Leaving the body
They say they felt outside their body. Some say they saw it from above.
Described by 176 of 253 people.
Near-death experiences - Soul, consciousness, spirit -
People who came close to dying tell us what they went through. And we look at which parts can be checked.
Stories to start with
Each story, told step by step. And checked against the same five questions.
San Diego, 2004 or 2005
Randy Kay
Randy Kay, a medical-company executive in San Diego, was hospitalized with blood clots in his lungs and caught a very serious infection in the hospital. He said his heart stopped, that he met Jesus, and that when he came back he heard beside him the same song he had heard with Jesus.
1.5 of 5
Mauritius, 1982
Ian McCormack
In 1982, Ian McCormack, a 26-year-old surfer from New Zealand, was stung by five jellyfish while diving at night off the island of Mauritius. He said that in the hospital he went through a darkness, that a light brought him out, and that he met Jesus. According to him, his mother dreamed that same night that he was dying.
2.5 of 5
Oklahoma, 2009
Crystal McVea
In 2009, Crystal McVea, a teacher from Oklahoma, stopped breathing in a hospital. She said she was with God and saw a little girl with a basket. Afterward, her mother found a photo.
1.5 of 5
Ohio, 1968
Mickey Robinson
In 1968, Mickey Robinson, a 19-year-old skydiver, survived a burning plane crash in Ohio. He said he left his body, came before God, and saw scenes of his future that later came true.
1 of 5
What people who have been through it say
Every experience is different. But some things come up again and again. Here are three.
A light
They say they saw a very bright light. Some say it drew them in.
Described by 187 of 253 people.
Relatives who had died
They say they met relatives or friends who had died.
Described by 84 of 253 people.
The drawings show what these people describe, not what has been checked. The figures come from the 253 accounts in our archive as of October 9, 2026. These are people who chose to tell their story publicly.
How we check each story
A story can be sincere and still not be checked. That’s why we ask every story the same five questions.
- Did anyone tell them what had happened before they gave their account?
- Do we know when they were at their most critical?
- Do we know when what they described happened?
- Does anyone else confirm what they described?
- Could they have known it by ordinary seeing or hearing?
How each answer is marked
- Yes
- Unconfirmed
- No data
They don’t tell us whether someone is telling the truth. They tell us what can be shown today.
An example: Pam Reynolds’ story 4 of 5Understanding NDEs
The questions almost everyone asks, answered one by one.
What is a near-death experience?
What people go through: the light, leaving the body, meeting relatives.
What does dying feel like?
What people who nearly died describe, and what has been measured in the brain.
What happens after death?
What has been studied about whether anything continues after death, and what is still unknown.
What is terminal lucidity?
Seriously ill people who regain clarity shortly before death, and what has been studied.
How many people have an NDE?
Between 4 and 23 in every 100 people who survive cardiac arrest, depending on the study.
What does science say?
Two explanations: that it all happens in the brain, or that consciousness carries on without it. We hold both to the same standard.
How does life change afterward?
What people say changed in their lives when they came back.
What if the experience is frightening?
Experiences of fear or distress, told with the same care.
Is it the same in other cultures?
What people from India, Muslim countries, and other traditions describe.
Reincarnation · Free PDF
What about reincarnation?
We asked them the same five questions we ask of near-death experiences. None of the five cases scores 5 out of 5.
Reincarnation: The top 5 people who remember past lives
A 32-page PDF with what each person said, what was checked and what was not. Free, in your inbox.
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AWARE: the pictures hidden on the shelves
Fifteen hospitals put up pictures that could only be seen from the ceiling, to check whether anyone saw them during a cardiac arrest.
AWARE II: a random picture and the brain on the screen
Above the patient was a tablet with a random picture. Headphones said the names of three fruits. And the doctors measured the brain during resuscitation.
Van Lommel: 344 cardiac arrest survivors in ten hospitals
Ten hospitals asked every cardiac arrest survivor what they remembered. They saw them again after 2 and 8 years.
Greyson: 1,595 heart patients and 27 NDEs
A hospital asked its cardiology patients what they had been through. With a cardiac arrest, an NDE was ten times more common than without one. But most happened without one.
Schwaninger: 174 cardiac arrests and 7 NDEs
A hospital followed all its cardiac arrests for almost three years. Of 30 survivors interviewed, 7 described an NDE. Six months later, they said their lives had changed more.
Cold circulatory arrest in surgery: 3 memories and none
Two teams asked patients who had aortic surgery with their body cooled and circulation stopped. In Montreal, 3 of 33 remembered something. In Rennes, none of 101 did.
An archive behind every story
Everything on this website comes from a working archive. As of October 9, 2026, it holds:
- 253accounts, each with its own record.
- 95scientific studies, each with its own record.
- 199cases reviewed one by one.
- 389predictions. Before reading a study, we write down what we expect to find. That way we can’t fool ourselves.
We’re not trying to convince you of anything. You decide what to think.