People Who’ve Been Declared Clinically Dead Describe What The Afterlife Is Like

1. I looked down at myself on the operating table

Image source/allthetropesI lay dead for two whole minutes on the operating table. I have been involved in a nasty car crash. Everything was just darkness, quiet, and peace. Until I realized, I could then look down on the surgery room and the surgeons working on me while I lay unconscious below.

2. Falling toward the stars

Image source/croftandcompanyI remember when I briefly died for 227 seconds. I fell downwards towards a tiny light which grew as I got closer. Then, as I reached it turned into thousands of little specks which appeared like stars around me. It felt like infinite bliss for those moments.

3. An idyllic world

Image source/life-purposeI flew around the Universe, I met the stars, the planets, talked to the birds and the trees, and I so many people - pretty, lovely people. Everyone was laughing and there was no sadness - even if people cried, they were truly happy. We were all together...all one.

4. Just grey light in a grey tunnel

 Image source/quotesgramAll I saw when my body temporarily died was greyness. So much of it. Just a grey light, in a kind of grey tunnel that never seemed to come to an end. Then, a really high pitch screaming kind of sound. And then that was it, I guess I woke up after that.

5. A sense of complete spirituality

Image source/wallup.netI have to liken my experience to a spiritual experience. It's the only way to describe such pureness, such heightened emotions and clear thinking. It could never be described or relived in the human physical world. It was a complete sense of existence in pure spiritual form.

6. Nothing...just joy and peace

 Image source/foreverinmyheartpoemsIt was great, for a short amount of time I was aware of nothing, apart from an overwhelming sense of peace and even joy. Then, the sounds and the light crept in, and I became a little more aware of stimuli. I was in ICU for a week, and it was a lot more peaceful for me than it was for my family.

7. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen

Image source/etsyFirst it was darkness, and then this little light emerged. Which as I grew closer it got bigger and brighter. Then, it broke off into millions of fragments of lights which turned into all different kinds of vibrant and amazing colours creating lots of different shapes. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

8. Going into a dark metal tunnel

Image source/mydreamsymbolismI died for over 4 minutes when I was just 12 years old. I'd been playing football at school when I went into cardiac arrest. I can't remember fully but it was just very dark and black, almost like a metal tunnel. And the feeling was just so intense. It's hard to describe it without having experienced anything like that.

9. It was like stars in the night

Image source/kevingreenwiredI drowned in the sea for a few moments, nobody really knows how long but just that it took two full minutes to revive me again on the beach. It felt like the longest day, being dead. It was so dark, with pin pricks of lights just like stars in the night.

10. It was just peace. That's it.

Image source/earthspecialI'd been in a car crash and then I suffered from a clot which ended up in my heart and I died for a while. I did not have any crazy experience. There were no gated of heaven and no angels coming to take me to the light. All I felt was peace. An overwhelming feeling of peace.

11. A foggy light, like car headlights

Image source/witnessinloveI had attempted to take my own life. And, once I'd committed to the act I felt panic, and horror - what was I doing? The, it went peaceful, and a foggy grey light absorbed me. Then the light went white, and all my anxiety and fear flooded back. The rope had snapped and saved my life.

12. I had a very long tunnel

Image source/gjyuI do remember a tunnel. When people ask me about what death was like, there's really not much I can say. I didn't seem to have one of these crazy experiences that some people have when they die. But all I seemed to have was a very long tunnel and that's all.

13. I could see my family and friends visiting

Image source/FanpopWhen I was in the coma I died for a couple of minutes. I saw absolutely nothing. But then, sometimes when someone would visit, family or friends I'd gain a little bit of consciousness and I'd realise they were there, but I couldn't signal or communicate. That was a really hard feeling.

14. I experienced nothing, no feelings whatsoever

Image source/PinterestI died and I was on life support for a while. The doctor said I was dead. I have read about other people's experience of having intense feelings or light. For me there was nothing. No light, no dark, no warm, no cold. There was completely nothing at all.

15. I met lots of my passed away relatives

Image source/christianearthnI had a truly bizarre and inexplicable experience. I had pneumonia and blood poisoning and ended up dying for short period. When I was in this state, I was in what appeared as a white room covered in marble with a fountain in the middle with a steady stream of trickling water. What's more is that when I was there, lots of my family were too. Many who were dead, a few had committed suicide including my mother who was talking to me.

16.  It wasn't very peaceful for me...

Image source/blogspotI had a strange experience where I had no blood flow to my brain and so I went into a weird kind of place. Like darkness all around me It kind of felt like I was choking on it. Then there was a tunnel made out of dark material. It wasn't a peaceful experience for me like it is with others.

17. Just total emptiness

Image source/paperboatI tried to commit suicide a few years ago, but thankfully my sister found me and got help from my parents in a room nearby. I was only pronounced dead for a couple of minutes and unconscious for a couple of hours. It was like I was surrounded by brownness. It wasn't as heavy as blackness it felt emptier.

18. I went to a timeless place

Image source/PinterestI was only pronounced clinically dead for around a minute, but time doesn't exist there...so it felt like it was at least a couple of hours. But, when I was in that state, I couldn't feel emotion at all, not sadness, anxiety, and not even happiness. I just felt nothing...just peace. But I was totally aware of who I was.

19. I was sucked into a giant vacuum

Image source/spacey.netIt was a vacuum, nothingness, a void of blackness. That was when I died, when I was hit by a car, I was just three years old. A man named Matt saved my life and he bought me a teddy which I named after him and still keep with me to this very present day.

20. I feel very comfortable

Image source/ourwhworldWhen I died, I was engulfed in a black warm blanket which just surrounded me totally. Everything felt softened, and I felt totally comfortable. It felt like a total state of meditation. It all happened because of my substance abuse which sent me into a state of unconsciousness where I died and came back.

21. I was struck dead by lightening

Image source/celebrationministriesWhen I was a little girl, I was struck by lightning. Lightening causes very weird things to happen to your brain. I entered a WHOLE new world. Everything was kind of squishy and liquid. There were new shapes, and everything seemed to make total sense to me still.

22. It was like being snuggled like a baby

Image source/newbornnetWhen I was little I almost drowned - well I did drown for a while. I could picture the surface of the water. Then it went dark, and I felt like I was literally being rocked in somebody's arms just like a baby, when I briefly died. It was the cosiest and safest feeling ever.

23. I am now more at peace because of my experiences with death

Image source/PinterestBefore I finally had my pacemaker fitted, I would go into cardiac arrest almost every month for around a year. Everything would go dark, and I would feel totally comfortable and peaceful. In fact, now I live my life much more at peace with myself because of these experiences which will never leave me.

24. It was like being on the ocean

Image source/martimenewsWhen I died, I don't remember very clearly what happened. But I remember the feeling, it was kind of blurry. But it was like lying in the ocean, warm, rocking very slowly up and down. It was totally calming and there was this blue hazy light. This was the last thing I saw before I woke up.

25. I was naked in a dark tunnel...

Image source/fullpicI was severely burned when I was young. It all felt like a dream when I died for a couple of minutes. I dreamt I was naked in a huge room that then turned into a dark tunnel. I just remember being scared that my mum would leave me in the room on my own.

26. I met a man in white robes

Image source/goodnewsflIt may sound like a stereotypical version of death. But, when I died and came back, I saw a man standing in front of me. He was dressed in long, white robes. I don't know who it was, or whether it was a godly figure. Whatever the experience comes down too, I'll never forget it.

 27. I went to hell

Image source/croftandcompanyI had always wondered whether hell was real or not...but now I know it is. Because I went there after I overdosed. There was literally everything you imagine symbolising hell, including the devil and the fire. The devil was walking on fire like a giant rope.

28. My consciousness was shared with the Universe

Image source/dreamicusWhen I briefly passed away, it was as though my consciousness became shared with the Universe. Everybody's thoughts became one, as though we were on united being. I no longer had my own single thoughts but rather the shared experiences of the Universe.

29. I visited a place I had been when I was a child

Image source/naturewallI passed away and slipped into a strange kind of state. I would never have known I had died for a moment; it was more like visiting the past. But in a whole new kind of way. I went back to a childhood memory; the place was just the same with details I would have thought that I had forgotten.

30. I was at the front of a pair of huge black gates

Image source/wallupI was in some kind of place, in front of a pair of huge, black gates. It was as though it was the entrance to heaven which I had to pass, to enter the afterlife. But then I was very aware of a voice which started of faint and grew louder, telling me that it was not my time to die.

So what happens to your body when you die... 1. Your Brain Continues To Function...

Image Source: The New YorkerA Tik Toker has recently revealed this shocking fact about death: "Did you know that when you die, your brain keeps trucking and appears to know that you're dead." Researchers have found that brain might actually continue to function briefly after death.

2. Sometimes For Several Minutes!

Image Source: WikipediaAnd sometimes this can be for several minutes rather than just a brief second. For example, if you die from a heart problem, your brain continues to function and in some instances your brain has enough liquid after death to continue firing for around several minutes.

3. And Then Gets Discoloured

Image Source: iStock

This is quite a commonly known act. But after death, the skin on your body will change colours. And it will continue to keep on changing. First, the body will urn pale and then it will turn green - starting first from the abdomen. Then it becomes purplish-red in paces where the blood pools together.

4. You May Seem To Exhale

Image Source: Toronto StarThe body after death may not always just be silent and still. It may actually appear to exhale. This of course is not a true exhale but something that resembles it. This is due tot he gases inside the body which cause this to happen. It does not always happen however.

6. You Might Make A Groan

Image Source: ASHAWhen you die, your body has a tonne of processes that are happening inside your body. And, these are not always silent. if the body is being moved or something such as embalming is happening, the body may actually seem to moan or groan as the air releases from the body.

7. Your Nails And Hair Appear To Grow

Image Source: All The ScienceAnother thing that happens is your hair and nails appear to grow. It is a misconception that they do truly grow. The (what appears to be) lengthening of the hair and nails is because the skin and scalp dry out and it exposing more of the hair and the nail underneath.

8. Your Body Releases Gas

Image Source: MediumAs the bacteria in your body starts to decompose your digestive system, your body could start to release air and gases, which will come out through any opening in your body, for example, your mouth. These air releases which of course, will smell disgusting...

9. All The Muscles Will Relax

Image Source: MedicineWhen we live, our muscles and things in our body such as sphincters are always never fully relaxed - even in our sleep. But, when you die they do. All of your muscles in your body totally relax so that your body has no control over anything anymore.

10...Causing Faeces And Urine To Release

Image Source: The VergeAnd so of course, it means that we have no control over the liquids in our bodies - or the urine and faeces that are stored in our bodies. This means that once the muscles and sphincters release, the urine and the faeces inevitably leak out of our body.

11. The Temperature Will Drop

Image Source: WikipediaOur warm body temperature as we know is a sign of life. After our body dies this temperature starts to drop. And although a dead body is often described as cold, the temperature of the natural dead body is always room temperature, but it feels cold in comparison.

12. The Internal Organs Will Produce Two Chemicals

Image Source: iStockThe internal organs inside the body when the body dies produce two chemicals. These chemicals are called putrescine and cadaverine. The death process leads to a lot of chemicals being released from the body, chemicals that would never be produced during life.

13. Which Will Make The Body Emit A Terrible Odour

Image Source: Daily MailThese chemicals do not come odour free. In fact putrescine and cadaverine are part of the reason a dead body smells so bad. The smell they emit from the body it putrid. But, there is nothing that can be done to stop it as it is a natural part of the process.

14. The Body Will Stiffen

Image Source: QuoraThis is common knowledge that the body stiffens up in death. There is a process called rigor mortis. The rigor mortis happens where the stiffness takes over each limb until the whole body is stiff and immoveable. This process does not happen to every single body, but it can be common.

15. Some Body Parts Last Longer

Image Source: Very well healthSome parts of the body last longer than others. They do not all decompose and decay at the same rate of time. For example, the stomach is one of the first things to start decomposing due to all of the chemicals and bacteria in the stomach, gut and intestines.

16. The Body Starts To Digest Itself

Image Source: Imperial blogsEssentially, as gruesome as it sounds, the body starts to digest itself and eat itself from inside out. As your cells begin to break down, they are digested by enzymes and bacteria within your body. This is a process that can start quickly, depending on the cause of your death.

17. The Fats In Your Body Into Soap

Image Source: WikipediaThis fact sounds very strange but it is actually true. What happens is when bodies are left in a cool and damp environment, often a chemical process occurs during decomposition that is called adipocere. Where, it turns the fat into...essentially soap.

18. The Eyes Dry Out

Image Source: BackstageWhen the body dies, the liquid drains out of the body. So, there is no more liquid to preserve the yes, meaning that the eyes dry out. This is why the eyes are usually closed as the first thing, because they are one of the first things to start decomposing.

19. They May Turn Blue Or Grey

Image Source: Harvard HealthThis drying out of the eyes makes things look very different. No mater that your eye colour was previously...they will turn a grey or blue colour. This does not always happen, it depends how the body is being treated or whether the yes were closed immediately.

20. The Majority Of The Body Decomposes Within Months

Image Source: LovetoknowAt 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes about four months for your soft tissue to decompose—but at higher temperatures, you can go much faster, according to Dr. Lachman. Soon, you’ll be a skeleton, cartilage, and bits of dried skin.

21. The Body Bloats

Image Source: Direct Funeral ServicesAnother thing that happens to the body during death is that it may bloat. This is part of the human decomposition process. This is because of leaked enzymes which begin to produce gases. The, due to the gases, the human body can double in size making the body look extremely bloated.

22. Blood Can Leak From The Nose

Image Source: The New YorkerIt is a possibility that during death the processes within the internal body will cause blood to leak from the nose. this blood also contains a foam like substance. Things leak from the orifices of the body in death. This does not happen to every single body.

23. The Body Turns From Green To Red

Image Source: PixelsSo as we discussed, the body initially turns green after death. But then after a while the body turns from green and then to a red colour. This is because the blood decomposes and the organs in the abdomen accumulate gas giving the red appearance to the body.

24.  Nails And Teeth Fall Out

Image Source: YouTubeBecause the muscles and everything in our body relaxes and things start to decay and decompose, things such as nails and teeth will start to fall out. This takes place around several weeks after the body has died, the nails then quickly disintegrate.

25. The Body Will Liquify

Image Source: News18Now this is a horrifying thought. But of course, after the body has been dead for a while, everything has started to decay and decompose. And in fact, around one month later the body will actually start to liquify as a part of the decomposition process.

26. The Immune System Shuts Down

Image Source: Funerals360Our immune system is what helps us fight infections and illness. Of course, when we die our immune system will shut down. This is one of the first things to happen. Different parts of the immune system will shut down first. And slowly...all of it will start to shut down.

27. The Body May Blister

Image Source: NHSAnother thing that happens to the body when you die is that the skin may potentially blister all over the body. The blood rising to the surface of the skin it causes blisters to appear all over the skin surface. This does not happen to everybody but in some instances it will occur.

28. Your Body Attracts Insects

Image Source: RaidIt is natural that anything decaying attracts insects. If left to decay naturally this of course is much more intense for example maggots along with flies. But, even if the body is protected at a funeral home there are still of course flies which inevitably will be attracted to the body.

29. The Body May Be Embalmed

Image Source: scmpIf the body is being embalmed then this involves a multitude of processes inside the body. The organs for example will all be removed. Chemicals and colouring will be inserted into the body. The body will be disinfected and eye caps will be places under the eye lids.

30. It All Depends On The Person

Image Source: wikidataThe process of death of course happens in a similar way for every body. But these processes vary according to age, gender, body weight and even the time and environment of the body. In some circumstances the body may stiffen or decompose at a quicker rate than others for example.