by Mark Pitstick MA, DC
If you’ve not already, please read . . .
- ‘The Great News‘ (article #19 at SoulProof.com/Articles)
- ‘Eight Developments for Widespread Conscious Living Now’ (#125)
- Greater Reality LIVING Program: Integrating ‘The 8 Developments’ Into Your Daily Life (#72)
- Greater Reality HEALING Program: Journeying FROM Deeply Grieving TO Brightly Shining (#82)
The evidence-based information and holistic resources outlined in these articles will help you to:
- realize your true nature as an eternal being of consciousness / life-force / energy
- receive guidance and assistance from highly evolved energies and Source / The Light
- heal old wounds, release lower energies, and update erroneous teachings
- create the greatest life YOU have envisioned (YOU = your higher self / soul)
- help others by sharing your greatest gifts
- make our world a better place
As enough people do this, widespread personal and planetary change will naturally unfold.
Death Bed Visions
Death bed visions have been studied at the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine. Their website states: “Deathbed visions are those visions or other experiences that a dying person may have in the minutes, hours or days before his or her death. Family members or hospital personnel may report that a dying person, previously weak or even comatose, suddenly revived, sat up, stared at a corner of the room and called out the name of a deceased loved one. In rarer cases, a bystander has had such a vision, either alone or simultaneously with the dying person.”
Only ten percent of patients are conscious just before bodily death, but estimates are that more than fifty percent of these experience a deathbed vision. That is a very high rate of occurrence.
On three different occasions while working in hospitals, an elderly female patient told me, ‘I don’t what it is, but there’s something different about you.’ Then they described seeing their ‘deceased’ husbands standing at the foot of the bed. The telepathic messages from their husbands were very similar: ‘I love you. Don’t worry. We will see each other again soon.’ These women were quite ill, but still keen of mind and oriented. They were very excited about what they sensed, but concerned about what others would think. Each woman passed on within 48 hours of sharing their experiences.
In 2017, Stephen Wagner wrote a ThoughtCo.com article entitled Deathbed Visions: Are Dying People Escorted to the Other Side by Loved Ones? He stated: “Close to the moment of death, apparitions of deceased friends and loved ones appear to escort the dying to the other side. Such deathbed visions are not just the stuff of stories and movies. They are, in fact, more common than you might think and are surprisingly similar across nationalities, religions and cultures. Instances of these unexplained visions have been recorded throughout history and stand as one of the most compelling proofs of life after death.”
Wagner continued, “One of the first to examine the subject seriously was Sir William Barrett, a Professor of Physics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1926, he published a summation of his findings in a book titled Deathbed Visions. In the many cases he studied, he discovered some interesting aspects of the experience that are not easily explained. It was not uncommon for the dying people who saw these visions to identify friends and relatives who they thought were still living.”
Wagner concluded, “But in each case, according to Barrett, it was later discovered that these people had actually died. (Remember that then, communication wasn’t what it is today; it might have taken weeks or even months to learn that a friend or a loved one had died.) Barrett found it curious that children quite often expressed surprise that the ‘angels’ they saw in their dying moments did not have wings. If the deathbed vision is just a hallucination, wouldn’t a child see an angel as most often depicted in art and literature – with large, white wings?”
My mom had two ‘death bed visions’ in 2023 just several days before her passing. She had slept most of the time for two weeks and only awakened a few times a day while mumbling incoherent phrases. However, the following two events suggested that ‘departed’ loved ones were present to assist her journey back Home. During the first, she tried to get out of her hospital bed; her caregiver asked what she needed and mom said ‘Bill and June are here. I’ve got to get ready to go with them.’ (Bill was her husband and June was her beloved sister.) The second time, after another attempt to get out of bed, she said ‘I’ve got to pack. I’m going on vacation.’ The family was heartened by these indications that she was surrounded by loved ones who would aid her transition to the next phase of life.
Marilyn Mendoza, PhD, is a clinical instructor in the psychiatry department at Tulane University Medical Center and author of We Do Not Die Alone. In her Psychology Today blog, Deathbed Visions: Experiences of the Dying, she wrote: “A patient dying of cancer had been very restless throughout the night. In the early morning, she opened her eyes and stared fixedly into the corner of the room where no one was standing. She said, ‘Mom, I’m so glad to see you.’ She smiled. After saying this, the tension in the room from the family eased. After her comment, the patient died peacefully.”
Dr. Mendoza described another case: “A 52-year-old woman was dying of a failed transplant. She was terrified of dying and often spoke about how she was never going to give into death. Two days before her death, she kept looking over my shoulder and laughing and smiling at someone standing behind me. There was no one there. I asked the patient who she was talking to and she told me her dead father. Then she said, ‘OK, all right. It’s OK, I’m not afraid.’ She then died very peacefully, smiling.”
Mendoza noted, “Mothers tend to be the most frequently appearing figure in deathbed visions. Many times, it is the mother who comes to retrieve her child, no matter how old that child may be. Perhaps it is true when they say that a mother’s work is never done. Nurses have reported to me that when the dying start to call for their mothers that death is not far behind.”
Dr. Mendoza said that more than one family member may appear at the same time during a death bed vision as in the following case: “An elderly woman kept talking to her mother and her brother. Both of whom were deceased. She carried on several conversations with them. She would smile and drift off to sleep. Finally, in a conversation with them she agreed that it was time to go home. She died peacefully.”
Additionally, postmaterial pets sometimes arrive with family members to help the person whose human form is dying. Dr. Mendoza wrote: “A 67-year-old woman saw her husband who had died four years previously, with her 22-year-old deceased dog. She stated that her husband had taken her hand and along with the old dog told her he would show her the path to follow to be able to die peacefully.”
Regarding his experience with death bed visions, Melvin Morse, MD, author of Parting Visions, said he has heard such cases for over ten years from numerous nurses and medical doctors. Initially, these dedicated health care professionals were reticent to share what they’ve witnessed with patients just before bodily death. But the growing number of such reports and immediate peace for the patients strengthens the credibility.
Carla Wills-Brandon, MA, author of One Last Hug Before I Go, wrote: “The visitors in the visions were often times deceased relatives who came to offer support to the dying person. In some situations, the dying did not know these visitors were already dead. Many of the individuals who have these visions are not on medications and are very coherent . . . There is one aspect of some deathbed visions that is most difficult to explain and lends the most credence to the idea that they are actual visitations of spirits from ‘the other side.’ On rare occasions, the spirit entities are seen not only by the dying patient, but also by the friends, relatives, and others in attendance.”
Veteran psychical researchers Karlis Osis, PhD and Erlendur Haraldsson, PhD, authors of At the Hour of Death, stated there is mounting scientific evidence for life after death. They conducted extensive interviews of over one thousand doctors and nurses who were present when dying patients reported death bed visions. Extensive computer analyses of their observations were made. The authors collated this compelling evidence that suggests life persists after death of the human form. They observed the following:
- Although some dying people report seeing angels and other religious figures, the vast majority claim to see familiar people who had previously passed away.
- Very often, the friends and relatives seen in these visions express directly that they have come to help take them home.
- The dying person is reassured by the experience and expresses great happiness with the vision. The dying also seem quite willing to go with these apparitions.
- The dying person’s mood, even state of health, seems to change.During these visions, a once depressed or pain-riddled person is overcome with elation and momentarily relieved of pain.
- These experiencers do not seem to be hallucinating or to be in an altered state of consciousness. Rather, they appear to be quite aware of their real surroundings and conditions.
- Whether or not the dying person believes in an afterlife is irrelevant; the experience and reactions are the same.
Can you imagine how our world will transform for the better as more people learn – without a doubt – that life continues after the human form perishes? Sharon wrote the following to me on the day of her son’s funeral . . .
“Your words have helped me feel so much better. I really do feel peace although I miss my beautiful son so much. He fought addictions for years and, as his mom, I carried his sadness and pain deep in my heart. All I ever wanted was for my boy to feel happiness and not suffer. To be free. And now he is. But I always thought that I couldn’t survive if he died. So for me to feel this peaceful today is truly amazing!”
After learning more about the big picture of life, Jill benefited when she received bad news about her health . . .
“I ordered Soul Proof a few months ago and was delighted and fascinated with the information within. A few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. Interestingly, while the doctor gave the prognosis to me, I found myself calm and surrounded by what I can only describe as love. I honestly feel that reading your book helped marshal my courage and faith to deal with this crisis.”
Combined afterlife evidence from firsthand experiences and clinical research is sufficient proof for many people. However, despite that data, many lay persons and scientists still don’t believe. They say: ‘There is no real scientific research to support the claim of life after death.’
As of 2020, that statement is no longer true!
* * * * * * *
Thank you for telling others about this article! Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you:
- read the article again so you really know it.
- discuss with close family and friends to more deeply internalize it.
- take action steps that seem right for you.
- share it with others via social media, discussion groups, and other ways.
Hugs, love, blessings, and let it shine!
Mark
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC
author, lecturer, counselor, and holistic chiropractic physician; spokesperson, research assistant, and strategic planner for the SoulPhone Project; founder of Greater Reality Living, Healing, Helping, and Sharing Programs
SoulProof.com SoulPhone.org GreaterRealityPrograms.com
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is a master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, and clinical nutritionist. He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings. His goal is to help you know and show that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity.
To learn more about the Greater Reality LIVING, HEALING, HELPING, and SHARING Programs, visit ‘Greater Reality Programs’ top tab at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org. Also see articles #19, 72, 82, 119, 122, and 125 at SoulProof.com/Articles.
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Note: This article is intended as a reference source, not to replace professional treatment for physical, emotional, or mental problems. The author disclaims any liability arising directly or indirectly from the voluntary use of action steps discussed in article.
I created this article while ‘wearing the hat’ of a clinician, counselor, and educator. My statements are based upon some scientific research; much clinical and experiential evidence; my personal experiences; and my best current understandings. This program does not reflect my roles with the SoulPhone Project since those require solid scientific data for all statements.