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Here is a clean bullet-point gist of “In our final moments, can death ever be euphoric?” by Dr Seamus Coyle:
🔹 Understanding the Dying Process
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Dr. Seamus Coyle, a palliative care specialist, says dying is a process that begins about two weeks before death.
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During this period, people become weaker, sleep more, and struggle to stay awake.
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In the final days, they lose the ability to swallow food, water, and medication.
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This stage — called “actively dying” — usually lasts 2–3 days, but can be as short as a day or as long as a week.
🔹 What Happens Biologically Near Death
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The exact moment of death is still difficult for science to fully define.
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An unpublished study suggests stress chemicals rise as people get closer to death.
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Cancer patients, in particular, show increased inflammatory markers.
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Some believe in a final endorphin rush, but there is no direct human evidence yet.
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A 2011 rat study showed serotonin levels tripled at death — raising the possibility humans may experience something similar.
🔹 Pain and Decline
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Many people experience less pain near death, even without strong painkillers.
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The reason is unknown — possibly related to natural endorphins — but unstudied.
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Human research is difficult due to practical and ethical challenges, and palliative care research receives very little funding.
🔹 Could Death Be Euphoric?
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Changes in the shutting-down brain could affect experiences.
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Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor described intense euphoria and “nirvana” during a stroke that disabled her left brain hemisphere.
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Damage to the right hemisphere can also increase feelings of spiritual closeness.
🔹 Spiritual, Emotional, and Cultural Perspectives
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Many people near death report spiritual experiences, like seeing loved ones.
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Example: Coyle’s grandfather died smiling, possibly after “seeing” relatives.
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Buddhist belief considers the moment of death the most spiritually significant transition.
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Religious people are not guaranteed peaceful deaths — some experience anxiety due to guilt or fear of judgment.
🔹 Why Every Death Is Different
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Some embrace death and may experience peace or even euphoria.
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Others — especially younger individuals with families — struggle deeply and do not reach a calm acceptance.
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Those who had early palliative care tend to be happier and live longer.
🔹 Memorable Example
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Coyle describes a woman with ovarian cancer who found profound peace after several severe infections.
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She began appreciating small beauty — like sunsets — showing emotional transformation near death.
🔹 What Science Still Doesn’t Know
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After thousands of years of medicine, we still don’t fully know how people die from diseases like cancer or pneumonia — only from mechanical causes (drowning, heart attack).
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Coyle’s research aims to demystify the dying process, understand the biology, and eventually study endorphins during death.
🔹 Final Thought
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The moments between life and death may contain our most profound experiences — but this doesn’t mean we should stop “raging against the dying of the light.”
If you'd like, I can also make:
✅ a shorter 5-bullet ultra-gist
✅ a version focusing on the science only
✅ a version focusing on the spiritual side
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