Many people ask the question, "What happens when we die?" Most people do not want to face the idea that death is final. Instead, they would like to believe that there is a part of them that will live on in an afterlife. Deathbed visions offer some kind of hope.
Deathbed Visions
There are times when, in the final moments of life, people claim to see deceased loved ones. They may have been sleeping consistently for quite a while, then suddenly wake up and begin to mention names of people they see who have previously passed on. Sometimes, these loved ones are accompanied by a beautiful bright light.
This type of occurrence not only happens when a person is about to die. It can also happen during a near death experience, also known as a NDE. According to Richard S. Broughton, author of Parapsychology The Controversial Science, "The NDC experience usually takes place when the person is clinically dead. Some researchers have reported cases in which the NDE took place when the patient's electroencephalogram (brainwave record) was completely flat."
Is the person on death's door really seeing apparitions of those who have crossed over, or is there another possible explanation? One alternative is that the individual is suffering from hallucinations. This could be associated with anoxia, which is the lack of oxygen to the brain. It could also be due to medications that cause disorientation and misperception. One difference is that hallucinations can invoke fear. A near death experience is typically one filled with peace and joy.
A Near Death Experience
Hallucination or not, those who have experienced some type of deathbed vision or apparition and have lived to tell about it believe that they have some type of proof of the survival of the soul and the afterlife. In some cases, people's lives have been completely transformed. They no longer have the fear of death and tend to have a greater compassion towards other people. In some cases, the individual feels like he or she has been given a second chance in life.
One also has to question, Are Ghosts, Spirits, or Entities Real? Scientific research tends to lean towards evidence that supports that there is some type of survival after death. Are deathbed visions and apparitions merely a form of imagination or hallucination, or do these spirits that have allegedly crossed over really bring some form of comfort and hope to those who are on death's door or are experiencing a near death experience?
Source:
- Parapsychology The Controversial Science, Richard S. Broughton, (Ballentine Books,) 1991
Janis Masyk-Jackson - I'm here to seek out the truth about some of life's mysteries. There is nothing new about New Age beliefs. These are beliefs that have ...
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