The question of what happens when you die is one that has mystified humans for thousands of years.
Some people believe that when you die, that’s it – your consciousness simply ends and there’s nothing more.
Others believe that there may be an afterlife, whether that be heaven or another iteration, while some even think we may be reincarnated to live again somehow.
Some people who have experienced the brink of dying believe they were given a glimpse at what lies on the other side – and one scientist has shared what they saw while they cheated death.
In 2016, Anna Stone suffered a serious medical episode which caused her to “die” for six minutes, during which time she claims she had an out-of-body experience.
She revealed on the Next Level Soul podcast that she was able to watch as medics gave up on her in the emergency room, as well as going to visit her daughters before re-entering her own body.
She revealed that before the incident in 2016, she had been in a difficult place in her life, having turned to drinking heavily and abusing drugs to deal with the pressures of life.
Stone explained: “I was married to somebody that I barely knew, and it was a nightmare, and I just wasn’t doing well.
“I couldn’t keep a career on track. It was all just falling apart, and I was really bitter and angry and very selfish, self-centered, all about me and my problems.”
Shortly before her near-death experience, Stone had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been having problems with her periods.
However, it was an ectopic pregnancy that caused her to haemorrhage, almost costing her her life.
“I kind of made a joke and I said, ‘I think I’m bleeding to death’, and that’s the last thing I remember saying before I woke up in an ambulance,” she recalled.
“The next thing I’m in a hospital bed. I had this feeling come over me that I can only describe, is that I knew I was dying. It felt like I was going to explode. It’s too much. I couldn’t handle it. Then suddenly I popped out of my body.”
The scientist revealed that the next thing she knew was being in a “waiting room”, explaining: “I was standing to the right of me, in the room… and then I noticed if I looked over to the left, I wasn’t in the hospital anymore… I knew it was somewhere I was supposed to be waiting for something to happen.”
She described the waiting room as being simply a “blank space” and says she did not encounter any other people or spirits there.
Stone also realized she “didn’t have a body” and was able to watch herself being attended to by doctors as they administered CPR to try and save her life, with one finally being able to bring her back.
She says she then re-entered her body through the belly button, which hurt “like absolute hell”.
The experience moved Stone to change her life and she now speaks about her experiences and offers advice to others experiencing hardships.
She explained: “I’ve been helping other people with trauma backgrounds, I can help other people.
“I had previously been an alcoholic, I would get home and drink 12 beers: now I can’t touch alcohol at all.”
Stone added: “That’s what my life has been, all about serving, service to others, and service to myself and being a better mother.”
