Experts Present Research on Near-Death Experiences at Clinical Death

Luján Comas, an anesthesiologist and resuscitation specialist, and Xavier Melo, a researcher and president of the Fundació Icloby, will present clinical research on near-death experiences (NDEs) this Friday at 8 p.m. in Escaldes-Engordany.

Comas, who widowed young and spent 32 years working at Barcelona's Vall d'Hebron hospital, began studying NDEs extensively. After marrying Melo, the couple launched the Luz project, which involves 19 hospitals investigating cases where patients experience clinical death—defined as a recorded cardiac arrest in a hospital setting, confirmed by electrocardiogram and a resuscitation team. In these instances, the heart stops and brain function ceases within seconds, yet about 20% of survivors report vivid perceptions: seeing and hearing events, recognising people, encountering lights or spiritual beings accompanied by profound feelings of love. Many return transformed, often recounting verifiable details such as doctors' conversations during resuscitation or activities in adjacent rooms.

Melo shares his own NDE from age 23 following a traffic accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, cerebral concussion, and epileptic seizure. He recalls observing his body from outside with intense peace, connecting spiritually with his mother—who later described an intuitive urge to find him at the accident site—and feeling drawn into a transitional space where he sensed unity with a greater whole and approached a spiritual entity. Upon waking in the ambulance, he declared the existence of God.

The pair distinguish NDEs from hallucinations, noting that the latter fade over time and lack lasting impact, while NDEs grow in clarity and prompt deep life changes. One case from their research involves a woman with a congenital heart defect who suffered cardiac arrest after giving birth. She accurately described searching for her newborn at her aunt's home, overhearing her surgeon speaking with family, and seeing her anxious husband pacing stairs—details she could not have known.

Their work, now eight years in, supports the concept of non-local consciousness, positing humans as transcendental beings who continue learning and experiencing after death—a view echoed by many Nobel-winning physicists. Even more striking, they say, is evidence that NDEs eliminate fear of death, foster spirituality, prioritise relationships, and affirm that only actions from the heart endure.