People say: ‘I was declared clinically dead and survived’

It's time for something grim again. Oh yes, it's almost Halloween, right? And I always find it the most fun and interesting experiences to read about. Yes, I've been on Reddit again — a lot of hours too, thanks to the full moon this week — and I came across a topic, namely the question: ‘People who have been clinically dead and brought back to life, what was your experience?’ I was immediately hooked. Curious about the stories? I've compiled the most bizarre, striking, and interesting ones for you.

1. ‘When I was ten years old, I fell off the roof of our house, landing on my head. I was on my way to the hospital sometimes conscious and sometimes not. When I came to, the doctors told me that at one point I was clinically dead, but they were able to resuscitate me. I can remember nothing other than the darkness of a deep, dreamless sleep. The headache I felt when I came to was truly unbearable.’

2. ‘Everyone thinks it's like seeing a light or seeing your loved ones, but there was absolutely nothing. No feeling of calm, no darkness, nothing. One moment I was dying and the next moment I was suddenly back.’

3. ‘I was dead for two minutes and 42 seconds. What I know is that one moment I was there and then I suddenly woke up in the hospital. It's like you suddenly fall asleep but without the dream. You fall asleep and you wake up. That was my experience at least. No darkness, no light, no visions.’

4. ‘I was dead for six minutes. At first, I got cold until my body started to warm up and everything just became very calm and peaceful. I felt no pain anymore. All the sounds from the Emergency Room faded into the background. It was actually very nice. I thought about my daughter and I remembered all the things we did. Slowly it turned black and there was just nothing. I always explain it as feeling like it was before I was born.’

5. ‘My wife experienced this and I have often talked to her about it. She can remember nothing. Pure blackness. No light. No family members and former pets waiting. Just... Black. But fortunately, also no pain.’

6. ‘Nothing. It was like going to sleep. You don't realize you're going to sleep and then suddenly you wake up. I had stopped breathing and my heart stopped for two and a half minutes. 21 hours later I woke up with broken ribs from the resuscitation. I literally had no idea what had happened: one moment I was in my room, now in the hospital. No flashbacks of my life, no white light, no feeling of peace... Just, nothing.’

7. ‘As much as I would like to explain that it's some kind of revelation or another kind of reality, the most realistic and truthful answer is simply: nothing. Emptiness. Not even space. How I would describe it is as follows: not being able to feel anything, whatsoever. Not even able to see, hear, or move. But still, I was fully aware that I was myself and that I existed.’

8. ‘Being actually dead is mostly a lot of complete nothingness, but I can remember coming back to life very well. It felt like I had to use every fiber, every bit of energy in my body to climb out of that deep nothingness, back into life. I experienced it as a conscious effort to start breathing again. Of course, it was the resuscitation team that took care of that, but still, this is how I experienced it.’