The medical professional says that patients ‘feel comforted’ by the common experience.
A hospice nurse has revealed the one thing that many of her patients experience in the lead up to their death.
Julie McFadden, who works as a Hospice/Pallative Care nurse in Los Angeles, appeared on the Skeptic Metaphysician podcast to talk about her experience with people in the latter stages of their lives, with the hope of normalising death for people.
Julie, who previously worked as an ICU nurse, revealed that around one month before an individual passes, they begin seeing memories from their life in the form of people who have already passed ‘coming to them’.
“One of the main things that happens to almost everybody – it’s usually about a month before they die. They start seeing people who’ve already died,” she said.
“It is always people who bring them comfort, so I say family members, but only family members if you have a good relationship with them,” she continued.
“It’s people who have already died and they come to them – it’s sometimes dreams but usually physically – and they will say ‘I’m coming to get you soon, you don’t have to worry about anything’.”
Julie added that the vision could also be an individual’s pet.
“Most people who experience this are completely lucid, they’re alert and oriented, they are not actively dying and hallucinating,” she said. “It’s a very distinct thing that happens.”
The hospice nurse has published a book called Nothing To Fear, which details her discoveries and insights into the experience of dying, gained through her work.
She also runs a TikTok account where she interacts with her 1.5 million followers and answers questions about death and it’s preliminaries.
@hospicenursejulie Replying to @ronhuffman485 For more education and stories- My BOOK: ✨Nothing to Fear ✨Available NOW #hospicenursejulie #nothingtofearbook #caregiversoftiktok #hospicenurse #hospice #hospicenurse #griefjourney ♬ original sound – 💕 Hospice nurse Julie 💕
Reacting to her comments on the podcast, one viewer wrote: “My mom saw and heard her sister and aunt. They brought both of us comfort. She didn’t feel alone or scared.”
“This is so comforting” added another.
One other viewer commented: “My pets. I can’t wait to see them.”
“Thanks for sharing your knowledge , it’s very helpful,” another viewer said.
One of the standout lines from Julie’s interview is as follows: “Our bodies are naturally built to die. And ultimately, as weird as this sounds, it’s beautiful.”
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Julie says that her aim in speaking about her experiences and sharing insights from her career is to make people feel more comfortable about the inevitability of life coming to an end.
Her perspective on death challenges the common fear and avoidance of the topic.
Julie believes that by accepting death as a natural part of life, we can learn to appreciate the beauty in the process.
While death may still be difficult and painful for those left behind, her approach offers a sense of comfort and acceptance.
