Mercedes Somich was on the operating table when she said she left her body. It was the 24-year-old’s first pregnancy, and her labor had already been painful and dramatic. But then she needed an ...

We've all heard the stories about the bright light, your life flashing before your eyes, or maybe even a mysterious figure/voice telling you it's not your time yet. But what really happens after a ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I'm an American writer working in fiction and nonfiction. It’s probably not a spoiler to let readers know that a book about a ...

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are a widely reported yet poorly understood phenomenon. Though there is no agreed-upon definition of an NDE, it has been described as “profound psychological events with ...

Ms. Grose is a Times Opinion writer and the author of a Times newsletter on culture, social change and the American family. Marzena Abrahamik is a photographer based in Chicago. Jan. 7, 2026 ...

Those who study near-death experiences are occasionally confronted with cases that resist straightforward interpretation. The broader phenomenon is well established: Millions of people worldwide have ...

New research suggests the brain may stay active moments after the heart stops, triggering life recall and calm sensations that many describe as seeing loved ones or white, light experiences before ...

Several years ago, I was approached to write a popular book on terminal lucidity—a near-death phenomenon in which individuals with severe cognitive impairment experience unexpected moments of clarity ...