This is not a deathbed myth. When we die, our lives literally flash before our eyes, according to new research from New York University School of Medicine. TNew York writes about it

“I remember seeing my father,” said one patient who was near death but survived. “I saw different moments from my life and felt pride, love, joy and sadness. All this flowed to me at the same time,” said another patient who was resuscitated. “I remember some creations of light… standing next to me. Towering over me like a huge tower of strength but radiating only warmth and love,” the third survivor said.

All these memories and many more were shared by people who had heart attacks. They were on the verge of death, but their heart activity and breathing returned to normal with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Doctors believe that ten minutes after the heart stops and breathing stops, the brain ceases to function because it is deprived of access to oxygen.

But a new study from New York University shows that this is a misconception. Professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, Dr. “There are signs of normal and near-normal activity in the brain, and these persist for an hour after the start of resuscitation measures,” said Sam Parnia. Detailed interview with a New York Post reporter.

“Not only did we show clear signs of consciousness. We were also able to show that these sensations are unique and universal. They are different from dreams, illusions and hallucinations.”

Parnia was the lead author of the study published this week in the journal Resuscitation. Scientists examined the brain activity, consciousness and perception of 53 patients from 25 hospitals, mostly in the US and UK. They all survived heart attacks. Researchers have managed to show that the brain is much more durable and resilient than most doctors believe.

“Our brains are tougher and more resistant to oxygen starvation than previously thought,” Parnia said. He added that this organ “has the ability to heal itself and normalize brain activity.”

About 40 percent of 53 heart attack patients said they experienced flashbacks and clear thoughts. Participants in the research requested that their names not be disclosed for confidentiality reasons. In these patients, a jump in electromagnetic radiation waves in the brain was observed, associated with an increase in mental functions – gamma, delta, theta, alpha and beta waves. This was recorded on an electroencephalogram, a recording of brain activity using electrodes.

Noting common themes remembered by survivors, Dr. “People who are near death share the same feelings about their emotions,” Parnia said. – Their consciousness and emotions increase, become brighter and more meaningful.”

Often, people who have had a heart attack say that their sense of space opens up 360 degrees. “In death, they perceive everything as leaving their body,” Parnia said. – They can move. But they stay in the hospital room and collect information. They feel completely conscious.”

In this case, they often watch doctors and nurses trying to save their lives, but they do it completely calmly, without fear or anxiety. And yes, many people actually see their entire lives play out before their eyes; just like popular belief and popular media tell.

“Somehow their whole life comes to the fore after death,” Parnia said. “This is a deep, purposeful and meaningful re-evaluation of one’s life.”

Parnia explained that there is no particular order to this review of life. This is essentially an immersion in morality and ethics. “There’s no chronology here. It’s a purposeful reevaluation of what we want in life, like a promotion. “The real truth is how we communicate with other people,” said Dr. Parnia, who is director of intensive care and critical care research at New York University Langone Medical Center. not random memories that suddenly appear. There’s something more to this.”

There is another common theme: the feeling of arriving at a very familiar place, home. “There’s a sense of recognition, a sense of return. Parnia says they’re continuing their journey to a place that feels like home. “It’s interesting that it’s a universal feeling, the same everywhere in the United States and other countries.”

Science still doesn’t fully understand how and why these common sensations arise. But Parnia believes that during such near-death sensations, the brain relaxes and “lets down inhibition” as it focuses on daily activities.

“There is often a braking system that prevents us from accessing all aspects of the brain,” he explains. – Other functions are restricted. However, when the brain stops working and protective mechanisms for self-preservation come into play (during cardiac arrest), these brakes are disabled.”

In this case, other parts that were not active before come into play. One gains access to the entirety of one’s consciousness, to those usually inaccessible: all emotions, feelings, thoughts, and memories.

“These are not hallucinations. These are very real emotions that arise in a person at the time of death,” Parnia added.

The research conducted at Langone Health and other research institutions is a breakthrough in the field of critical care, which has previously lagged behind other areas of medical research. Parnia said that the number of people who came back to life as a result of the resuscitation measures taken was very low, and this was regrettable. “Those numbers are not very good” because the technology has advanced very little since the 1960s, when CPR was invented. “That’s how we feel in the critical care world,” Parnia said.

He and his colleagues also hope that people can finally understand what happens after death. Source