What happens when you die? Scientists are putting the puzzle together

We should not be afraid of the process of dying.

Someday, we are each going to die. Knowing this, we all want to know what to expect when the moment arrives. Will we suffer? Will it be slow or quick? Will we see visions, hallucinate, or encounter God? Scientists have started to probe the question of what to expect at the moment of death, and they've announced their first results from a new study.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- What is going to happen when we die? People who have come back from near-death experiences are providing clues to scientists. Scientists are interested in what happens and in what order. They are working to see if near-death experiences are the same or different for everyone.

What scientists found is that people who have near-death experiences have unique experiences, but the phenomena are similar.

In the most common cases, the first thing a person experiences is an out-of-body event. People report they have left their body, they may be floating, looking back on themselves. The next experience is that of a bright light, possibly a tunnel. The person approaches the light and they feel at peace. Finally, they encounter spirits or deceased relatives who comfort and welcome them. In some cases, the person has the experience of returning to their body.

Virtually all people who have a near-death experience report these phenomena. Each person experiences an average of four things, but what those things are, and the order they experience them can be different. Nobody knows why this is.

Other experiences can be feelings of pain and fear, but these are uncommon. A few people also report precognition, that is, seeing the future.

The latest study was performed by researchers from the University of Liege in Belgium. Their goal was to determine what the most common features of near-death experiences were. They surveyed 154 people who had such experiences, and found that 80 percent found a sense of peacefulness. Another 69 percent saw a bright light, and 64 percent encountered spirits and people.

Speeding thoughts and precognitive visions were the least common experiences, at five and four percent, respectively.

Most people who have near-death experiences lose their fear of death and their lives improve.