Deathbed
communications refer to paranormal experiences that may occur with people who
are dying and people who are with them. Although this phenomenon has only been
scientifically researched in recent years, it has been noted in many cultures
around the world for centuries. Hospice staff members have often shared
paranormal phenomenon near the time of patients’ deaths.
Have
you had the experience of witnessing deathbed communications with someone
during the month before that person died? How did these communications make you
or the dying person feel? Did they make the dying process better? These are the
kinds of answers researchers on deathbed communications sought in
a study focused on determining the incidence of these communications during the
30 days before death and their impact on the dying process.
The study included
analyses of 60 hospice chart audits and 75 survey responses by hospice nurses
in America. Overall,
89% of the hospice nurses reported patients who experienced deathbed
communications and a peaceful and calm death. However, only 40.5% reported a
peaceful and calm death without deathbed communications. Apparently, deathbed
communications do have a positive impact on the dying process, but they are
underreported in patient records and underdescribed in textbooks.
The
following is a true deathbed experience that my hospice patient shared with me
about an unusual trip she said she had taken that day:
(Excerpt
from Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice
Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes)
“What did you do today?” I asked Rose after feeding
her.
“Me? I’ve been spending time with my people. I enjoyed
myself a lot.”
“Hey, that’s great. Did your relatives drive in from
Chicago?”
“No, I went to heaven. It’s the nicest place, all
clean and bright with beautiful places everywhere. I saw my family and plenty
of my friends. They all wore long white gowns.”
“Wow! I guess that’s a place you’ll want to visit
again.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be going back. I’m planning to go
stay there when I die. I’ll see if I can help you get in, too.”
“Thanks. I would really appreciate that.”
“How old did you tell me I was?”
“You’re ninety-nine, and you’ll be a hundred years old
on your next birthday.”
“A hundred years old is too old. I don’t think I want
to be that old.”
“There are three other ladies in this nursing home who
are older than that. One is a hundred three. We talked to her last week during
your wheelchair ride.”
“How much longer will it be before I make a hundred? I
don’t know if I want to wait too much longer.”
“It’s only one more month. I remember you said you had
spiritual talks with your minister. If you decide to wait, I’ll get you a big
balloon that looks like a birthday cake.”
“I guess I could wait. Yes, I think I will wait. That
way I can celebrate my hundredth birthday. When I do get to heaven, I can tell
everybody I lived to be one hundred.”
And that’s exactly what she did.
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer
in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book
editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
