What Does It Feel Like Before Death? This Is What We Know…

Death is one of those enigmas for which it is impossible to organize a definitive answer. Accepting and assimilating the idea of ​​an absolute ending is not easy. That is why it is a concept that generates fear, apprehension or curiosity, in any case. And although we know little about it, it is an experience that we will all inevitably go through one day.

The first answers about death were provided by religion. Perhaps death (the point from which no one has borne witness) is precisely one of those reasons why religions are born and remain in time. From many of them the existence of a spirit or beyond is accepted that transcends biological life and that will lead to a parallel world, which is invisible, imperceptible, but which is there waiting for us all (or whoever wins it) .

Science has also entered into the attempt to decipher the enigma. Although there are many scientists who have religious beliefs, science formally addresses man as a purely biological being, whose sole existence does not go beyond the last beat of his heart. Quantum physics has explored other perspectives, such as that of parallel universes, but for the moment all this is nothing more than a hypothesis.

What science has made progress in is the understanding of all the physical and psychic processes that surround death. Precisely to broaden the understanding of these aspects, a study was carried out in the United States and the results were very interesting.

An investigation into death

Many of us have ever wondered, what does it feel like before dying? How do you experience that moment of detachment from life? Is there pain? Is there suffering? Does the terror invade us to take the definitive step into the unknown? Do we really see our whole life pass by in just an instant?

To answer these questions,  a group of researchers from the University of North Carolina, led by Professor Kurt Gray , conducted a study. To do this, they started from two groups that were living near-death experiences. The first of these groups was made up of terminally ill patients. The second consisted of people who were imprisoned and sentenced to death.

Members of the first group were asked to start a blog and share their feelings there for a minimum of three months. The post had to contain at least 10 entries. In parallel, something similar was requested from a subgroup of volunteers. They were asked to imagine having been diagnosed with cancer and to write about it. In the second group, made up of prisoners on “death row”, what was done was to collect their last words.

In both cases, the aim was to evaluate the feelings and emotions that appeared in the face of the proximity of death. It was also wanted to identify if all that internal world showed changes as the final moment approached.

The interesting results of the study

A team of psychologists set out with the task of analyzing the discourses of the first group, together with the parallel subgroup. They made their conclusions based on the words with which they described or alluded to their emotions. From this they were able to arrive at some interesting results. The first of these was that the terminally ill expressed more positive emotions than the group of volunteers. Likewise, the closer the moment of death was, the more positive were its messages.

Something similar happened with the convicts about to die. His final speeches were not focused on pain, regret or hatred towards the authorities who had decreed the death penalty. On the contrary, his words were full of love, understanding and affective meaning. In both groups, allusions to religion and family stood out.

Professor Kurt Gray, the research leader, concluded that ” the process of dying is less sad and terrifying, and happier than you might think. ” Although death as such is a concept that generates anguish and fear due to the uncertainty that surrounds it (beyond the faith of each one), when it comes to facing it consciously, people tend to evolve. So much so that they end up perceiving their own death as constructive and meaningful.

Apparently, the adaptability of the human being is gigantic and is expressed in all its fullness during the limit moments, such as death. Psychologically and physiologically, people develop mechanisms that allow them to face the reality of the end with wisdom. That is why Gray affirms, with full conviction, that ” Death is inevitable, but suffering is not .”