The Art of Dying

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Broome, K. (producer). (2003). The day I died [Videotape]. London, England: British Broadcasting Company. Irwin, H. J. (1989). The near-death experience in childhood. Australian Parapsychological Review, No. 14, 7–11.

In addition she has worked as an agony aunt advising on sexual problems on radio and in Company magazine. She is involved in sex education programmes in various schools in London, and also works as a telephone counsellor for Childline, a helpline for children of all ages. Here is an example of a typical DBV. A dying person — usually a few minutes or days before their death — will suddenly “light up,” express joy and excitement, and gaze intently at a space that appears empty. They appear to be interacting with an unseen presence. They might reach their hands out. They might say, “Hang on, I’ll be there in just a while.” 70% of the time, they report seeing a deceased parent, friend, or close relative. Less often, they report seeing a spiritual figure or a beautiful, heavenly landscape.Holden, J. M. (1988). Rationale and considerations for proposed near-death research in the hospital setting. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 7, 19–31.

I don’t have space to cover all the research and all the ways that alternative explanations have been ruled out. If you’d like to read more, please consult the sources I mention. I’d like to turn to the issue of animals in DBVs. Do Animals Appear in DBVs? Dr. Neppe noted there were multiple witnesses to this event — himself, his wife, and his two adult children. I was particularly interested in the pastoral landscapes, because they are also reported by terminally ill patients in approaching-death experiences. The landscapes have always been described as very beautiful, and usually include wonderful flowers. We had one or two botanists among our respondents, and they said that the colors were most exciting, but, interestingly, that they saw no new species, only species they already knew. Of course, the main focus of the respondents was the incredible beauty of all those vibrant colors.

Vernon Neppe, MD, PhD, a physician practicing behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, who had significant knowledge in this area, reported that he had a dog named Snowy. Snowy became very ill and lapsed into a coma. Dr. Neppe stated: Britton, W. B., and Bootzin, R. R. (2004). Near-death experiences and the temporal lobe. Psychological Science, 15, 254–258. There are several other accounts on Youtube. For example, one person reported that a very ill woman saw her deceased dog, and then she died 1 ½ hours later.