Descriptions of near-death experiences typically include flying through a tunnel towards a light, encountering deceased friends or relatives, contacting angels or deities, engaging in telepathic communication, and reviewing one’s life, among other things. However, no two near-death experiences are identical, and none of them contain all of these scenarios. Kristen Blinne, a philosopher from the USA, attempted to imagine what such an adventure might sound like.
The author created an audio piece including all the popular stages of near-death experiences:
1. Leaving the body: it all starts with a heartbeat, then a voice appears—a cascade of thoughts and feelings.
2. Flying through a tunnel towards a light: hanging chimes, a singing bowl, gong strikes.
3. Journeying to another world: the sounds of cranes, guinea pigs, and beavers. In the background, there is a gong and a harp.
4. Encountering the deceased: the meowing of the author’s deceased cat is heard (from a recording made while it was alive), as can the sound of a chime that symbolizes a being of light.
5. Encountering spirits: the hum of children’s voices.
6. Returning to the body: the sounds of an organ convey a sense of movement, while gong strikes symbolize that the person has returned to their body. A heartbeat concludes the adventure.
It is worth remembering that near-death experiences are one of the phase states, along with lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences. One of the popular scenarios (flying through a tunnel towards a light) was intentionally induced by the REMspace team in lucid dreams.
What does a phase state sound like to you? What sounds and melodies would you include in a project like Kristen Blinne’s?
The article was published in December 2024 in Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies. The audio is also available there.
Get all the latest news about lucid dreams via our channels on Telegram, Facebook, Twitter
