What Near-Death Experiences Teach Us About Work, New Studies Say

Forbes

5 days ago

Near-death experiences at work are uncommon in many professions, but with close calls in aviation gaining more attention in recent months, certain industries are grappling with the impact these experiences have in the workplace and ways such events influence how survivors move forward in their careers. Recent studies reveal that employee' near-death experiences dramatically change their thoughts about work, what matters most in their careers and their relationships with coworkers.
What Are Near-Death Experiences?
A near-death experience (NDE) is an event when someone has a close brush with death and temporarily begins the process of dying. After recovery, survivors typically recount an out-of-body experience or a vision of a tunnel of light. NDEs occur among 17% of people who nearly die. And about 45% of people who report near-death experiences describe accompanying out-of-body experiences.
A whopping five to 10% of the general population have memories of an NDE, including somewhere between 10 and 23% of cardiac arrest survivors. Many people who have had near-death experiences describe a sense of "awe" or "bliss" and a reluctance to come back into their bodies after being revived.
They recall seeing and often hearing ongoing earthly events from a perspective that is apart, and usually above, their physical bodies. Following cardiac arrest, they may see, and later accurately describe, their own resuscitation.
In the last hours before an expected natural death, many people enter a period of unresponsiveness, during which they no longer respond to their external environment. Anecdotal reports from near-death experiences commonly include stories of the dying person hearing unusual noises or hearing themselves pronounced dead.
Scientific Research On Near-Death Experiences
No one knows for sure what happens as we die, but recent information from researchers gives us a clue. In 2020, I wrote a story for Forbes.com on brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, who witnessed her own stroke, describing it as strikingly similar to the bliss of an NDE which she details in her book, My Stroke of Insight.
Taylor told me there was zero fear, and she was bouncing in and out of blissful euphoria and awareness of external reality. She remembers shifting into a consciousness that she's a part of a greater humanity, more open, expansive and flexible to possibilities—as opposed to self-focused needs.
'The authentic self is the part of us that I firmly believe shows up in the last five minutes of our lives,' she states. 'When we're on our deathbed, the left brain begins to dissipate. We shift out of all the accumulation and the external world because it's no longer valuable. What is valuable is who we are as human beings and what we did with our lives to help others.'
Neuroscientists accept NDEs as a unique mental state that offers insights into the death experience. A recent burst in research suggests that survivors of near-death experiences feel increased empathy, spiritual growth, a sense of purpose and even change how they approach their jobs.
A groundbreaking study in Scientific Reports, validates anecdotal records with the first empirical evidence that people still hear while in an unresponsive state hours before dying. The researchers found that the auditory systems of dying patients respond similarly to young, healthy participants just hours from the end of life. They conclude that hearing is the last sense to go in the dying brain.
A study in the June, 2025 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology explores stories from military aviators who had a close brush with death on the job and what helped them process the traumatic experiences and rediscover meaning in their work.
I spoke with the study's coauthor, Kevin Rockmann, professor of management at George Mason University's Costello College of Business. He told me that participants used storytelling about their close brush with death as a means to reclaim a sense of purpose, identity and belonging in their jobs.
He adds that storytelling after a life-threatening event also applies to corporate employees readjusting to life after facing a traumatic or serious medical event like the recent Manhattan mass shooting at New York's NFL headquarters, major surgery or auto accident.
'The way stories are told (with humor, exaggeration or vulnerability) shapes emotional healing and workplace esteem,' Rockmann says. 'Even deeply traumatic experiences can strengthen an employee's connection to their role, especially in high-stakes jobs like aviation, healthcare or emergency response.'
Journal of Management research, published in July of this year explores how NDEs affect employees' return to their jobs. The most common change is the desire to do more meaningful work. The study found that NDEs reshape values, creating a deeper appreciation of life, less value on money, material possessions and prestige and more importance on meaning, purpose and loving others. Survivors often change the direction of their careers, focus on different work priorities, switch jobs or start their own companies.
The researchers also reported that NDEs transform how survivors interact with and relate to others at work, making them more than just business associates, creating deeper relationships, connecting to them as human beings. 'The stories of near-death survivors offer a kind of blueprint for re-imagining how we work," the researchers conclude. "For employees, that might mean re-evaluating what success looks like or exploring roles that align more closely with personal values. For employers, it might involve fostering workplace cultures that prioritize connection, purpose and well-being.'
When Coworkers Have Near-Death Experiences
According to Rockmann, the natural tendency is to suppress near-death stories so as not to disturb hearers and make the affected person 'relive' the experience. But he believes this overlooks the value to be gained by encouraging that person to share their story with others in the workplace.
Unspoken workplace rules cause miscommunication and disconnection. If you're an employer, experts recommend that you ensure HR personnel are well educated about the process of death and dying.
If you're an employee where deaths or near-deaths haven't been acknowledged, speak to someone in authority who can take steps to provide training. Appropriate information makes sure employees receive emotional support during the loss. Otherwise social isolation can cut employees off from help when they most need it.
Karen Salmansohn told me she encourages employees to use mortality as motivation not to fear death, but to use its reality to prioritize meaning, connection and courage. Author of Your To-Die-For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret . . . Before Your Time Runs Out, Salmansohn is a proponent of what she calls, 'near-life experiences.'
She describes these moments as times when you're technically alive. 'Your heart is beating, your lungs are working, but you're not really living. You're present in body, but not in spirit. You're on autopilot. Distracted. Scattered. Going through the motions but missing the meaning.'
Neuroscientists suggest that knowing what happens when we're dying tells us how to console colleagues and loved ones as they pass on. It's important to be supportive, compassionate and understanding in cases where coworkers have near-death experiences. Experts encourage you to reach out to bereaved colleagues, share your concerns and be willing to listen. Knowing that hearing is the last sense to go gives credence to being present with comforting words in the last hours to console your dying colleagues and loved ones.