Life After Death

We've had to talk about death a lot in the past few years. Whether as referring to the number of casualties in a war or as the number of victims of a virus, although we primarily discuss it within the context of our society, we understandably still keep death at arm's length. This is a coping mechanism to keep us going. If we dwell on the thoughts of our mortality too much, it can consume us and prevent us from going about our daily lives.

What is the point of life if it all just simply ends? When we sit with the prospect of our own end, it often fills us with anxiety. It overwhelms us with questions about the prospect of finality. What happens when your brain shuts down? Will it be a heavenly release or will it feel more like torture? Is it nothingness? And if it is, what does that even feel like?

We don't have any experience of this potential nothing to draw on. Most of us wish deep down that we could just go on. We hope that there's some kind of experience after death. We want our consciousness to continue in the same way; we don't want to be separated from loved ones for eternity. But is there any connection between our intense desire to go on and some spiritual truth? Is there life after death?

In recent decades, how we think about consciousness and dying from a scientific perspective has changed significantly. New research on what happens when you die has challenged many assumptions about our notion of death. When your life ends, your heart stops beating and your lungs stop working. Your brain is no longer receiving oxygen and normal brain activity stops. You are technically dead.

But people have survived past this point. According to several studies, one in ten people claim to have had a conscious experience while they were non-responsive. We call them near-death experiences because we believe that what is truly dead will remain dead. In reality, at least according to all our current definitions of the concept, it would be more accurate to describe these as back from death experiences.

Semantics aside, these are remarkably similar among those who recall them after resuscitation. They often involve visions of traveling through a tunnel. Some claim to have had an out-of-body experience or see their whole life flash before their eyes. They meet spirits or familiar persons that speak with them. Many report a strong sense of peacefulness and ease, which should bring comfort to those of us who are particularly anxious about death.

But what exactly is going on in that dying brain? If a person flatlined, they shouldn't be aware of anything at all. Is it possible they are experiencing consciousness without a functioning brain? If you struggle with your own mortality to the point where it's getting in the way of your living, then I highly recommend you consider seeing a therapist. Therapy can help you make peace with your mortality and help to ease the anxiety that comes with thinking about death.

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To get started with therapy today, go to betterhelp.com/aperture or choose "Aperture" during signup to get 10% off your first month. Back to our story, Chimo Borin, a professor of neurology at Michigan State University, studied the record of electrical activity in the brains of women who were just taken off life support. What she discovered is changing how we all think about the dead. Her findings... death shouldn't be considered at a point in time, but rather...