Do dying people actually see their lives flash before their eyes? It’s not possible to ask them, so scientists have turned to people who came close to death, but pulled through, for answers.

A new study from researchers with Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Israel looked into the phenomenon of near-death experiences. Findings revealed that many people do experience "unusual memory events," when the end is near, Medical XPress reported, but the events aren't what you might expect.

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The experiences weren't reported as a series of chronological life-changing memories the way they’re depicted on television; instead, they were random, and often exceptionally vivid and emotional. Additionally, many participants reported experiencing these memories from the perspectives of other people, Medical Xpress reported.

To better understand this reported phenomenon, three researchers first investigated interviews with seven people who had been through a near-death experience. From there, they sent questionnaires to 264 additional people whose medical reports suggested they had almost died.

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In general, all study participants stated that their near-death experiences had a profound effect on them.

End-of-life concerns have been a hot topic for recent research. Last month, a study from researchers at Barcelona University found that virtual reality (VR) technology can actually reduce a fear of dying.

Researchers were inspired by prior research showing that people who have near-death experiences have fewer fears about their time to go, Medical Daily previously reported.

Source: Katz J, Saadon-Grossman N, Arzy S. The life review experience: Qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Consciousness and Cognition. 2017.

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