take-away apparition

   Also known as deathbed apparition and deathbed escort. All three terms are used to denote human, humanoid, or mythological beings, often seen in a radiant light, which may appear in a * deathbed vision. The term take-away apparition stems from the parapsychological literature. It designates the alleged function of the perceived beings in summoning or escorting the dying person towards the afterlife. According to the American para-psychologist Raymond A. Moody, Jr. (b. 1944), the seeing of deceased relatives or other persons, as well as the seeing of religious or mythological creatures, is a common feature of *near-death experiences (NDEs). They are designated as *afterlife-related hallucinations or * hallucinatory near-death experiences. According to the para-psychologists Karlis Osis (1917-1997) and Erlendur Haraldsson (b. 1931), the dying individuals' predominant reaction to take-away apparitions is one of serenity and peace, religious emotion, and *ecstatic feelings. To suspend judgment on the issue of whether take-away apparitions exist or not, it has been proposed to use the neutral term *idionecrophany to denote any sensory experience that involves an alleged contact with the dead. It has also been suggested that the experience of a 'clear light of death' may be associated with the massive release of the neurotransmitter dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

   References

   Guily, R.E. (1991). Harper's encyclopedia of mystical and paranormal experience.NewYork, NY: Castle Books.

   Moody, R.A. (1975). Life after life. New York, NY: Bantam Books. Osis, K., Haraldsson, E. (1977). At the hour of death. New York, NY: Avon Books.