Wired Word Lesson of the Week

The Wired Word

Topic for Sunday, October 12, 2025:

"Twilight Consciousness" May Occur After Death: Researchers have found that at the end of life, the human brain might increase its activity in an attempt to stay alive or reconcile with death. Called "twilight consciousness," this phenomenon leads us to focus this week on eternal life, resurrection and the importance of scientific investigation into death.

In the News

Individuals are encouraged to read the news below related to this topic before the October 12th bible study to be prepared for an engaging conversation:

Accounts of near-death experiences have often included a flash of light, a tunnel, profound emotional clarity and conversations with deceased loved ones. Many people have made these reports, but scientific research has not necessarily supported their accounts. Scientists are now pursuing evidence that consciousness continues after death, and that such experiences are organized brain activity instead of hallucinations.

According to Popular Mechanics magazine, evidence exists that the human brain kicks into overdrive at the point of death, increasing its activity in a final push to stay alive or reconcile with death. Called "twilight consciousness," this phenomenon involves a large spike in gamma brainwaves, those linked with memory, awareness and sensory experience. This spike occurs after patients are declared clinically dead, which challenges traditional understandings of what it means to die.

One example of this phenomenon involved a man who woke up on the operating table just before his organs were harvested. In 2021, a 36-year-old named Anthony "TJ" Hoover II was declared brain dead following a drug overdose. As medical staff began the organ donation process -- based on his prior consent -- he began to react on the table, startling the surgical team. He ultimately survived, although with severe neurological damage. The case highlights how "twilight consciousness" might affect how brain death is determined, and what protocols should be used when beginning to harvest organs.

Healthline reports that researchers recently examined four patients who passed away due to cardiac arrest. Since the patients were unresponsive, comatose and could not receive further medical help, they were removed from life support. After being taken off the ventilator, two patients showed an increase in heart rate as well as a surge of gamma wave activity in the brain, which is the fastest type of activity and is correlated with consciousness. In addition, this activity was found in the portion of the brain associated with dreaming and altered states of consciousness.

Dr. Jimo Borjigin, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan, was one of the authors of the study. He identified two main takeaways from the research: "First, the brain can be activated by the dying process. Second, we need to investigate the role of the brain in cardiac arrest: if the brain is more activated during dying, why? There are functions of the brain we did not know prior to our study."

Researchers are continuing to try to understand what happens as we die. "Previously, it was assumed that the brain just stops functioning," said Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist and director of research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital.  But this study and several others "are suggesting that there is specific brain activity associated with the near-death state." Research has found that areas of the brain associated with cognitive processes (mental activities the brain uses to acquire, process, store and utilize information) are involved. In addition, Newberg said that these areas of the brain have been associated with spiritual experiences.

"What this study really suggests is that the brain is undergoing some chemical changes during the dying process," said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at NYU Langone Medical Center. "It explains the perceptions people have about seeing angels or light at the end of a tunnel. What it shows is that the brain has measures that it takes to try and wake itself up and fires off in ways that can be hallucinatory."

Caplan finds comfort in the findings, but also unanswered questions. The good news is that "this study sheds light on people's fear that maybe they're going to suffer when they're dying at the last moment, and that doesn't seem to be the case." But the question of what happens after death is not answered. Caplan says that the study does not offer "any insights from the dying experience into what really comes next."

The discovery of "twilight consciousness" invites further research into what it means to die. If the brain remains active after the body has stopped -- even for a short period of time -- then traditional understandings of the boundary between life and death need to be reassessed. Some scientists and ethicists are calling for new standards to be applied to the confirmation of brain death, to ensure that patients are not declared dead prematurely. These findings could impact bioethics and end-of-life care, and encourage us all to show greater care and compassion toward those approaching death.

More on this story can be found at these links:

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