This helps elucidate the DBE
somewhat. My interpretation on the
physical component is that the mind often reaches an understanding that death
is now at hand. At that point it is
often able to redirect remaining energies to the brain and head to make final
contact with those in attendance.
The reports of light and of those
who have gone before is common to most reports and now may also be fed by
expectation. Sometimes we get out of
body reports and I even seen a possible confirmation report in which something
was reported not otherwise possible.
Perhaps we need to set up hidden
artifacts to be reported on if ever possible.
Certainly the interest is there and they could be even manufactured
items able to be broadly sold and distributed.
Going into the light
The Irish Times - Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A new study of deathbed experiences has found a surprising number of
similarities, writes FIONOLA MEREDITH
GIVEN THAT many of us shy away from talking about death and dying, it
is not surprising that we know so little about what happens in the last hours of
a person’s life. But an unusual new study, funded by the Irish Hospice
Foundation, aims to break through the taboo of the deathbed.
The study – Capturing the invisible: exploring Deathbed Experiences in
Irish Palliative Care, by researchers Una MacConville and Regina McQuillan –
examines the strange visions that often accompany the dying process, asking
members of the Irish Association of Palliative Care to report their
experiences. The results are startling.
In one frequently reported scenario, the dying person spoke of seeing
deceased relatives or religious figures, or of experiencing a radiant white
light in the room. Perhaps because they defy explanation, these deathbed
phenomena are rarely discussed by healthcare professionals, despite being a
familiar occurrence.
Yet rather than avoiding the topic, MacConville says education about
such experiences could raise awareness of the phenomena and help palliative
care professionals to normalise them for patients and families as a common and
even comforting part of dying.
After all, as MacConville points out, there is nothing new in these
visions: accounts of deathbed experiences (DBE) are common throughout history
and across cultures.
William Shakespeare makes
reference to them, and the earliest medical encyclopaedias recognise such
phenomena as indications that death is close. In most cases, they have a
positive effect, bringing peace, comfort, calmness and joy to the patient.
One nurse who responded to the study said, “I have often heard patients
refer to seeing someone in their room or at the end of their bed, often
relatives, and also it is not a distressing event for them. Family are usually
shocked by hearing it and want to know the significance of it.”
Another odd but quite frequently reported occurrence – 31 per cent of
respondents mentioned it in this study – is when a dying person unexpectedly
emerges from a coma, suddenly becoming sufficiently alert to communicate with
family and friends.
A respondent reported that, “In one incident the patient, who had been
in a coma, opened his eyes and smiled at his three daughters and wife. Profound
calmness and peace filled the room. It was special to be part of that
experience. In another incident the patient said he saw a light, a bright
light; he died shortly afterwards.”
Less dramatically, the dying person may also experience vivid dreams
that have particular significance for them, sometimes helping them resolve
unfinished business in their lives. Others report a sudden and unexplained
smell of roses, or claim to see angels appearing in their room.
However you explain them, most of these experiences sound benign, even
reassuring. But MacConville says that deathbed phenomena sometimes can be
frightening encounters for the dying person and their relatives: “Family
members may become distressed because they realise that death is imminent, and
the dying person may be disturbed by the visions because they don’t understand
them.”
One respondent told MacConville and McQuillan that relatives often
become “upset and emotional if patient talks to them as they realise time is
very short”.
Neither is a deathbed experience any kind of guarantor of a peaceful
death. In the study, only 24 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed
that patients experiencing DBE have a peaceful death as a result. Some 59 per
cent were neutral and 17 per cent disagreed.
MacConville says deathbed experiences are rarely talked about precisely
because it’s not clear what these visions are. One common sense explanation may
be that the visions are drug- or fever-induced hallucinations. But 68 per cent
of respondents agreed, or strongly agreed, that DBE have different qualities
from such hallucinations.
MacConville says there appears to be a difference in the quality of the
visions: they appear with greater clarity, and they are experienced as
meaningful, with significant associations, rather than random, as they would be
in drug-induced cases.
An earlier study also indicated that patients experiencing deathbed
phenomena are usually calm and composed. In contrast, drug- or fever-induced
hallucinations can be disturbing and frightening, with other symptoms of
drug-induced toxicity and high temperature present as well.
Reflecting on the deathbed phenomena, one anonymous palliative care
nurse admitted that such visions “do not often have a rational explanation”.
Nonetheless, “I don’t believe people’s experiences can be discounted or
disputed. It is individual, intense and real for many patients and families.”
Being able to put a name to these experiences, and to talk about them
openly, is one important step towards overcoming the fear and confusion that
surrounds the last hours before death.
Una MacConville is interested in hearing from healthcare professionals
and members of the public about such experiences as this research is
continuing. E-mail her at U.macconville@bath.ac.uk or call 086-8175530.
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