There's only one inevitable thing for us all — death. It's a grim, yet unavoidable experience. While we can’t know exactly what a person feels when they pass away, the mystery surrounding it remains universal.
Well, some people got a chance to experience such a thing when they died and were brought back. Since such incidents aren't so common, they didn't shy away from sharing their stories online. And so, we collected them and made today's list, which ended up being both entertaining and kind of even educational.
More info: Reddit
#1
I had a cardiac arrest and no pulse for 13 minutes. I was kept alive with CPR and eventually shocked back to life with a defibrillator. I woke up several times but kept slipping unconscious. There was nothing there. Just black blank spaces in time that were very short. A lady did the CPR for 40 minutes and it went by in a second.
But I did have a feeling of not wanting to die or leave my life.
But I did have a feeling of not wanting to die or leave my life.
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38points
#2
I had a Saddle Pulmonary Embolism. The Doctor afterwards told me it was the biggest clot he'd ever seen. I can't say for sure, but I know when it happened, in the moments leading up to it I heard a voice say "Sit down on the chair". As soon as I did I was out. I can't describe it other than saying it felt like my body was lifting into the air. I felt simultaneously heavy and super light at the same time. I woke up covered in cold sweat. I spent a month in ICU after that.
37points
#3
A yellow cottage surrounded by a wildly overgrown flower garden, in the midst of a green field.
Felt a presence behind me and a voice giving me a stern talking to for being there too early.
Woke up with a strong sense of duty towards my loved ones, including ones I hadn't met yet. I must've been out for maybe a few minutes tops but it felt like I was out for significantly longer.
It flipped a switch in me. Still depressed, but [ending it all] is absolutely not an option anymore. It's not my place to decide when I go, since my life affects others.
Felt a presence behind me and a voice giving me a stern talking to for being there too early.
Woke up with a strong sense of duty towards my loved ones, including ones I hadn't met yet. I must've been out for maybe a few minutes tops but it felt like I was out for significantly longer.
It flipped a switch in me. Still depressed, but [ending it all] is absolutely not an option anymore. It's not my place to decide when I go, since my life affects others.
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36points
Even though we humans are different from each other, we all have one thing in common – the fact that one day our lives will end. Basically, death is the only thing that every single one of us has to experience. Kind of a grim thing to bring up now, isn’t it? Well, it doesn’t change the fact that it is true.
Usually, death is a final moment of one’s life, so it’s normal to wonder what it feels like. While dead people can’t tell stories, it’s rather hard to find out this truth. Unless you talk to a person who has died, but was brought back – they definitely have some idea about it.
#4
I choked when I was about 10. I had a dream where I felt this unusual disassociated feeling, I was swimming in the air with video game like characters.
When my father managed to unblock my airways I came back and I immediately said. “Why did you wake me up. It was the best dream ever”
When my father managed to unblock my airways I came back and I immediately said. “Why did you wake me up. It was the best dream ever”
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34points
#5
At first panic, then I remember having enough time to think something along the lines of, "Omg this is how I die". Then there was an overwhelming feeling of calm, peace, and acceptance, then nothing at all. It was just like sleeping without amy dream.
I didn't have any life flashing before your eyes or anything like that. Just checked out for awhile.
I didn't have any life flashing before your eyes or anything like that. Just checked out for awhile.
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34points
#6
Not much.
Kinda just felt like I time traveled.
I was run over by a truck, and bled to death on the side of the road, and had to be revived.
One moment I was looking behind me and saw the truck right before it hit me, thought "what the f**k?" Then I just remember a massive force, and I was knocked out when my head hit the ground.
Then I was in an ambulance with blood everywhere, and someone trying to talk to me after feeling a huge electric shock. Then I lost consciousness again after a moment.
Then I was in a hospital, and had just woken up from emergency surgery to save my life.
No bright light. No dreams. No visions.
If I'd have died I would have just ceased to exist.
Kinda just felt like I time traveled.
I was run over by a truck, and bled to death on the side of the road, and had to be revived.
One moment I was looking behind me and saw the truck right before it hit me, thought "what the f**k?" Then I just remember a massive force, and I was knocked out when my head hit the ground.
Then I was in an ambulance with blood everywhere, and someone trying to talk to me after feeling a huge electric shock. Then I lost consciousness again after a moment.
Then I was in a hospital, and had just woken up from emergency surgery to save my life.
No bright light. No dreams. No visions.
If I'd have died I would have just ceased to exist.
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29points
Today’s list is full of such testimonies. All of them came from a Reddit thread under the question “People that have died and been brought back, what did you see and feel?” Nearly 1.5K people have shared their stories there, so we decided to collect the most intriguing ones and make this list to satisfy your curiosity.
And, oh boy, these stories are interesting. Makes us wonder whether our death will be similar to any of these and what we will experience beyond it, doesn’t it?
#7
When I was 10 I had a cardiac arrest was in the hospital for the remaining summer I don't remember everything but I do know when I came back I was unable to talk for a while and I had to relearn how to live it's been 10 years ago and I have a permanent back injury from lying in the hospital for most of the summer that year.
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28points
#8
Not sure if this counts, but I died three times as a baby. I was born 1 lb and 9 oz, and my heart was just, well… not winning any races. Spent my first four months in an incubator at the Ronald McDonald House, and I’d flatline randomly out of the blue, just to keep things interesting at the hospital. The doctors had to resuscitate me like I was a broken phone on 1%. So, yeah. Just the perks of being an infant-sized potato.
People love to ask, “Did you see God? Did you see the light? Was there a tunnel?”
And my answer is always: no. I was a literal baby, for crying out loud. I didn’t even know I was alive, let alone what “heaven” was. My whole existence was basically just me existing in a warm plastic box, trying not to die. Heaven didn’t make the cut on the “things to think about when you’re 1 lb” list. I didn’t even know I had fingers until I was like, 3.
So, yeah. No great spiritual awakening. Just a really bad heart and a lot of resuscitations. Yep.
People love to ask, “Did you see God? Did you see the light? Was there a tunnel?”
And my answer is always: no. I was a literal baby, for crying out loud. I didn’t even know I was alive, let alone what “heaven” was. My whole existence was basically just me existing in a warm plastic box, trying not to die. Heaven didn’t make the cut on the “things to think about when you’re 1 lb” list. I didn’t even know I had fingers until I was like, 3.
So, yeah. No great spiritual awakening. Just a really bad heart and a lot of resuscitations. Yep.
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28points
#9
Paramedic here. I’ve seen plenty of people come back from the dead through emergency intervention and CPR. I’ve seen the most deeply religious people praying to God/Allah/etc as they die.
After a few moments when they come back round we ask them “what happened? What did you see” the answer is always a look of confusion and the answer “nothing”. No dreams, no bright lights, no golden gates, nothing. I saw a deeply religious man cry because he felt in that moment God did not exist.
After a few moments when they come back round we ask them “what happened? What did you see” the answer is always a look of confusion and the answer “nothing”. No dreams, no bright lights, no golden gates, nothing. I saw a deeply religious man cry because he felt in that moment God did not exist.
28points
Well, probably all of us, at least at some point in our lives, have thought about what waits for us in the afterlife. Some say there’s nothing, just pitch black, and that’s it – death is the final of our essence.
Others, like Christians, believe in Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, and that we all will be assigned to one of these places depending on what kind of lives we lead on Earth.
#10
I had an anaphylactic shock death.
It was so unbelievably peaceful and I felt love.
I was in a tunnel and making my way towards the light when i heard my deceased brother say "No, Go Back. It isnt your time".
I woke up in an ambulance after epi pen and adrenaline had been administered.
It was so unbelievably peaceful and I felt love.
I was in a tunnel and making my way towards the light when i heard my deceased brother say "No, Go Back. It isnt your time".
I woke up in an ambulance after epi pen and adrenaline had been administered.
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28points
#11
Almost dying was the most peaceful part of my life. its not scary when it happens, it doesn't hurt. What I remember was a trippy experience, fade to the best peace I've ever experienced, fade to the next trippy experience. this happened in about 4 hours.
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26points
#12
I can share my experience. I was giving birth, and it was going wrong. I was bleeding out and my baby was showing severe signs of fetal distress.
I thought I was on a boat. It was on a quiet lake, and I was drifting further and further out into the silvery white. I could hear voices off in the distance, but only just. It was very, very peaceful, and I was just drifting away.
Until I heard my sister's voice saying, "We're doing a caesarean" and I didn't care, had no sense of it at all. Apparently the room was crowded full of people rushing about, but I honestly thought it was just me and my sister there.
There was a happy outcome - my beautiful girl and I survived. But I have often thought since that I really hope that all the women who died in childbirth back in the day - and there were soo many- had an experience like mine. They just kept drifting off into the silver, calm and content.
I thought I was on a boat. It was on a quiet lake, and I was drifting further and further out into the silvery white. I could hear voices off in the distance, but only just. It was very, very peaceful, and I was just drifting away.
Until I heard my sister's voice saying, "We're doing a caesarean" and I didn't care, had no sense of it at all. Apparently the room was crowded full of people rushing about, but I honestly thought it was just me and my sister there.
There was a happy outcome - my beautiful girl and I survived. But I have often thought since that I really hope that all the women who died in childbirth back in the day - and there were soo many- had an experience like mine. They just kept drifting off into the silver, calm and content.
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24points
Other religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, explain the afterlife in terms of reincarnation. Basically, after our life ends, we start a new one in a different physical form or body. Or in other words, the soul is immortal, it only changes its forms from time to time.
The TV show The Good Place provided its version of the afterlife, one that’s heavily based on philosophy. Since we don’t want to spoil the show too much, we’re not going to talk about it in detail (you should go watch it yourself, it’s on Netflix and it’s great!).
#13
Nothing. At one point, I was riding my bike, the next I felt intense pressure on my back and neck and then darkness. I woke up in the emergency room and doctors say that a van ran over my chest and neck and my heart had stopped and I was dead for 3 minutes. Literally nothing happened while I was dead.
I've been knocked out and had weird dreams while I was knocked out every time, but this was just nothing and then I'm back. As if I had a dreamless sleep.
I've been knocked out and had weird dreams while I was knocked out every time, but this was just nothing and then I'm back. As if I had a dreamless sleep.
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23points
#14
I recall being carried on the wind very high above the ground. The air was warm and smelled of spices. It was night all bar a warm light in the sky that I was on the breeze being drawn towards. The buildings below had flat roofs and I could see candlelight from the windows. I did not feel alone but could not see anyone else. Apart from the sound of the wind in my ears there was a constant sound of grinding stone, like you hear from millstones grinding grain. It was calm, gentle and unforgettable.
23points
#15
My dad was dead for a few minutes from a heart attack. He saw the bright light and explained that he was moving forward. He saw silhouettes of people lined up on the sides. He could see that people were moving their bodies to try and get a better look at who was coming. When he was about to see the first face, that's when they used the defibrillator on him and brought him back. He said it was the most peaceful feeling he ever experienced and is not afraid to die.
And for anyone who is going to say that it was the paramedics that he was seeing,
1. His eyes were shut the entire time.
2. He saw rows of people and not the two paramedics that arrived.
And for anyone who is going to say that it was the paramedics that he was seeing,
1. His eyes were shut the entire time.
2. He saw rows of people and not the two paramedics that arrived.
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22points
Well, what we’re going to mention is that the show starts with the idea that people are divided into the Good Place and the Bad Place, depending on their actions on Earth, an idea that’s eerily similar to Heaven and Hell. Throughout the show, this idea and its pros and cons are explored in a way that makes you rethink the way you lead your life and the way you should do it.
We all should strive to lead our lives the best we can, or, as it was said in The Good Place, “be the best versions of ourselves”. After all, life will end one day, and who knows – maybe the afterlife really might send us to some kind of a bad place if we weren’t virtuous in our time here.
#16
Honestly it was rather disappointing. Heart stopped for 9m in the military. I remember waking up in the morning, putting my feet on the floor, blink, and woke up in the hospital. I don't remember anything about it.
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21points
#17
Almost drowned last year. It was so fast, but surprisingly calm, I was unconscious in the end. The hell came when I was rescued and I understood what happened. I still have nightmares about it and I am scared of water.
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21points
#18
I saw the light.. followed it up into what o can only describe as a big hotel atrium lobby, all white.. every dead person I knew was there and many I didn't know but I recognised from old family photos.. my grandfather said 'what are you doing here, it's not your time yet' then I drifted away and woke up in bed with an almighty thump.. the thing I'll never forget is the overwhelming feeling of love in that room and everyone there just being happy and contented.
Could have just been a dream, I don't know but it's never happened again and I've never experienced anything like it.
Could have just been a dream, I don't know but it's never happened again and I've never experienced anything like it.
20points
#19
I feel from the roof while playing with neighbour guy. The next thing I remember is how I'm seeing him carrying me in his arms to my house. And then I was somehow trapped in a mirror in my room seeing my body on a bed and then I was pulled into it.
Strange experience, I'm sceptical about it, but it was how I remember it. I don't think I was dead though, just some kind of coma maybe, but my family lived in the area without access to medical help, so I guess I was lucky.
Strange experience, I'm sceptical about it, but it was how I remember it. I don't think I was dead though, just some kind of coma maybe, but my family lived in the area without access to medical help, so I guess I was lucky.
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20points
#20
A few years ago my heart hit 180 bpm and would not go down. A trip to the ER in NYC resulted in a dozen young learning doctors standing around as a couple of seasoned vets decided to give me a shot of Adenosine. Technically I had an A Flutter. This [medicine] stops your heart for several seconds in a controlled environment and is intended to restart the heart with the correct beat. They stood by with paddles and gave the shot saying this may not feel comfortable. I was conscious as my heart stopped. I could hear people around me and feel tears fall down my face. The best way to explain the next few seconds was “a wave of impending doom” but that is mild. It was a huge wave .. a huge rush .. a powerful enveloping feeling.. I was quite awake although technically flatlining. I could only say that whatever was about to happen to me was not going to be good.. no lights no angels.. just oh s**t.. like you’ve veered off the center lane at 80 mph and you’re 5 feet from the front of a Mack truck.. and then I woke up… in all it was about 10 seconds but an eternity.. the [medication] didn’t work.. spent the weekend in hospital and ended up having an ablation .. all good.
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18points