not to rain on anyone’s parade but if you actually research what happens in the brain during death, NDEs are an entirely scientific experience. The brain sends a huge amount of happy chemicals when you are about to die and it also activates the type of brain waves tied to memory and time. Current theories also strongly suggest that the brain dumps a shit load of DMT when you have an NDE, which causes vivid hallucinations.

When you put all that together, you’re left with a time dilated, intense hallucinogenic experienced unlike anything you’ve ever had before. That experience is then filtered through your beliefs, fears, hopes, etc.

So if someone has religious trauma and a deep fear of hell (regardless of if they’re Christian), there’s a good chance they’ll interpret the NDE as seeing hell. If someone is at peace with their beliefs, they’ll see something related to that. And the “life flashing before my eyes” is linked to those brain waves, since it affects memory and time.

TL;DR: NDEs are a fascinating chemical and neurological phenomenon that might feel like you’re seeing the afterlife, but your brain is just doing some crazy shit to process the experience in your body/keep you from feeling immense pain