Replaying memories is also tied to near-death experiences, with many people viewing clips from their life flash before their eyes, almost as if watching a movie reel. 

Ty L. said he saw a playback of his short life when he had a near-death experience on July 23, 2004 after being thrown from a four-wheeler:

“When we did a hard turn, the vehicle flipped and we were thrown off. I felt a split-second of fear until I was suspended in midair. While in midair, I felt a sudden serenity and emptiness. It felt so empty, that I felt like I could float in the air like a balloon. 

That's when a sudden burst of pure thought flowed through my mind. The thought contained an immense amount of information. It contained pretty much every single thing I'd done in my short amount of life and flashed into my head: the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. 

There were even memories that were seemingly insignificant. One such thought was the very first time I made eggs and bacon for my parents at the age of 5. 

The entire time, I felt both happiness and some guilt over the people I wronged. Fortunately, as a 12-year-old I didn't encounter too many people I had wronged yet, so the guilt was on the light side.”

5. Interacting with spirits or people from one’s life

One of the most attractive qualities of a near-death experience is the chance to see a loved one who passed away again, or just a loved one from one’s life. Usually, they appear to dispense some sort of helpful wisdom or advice.

When Mandy J. had a near-death experience on May 25, 1992 during a gallbladder surgery, she met her dead relatives who urged her to fight the urge to cross over:

“I looked to my right and to my left then I looked in front of me and there were all my relatives and friends that had died, standing in the order they had died. For example, my grandfather Lupe was the first person I remember dying (he died in 1955 when I was 10 years old), so he was the first person in line on the left side. These were only people that I loved and cared about deeply that had passed on before me.

On the right side was my grandmother (she passed on in 1991 at 92 years old). She was the first person I talked to and I asked her, ‘Grandma, why are you over there and not on this side with all the other people?’ She was sitting in her green chair that she loved so much and she was doing something with her hands. Possibly she was crocheting because she loved to crochet but had not been able to crochet in her last few years because of her eyesight. She looked up at me and, in Spanish told me I have a little bit more to do then I will go with the rest of them.

I turned back to my grandfather and told him how much I had missed him and how happy I was to see him. There were about 12 people in that line. I spoke with each and every one of them briefly, but had a longer discussion with my uncle Donald. Donald is my Dad's brother who drowned on June 30, 1989. He was about 60 years old. I spoke with him and he told me to give his brother Joe a message. He told me what I was to tell his brother for him.

As I was getting ready to ask him another question, I looked up and saw my nephew floating above the others. He was not on the right or left — he was just floating around. I asked him, ‘Richard, what are you doing up there?’ He answered, ‘It was not my time. I have to stay here until it is my time.’ My nephew Richard committed suicide in September of 1989. I felt the hurt in my heart to know he was not able to be at peace.

At that time, I felt that I wanted to be in the warmth and comfort of these family members and I decided I was going to cross over when my grandfather put his hand up and said, ‘No, you can't come yet.’ 

I asked, ‘Why not?’ His reply was: ‘You need to go back and finish what I need you to do.’ 

I started crying because I did not want to leave this beautiful, peaceful place that I had found. He said, ‘Don't cry. You will see me again one more time before you see me for the final time.’

Next thing I knew, I was being sucked out of this wonderful place.”

JESSIE SCHIEWE IS THE EDITOR OF OK WHATEVER. SHE BELIEVES IN UNICORNS AND THRIFT SHOPS FOR EXERCISE.

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