He Spent Two Weeks in a Coma: “What I Saw Completely Changed My View of Life”

Australian artist Rob spent two weeks in an induced coma after a serious health crisis caused by pancreatitis. He says the experience changed his priorities, although it did not bring the dramatic spiritual revelation he might have expected.

Before the illness, Rob said he rarely thought about death or what might come after it. As his condition worsened in hospital, doctors put him into a coma. He later learned they had not been sure he would survive the night.

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I remember saying to her, ‘I love you, look after the kids.’ She hugged me, kissed me and said she would, then added, ‘See you on the other side.’

Rob remembers doctors asking whether they could cut open his shirt to prepare him for the procedure and whether they should call his wife. Confused, he said it was unnecessary because it was nighttime, but the doctors called her anyway. He recalled telling her, “I love you, look after the kids.” She hugged and kissed him, then replied, “See you on the other side.”

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You do not have a sense of what is real. You simply believe that it is your reality.

While unconscious, Rob experienced what he described as an unusually vivid reality. He saw a large ship resembling a ferry sinking as the water around it repeatedly rose and receded. He wondered whether the scene meant he was approaching death, or whether the falling water meant his condition was improving. In the experience, he said, there was no way to distinguish what was real because it simply felt like reality.

After recovering, Rob stopped worrying about matters that once seemed important. Bills, traffic and other people’s opinions no longer carried the same weight. He said he now notices ordinary details such as smells, nature, plants, the changing seasons and the feeling of something growing and living.

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Bills? Who cares. Traffic? It’s okay, I can deal with it. People? Who cares what other people think.

His relationships with his wife and family also became more intense, he said, because he understood more clearly how important the people he loved were. Death no longer frightens him in the same way. “I’m not afraid of death,” he said, adding that moving close to it can reduce fear and make acceptance easier.

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I’m not afraid of death. It’s strange, but when you get very close to it, the fear can diminish. You accept it and accept the fact that we will all die one day.