Approximately 10% of all dying people are conscious shortly before their deaths, and of these people, it is estimated that 50% to 60% experience deathbed phenomena.
A pilot study by Osis (1961) surveyed 35 540 deaths revealing that deathbed phenomena occurred even in clear consciousness. Osis and Haraldsson’s 1977 study collaborated with clinicians in India in their research study, and revealed not only prevalence but also confirmed that deathbed phenomenon occurs cross cultures and religions.
A 1999 study in the Journal of Palliative Care revealed that there is an underestimation of deathbed phenomena disclosure due to a lack of awareness of vision existence which is compounded by the fear of a witness being ridiculed.
A 2006 study by Brayne, Farnham, and Fenwick which included experienced clinicians and enlisted a Palliative Care Team, confirmed these findings and noted that ‘Deathbed visions occur relatively frequently and that patients and relatives tend to talk about them to nurses more than doctors’.
References:
A full list of references is available in the Reference Material section.
- Brayne S, Lovelace H, Fenwick P. (2008) End-of life experiences and the dying process in a Gloucestershire nursing home as reported by nurses and care assistants. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 25(3).
- Mazzarino-Willet, A. (2010). Deathbed Phenomena: Its Role in Peaceful Death and Terminal Restlessness. American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine 27(2).
- Osis, K. (1961) Deathbed Observations by Physicians and Nurses. New York, NY: Parapsychology Foundations, Inc.
- Osis, K and Haraldsson, E. (1977) At the Hour of Death. 3rd ed. Norwalk, CT: Hastings House.
