The phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) has intrigued many people for decades due to the consistent similarities between numerous accounts provided by individuals from different cultures, religions, and nationalities.
People describe experiences and feelings similar to those described in some of the oldest sacred texts of the world.
Some people view these experiences as evidence of existence beyond the physical body, while others believe they are simply a function of the brain when put under extreme duress.
Here are some similarities between NDEs and religious texts that may point to the truth in sacred words.
1. The Feeling of Leaving the Body
Many NDE accounts contain descriptions of the person experiencing a sense of being somehow separated from the body during this event. Often, people describe seeing events from above their physical body.
Many religious traditions from all across the globe contain descriptions of an immortal soul or spirit that exists apart from the physical body. Ancient traditions indicated that consciousness exists beyond the physical limits of the body.
The biggest surprise, when one hears reports of leaving the body during an NDE, is that they do not appear to be frightened but rather to experience profound peace and emotional clarity during this transition phase.
2. Encounters With Intense Light
Another similarity of NDEs is the description of seeing light or luminescence during the event. This particular light has been described the same way numerous times by people from all over the world.
Many individuals describe this light as overwhelming in its emotional impact. Many of the world’s religious traditions characterize their encounter with the divine as having been bright, radiant, or produced by fire.
An unusual detail of the “light” described by individuals in NDEs is the sense that the light was emotionally alive and sentient rather than simply being visual.
Even non-religious people who experienced this often use spiritual terms to describe what happened afterwards, as normal descriptions just don’t seem adequate.
3. Time Feels Completely Different
Many NDE accounts explain a complete loss of normal ability to comprehend the passing of time; sometimes minutes feel like months or vice versa.
Religious texts refer to the idea of spiritual realms existing outside of ‘human time’ as well.
Many ancient religious beliefs viewed time as a trait associated only with the material world; thus, NDEs seem to support this belief.
4. Life Reviews Appear Surprisingly Often
Many individuals report seeing a “life review” during which they relive the most important and impactful experiences or feel the emotional impact that their behavior had upon other individuals.
This idea also appears frequently in religious documents concerning eternal judgment, consequences of one’s own actions, or moral accounting for a person’s actions.
Many of the events that these individuals recalled were mostly insignificant in nature (i.e., telling white lies), yet they have much more of an emotional impact in this state. This corresponds with the many spiritual beliefs that promote kindness in this earthly life.
5. Communication Happens Without Words
Many NDErs describe how communication during their NDE took place as being instantaneous & wordless, based upon the fact that thoughts, emotions, & understandings were instantly transferred.
Religious accounts of angels and divine beings include many examples of communication that are in many ways different from our conventional ways of communicating with one another.
Many individuals have stated that they felt that they had been “totally understood” without having to speak a word.
6. Returning Feels Emotionally Difficult
Individuals who report having a near-death experience often express that it was an emotionally heavy and disappointing experience returning to life because they felt a very peaceful existence during their NDE.
Religious texts often refer to the spiritual realm as an emotional realm that has completeness or a lack of burden compared to traditional human life.
When individuals come back to life from their near-death experience, they often have such an emotional journey that they totally change their priorities, relationships, and beliefs afterward.
7. Ordinary Things Suddenly Feel Important
After having a near-death experience, many people express that they have become emotionally attached to normal, ordinary moments of life.
For example, many individuals who have had near-death experiences express that they emotionally appreciate trees, sunlight, words, and silence much more than they ever did before that event.
Many religious traditions talk about being aware of and thankful for the beauty of ordinary life.
8. Fear of Death Often Decreases
Many religions teach their practitioners about the soul, the afterlife, or some sort of spiritual outcome, which creates the same emotional peace after an NDE.
What seems unusual is that many individuals feel that they now have a permanently established emotional peace regarding their own deaths and have maintained this emotional calmness for several years after returning from their near-death experience.
Ancient spiritual traditions speak of death not as destruction but as a transition to something new, something unknown.
9. People Struggle Explaining What They Saw
Many individuals said that human language is too limiting and insufficient to fully express their near-death experience and therefore cannot fully describe what they felt.
Similarly, many spiritual texts refer to spiritual experience created through the use of symbolic imagery, metaphor, or poetry.
Many individuals, regardless of culture, express the inability to accurately describe emotions, colors, or any type of awareness that they felt, which creates even more mystery and connects NDEs to spiritual texts.
Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ever since I was a little girl, my imagination knew no bounds. I remember vividly how I’d scribble down short stories, each page bursting with adventures and characters conjured up from the whimsy of my mind. These stories weren’t just for me; they were my way of connecting with my friends, offering them a slice of my fantasy world during our playtimes. The joy and excitement on their faces as we dived into my fictional realms motivated me to keep writing. This early passion for storytelling naturally evolved into my pursuit of writing, turning a childhood hobby into a fulfilling career.