Bright lights and feelings of peace - why are so many near-death experiences so similar?

It’s not a myth – a lot of people who’ve got very close to clinical death do actually see ‘bright lights’ ahead, as well as a feeling of peace and disconnection from their own body.

But why does it happen – and does everyone experience it the same way?

Belgian researchers analysed 154 near-death narratives from the International Association for Near-Death Studies and the Coma Science Group.

The researchers found that many near-death experiences shared the same features – with 80% saying they felt peaceful and 69% seeing a bright light.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) claimed to have met another individual.

A significant number of participants said the events happened in a similar order – with 22% saying they had an out-of-body experience, followed by a bright light, followed by a feeling of peace.

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‘The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency distribution of these features, both globally and according to the position of features in narratives, as well as the most frequently reported temporality sequences of the different near-death-experience features,’ says researcher Charlotte Martial from the University of Liège.

‘This suggests that near-death-experiences seem to be regularly triggered by a sense of detachment from the physical body and end when returning to one’s body.

‘Further research is necessary to explore these differences and the precise extent of which content of those experiences reflects their expectations and cultural backgrounds, as well as the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying near-death-experiences.’