End-of-life experiences in patients: a scoping review of types, characteristics, and implications for the mind-brain relationship.
International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England) January 1, 2025 Taís Oliveira Silva, Kathryn Levy, Christopher W Kerr 3 citations
Dying patients often report vivid dreams, visions, or sudden lucid episodes even as their clinical and mental condition declines. A review of 20 studies found that end-of-life dreams and visions occur in cognitively intact patients, are vividly recalled, frequently involve deceased loved ones, and provide meaning, comfort, and acceptance, suggesting ongoing psychological and spiritual activity. Terminal lucidity, though rarer, involves a sudden return of clarity and communication in severely cognitively impaired individuals, challenging the idea that consciousness depends solely on brain function. These experiences point to a possible dissociation between mind and brain during dying.