What started as a casual read for one Kentucky physician turned into a decades-long journey into one of the greatest mysteries of human existence—what happens after we die?

After studying more than 5,000 accounts collected over 25 years, radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long says near-death experiences exhibit patterns and details that science has yet to explain, pointing to possible evidence of an afterlife, CBN reported.

Dr. Long, who specializes in cancer treatment through radiation, first became interested in near-death experiences—often called NDEs—after reading an article in a medical journal. While pursuing answers related to oncology, he came across a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that chronicled unusual experiences reported by patients revived after clinical death.

Reading the testimonies changed his perspective. "It stopped me in my tracks," said Long, who noted the contrast with what he had been taught in medical school. He recalled how shocked he was to read accounts from cardiac patients who had been declared clinically dead, only to return with vivid stories of peaceful realms, visions, and encounters with deceased loved ones.

Eventually, Long founded the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation to collect and analyze such reports on a larger scale. Over 25 years, he gathered more than 5,000 individual cases from around the world. Patterns quickly began to emerge, highlighting repeated themes regardless of a person's background, religion, or location.

Recurring Characteristics Include Sights, Sounds, and Loved Ones

According to Long's findings, about 45% of the people described separating from their physical bodies, what he calls out-of-body experiences. In these moments, individuals often state they could watch resuscitation efforts as if floating above the scene, observing doctors and nurses working on their bodies in detail.

Many survivors mentioned traveling through a tunnel, encountering a radiant light, and feeling enveloped by a sense of overpowering peace or unconditional love. In some accounts, people were greeted by deceased relatives or even pets, all appearing in a youthful and healthy form.

One compelling account comes from Charlotte Holmes of Missouri, who suffered a stroke and was declared clinically dead for 11 minutes. Holmes said she watched the medical team as they rushed in and attempted to save her. “I could see them doing chest compressions,” she recalled, adding that she then became surrounded by beautiful fragrances and music.

Witnesses Share Details Only Known Later

Holmes believed she had entered Heaven. During the event, she said she met her family members—including her mother, father, and sister—all appearing far younger than at the time of their passing. This included a cousin who had lost a leg in real life, but who appeared with both legs restored in her account.

Her memory of the experience was vivid and emotional. “It’s like pure joy,” Holmes said, explaining that there was no fear. She described the moment as a return home, a recurring sentiment echoed in many case files submitted to Long’s foundation.

Long said that although no two NDEs are the same, the recurring sequence of feelings and visions is striking. He emphasized the mental clarity and consistency of the experiences, saying, “No medical explanation holds water. These occurrences don't fit within the current understanding of how the brain functions under extreme stress or shutdown.”

Scientists Weigh In on Brain Function and Hallucination

Other experts have also studied the phenomenon. Dr. Jim Tucker, a psychiatry professor at the University of Virginia, argues that the brain’s condition during clinical death makes traditional scientific explanations, like hallucinations, improbable. He contrasts near-death experiences with typical hallucinations, which commonly result from heightened activity in the brain’s sensory cortex.

Tucker said that during these critical medical events, brain activity is often greatly diminished, making it unlikely for the brain to generate complex experiences. “That would make it hard for a dying person to hallucinate,” he added, casting further doubt on purely biological explanations for NDEs.

Lee Strobel, a Christian apologist and former skeptic who spent years researching the scientific basis of NDEs, has cited over 900 peer-reviewed articles investigating the subject. He was particularly influenced by cases involving blind individuals who reported visual scenes during their near-death events—accurate descriptions that they couldn’t have seen by normal means.

Challenges to Traditional Medical Thinking

Long continues to practice as a licensed physician, but maintains that his NDE research has challenged some core assumptions taught in medical school. He insists he has thoroughly reviewed neuroscience literature and reviewed alternative explanations, but has found none that convincingly contradict what the testimonies describe.

"The bottom line," Long said, "is that there isn't even a remotely plausible physical explanation for this phenomenon." He continues to compile new and ongoing experiences from survivors worldwide in search of additional insights.

Though Long stops short of claiming definitive proof of an afterlife, he believes the consistency of these experiences over thousands of independent cases should prompt both the scientific and religious communities to take these accounts seriously.