Research on near death experiences indicates that the processes of dying are spiritually dynamic and include premonitions of death, shared dying experiences and after-death communications. This research is very solid and can be found in the AMA's Pediatric journals, the Lancet and even experimental evidence done by the National Warfare Institute. In spite of this, the dying are often ignored, overtreated with invasive medical techniques, resulting in medical care that does not extend meaningful life one minute and costs billions of dollars. Listen to ZdoggMd on this:
Near death research documents that it is in fact the dying experience. This research is important as it validates an entire category of spiritual experience surrounding death and dying, which are more difficult to scientifically study. These include premonitions of death, shared dying experiences, spiritual phenomena associated with the processes of dying (such as radios suddenly turning on or grandfather clocks stopping), and after death communications.
These experiences have the power to plant the seeds for the healing of grief. They can also open a dialogue between patients, family and physicians on end-of-life care. Studies have shown that physicians often think that family members want everything to be done for the dying patient, whereas family members often think that they have to have invasive care because that's what the doctors want. The knowledge that the dying process is spiritually dynamic can present an opportunity for a greater dialogue on death and dying.