Ever heard someone describe floating above their body during surgery, watching doctors work on them from the ceiling? You've just encountered a near-death experience (NDE), and they're way more common than you'd think. About 10-20% of people who've been clinically dead and revived report these vivid, otherworldly journeys.

The term "near-death experience" was actually coined in 1975 by psychiatrist Raymond Moody in his book "Life After Life," but the phenomenon itself is ancient. Medieval mystics wrote about it, Tibetan monks documented it in the "Bardo Thodol" (their Book of the Dead), and even Plato described a soldier's NDE in "The Republic" around 380 BCE. What's fascinating is how consistent these experiences are across cultures: the tunnel of light, feelings of peace, encounters with deceased loved ones, and life reviews happen whether you're in modern-day Tokyo or ancient Egypt.

Here's where it gets scientifically interesting. In 2013, researchers at the University of Michigan discovered that rats' brains showed a massive surge of coordinated activity in the 30 seconds after their hearts stopped—more organized than during normal waking consciousness. This suggests our brains might actually become hyperactive as we die, potentially explaining NDEs as neurological phenomena rather than glimpses of the afterlife. Whether they're spiritual journeys or the brain's final fireworks show, one thing's certain: people who experience them are rarely afraid of death again.