Is Seeing The Light A Real Thing? We Asked A Near-Death Experiences Expert

When it comes to near-death experiences—or profound experiences when close to death—a few patterns may clue us in to what happens on the other side (in fact, there's a whole division at the University of Virginia dedicated to this very work). One that comes up quite frequently is the idea of "seeing the light," which is difficult to fully grasp if you haven't experienced it yourself. Is "the light" just what society imagines the afterlife to look like, or is it real?

The short answer? Sort of. Many people who encounter NDEs experience what Greyson calls "an overwhelming sense of peace and well-being." Oftentimes, it's not an actual electric light bulb: People describe it as a living entity radiating tremendous love, acceptance, and warmth. They feel enveloped by it; it permeates their being, and they don't know what to call it," he notes. So they simply name it the light.

"When you talk to near-death experiencers, and you ask them, 'What happened to you?' the first thing they say is, 'Well, there aren't words to express it. I can't really describe it for you.' The questions that come up with near-death experience probably can't be answered with our limited language and our limited logic." In other words: The light is a feeling that can't really be explained.

However, Greyson also says that some people do see a physical beam of light on the other side: "People talk about being thrust down a tunnel at breakneck speed toward a brilliant light," he recounts. While this may sound initially terrifying, for many of them, he says, once they were able to let go of their desire to control what was happening, it became rather blissful.