Harbingers of imminent death. How people change before death

If you are dying or caring for someone who is dying, you may have questions about what the dying process will be like physically and emotionally. The following information will help you answer some questions.

Signs of approaching death

The process of dying is as diverse (individual) as the process of birth. It is impossible to predict the exact time of death and how exactly a person will die. But people facing death experience many of the same symptoms, regardless of the type of illness.

As death approaches, a person may experience some physical and emotional changes, such as:

Excessive drowsiness and weakness, at the same time periods of wakefulness decrease, energy fades.

Breathing changes, periods of rapid breathing are replaced by pauses in breathing.

Hearing and vision change, for example, a person hears and sees things that others do not notice.

Appetite worsens, the person drinks and eats less than usual.

Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems. Your urine may turn dark brown or dark red, and you may have bad (difficult) stools.

Body temperature changes, ranging from very high to very low.

Emotional changes, the person is not interested in the outside world and individual details everyday life such as time and date.

A dying person may experience other symptoms depending on the disease. Talk to your doctor about what you can expect. You can also contact the program for helping the hopelessly ill, where all your questions regarding the dying process will be answered. The more you and your loved ones know, the more prepared you will be for this moment.

• Excessive drowsiness and weakness associated with approaching death

As death approaches, a person sleeps more and it becomes more and more difficult to wake up. Periods of wakefulness are becoming shorter and shorter.

As death approaches, your caregivers will notice that you are unresponsive and that you are in very deep sleep. This condition is called coma. If you are in a coma, you will be confined to a bed and all your physiological needs (bathing, turning, eating and urinating) will have to be supervised by someone else.

General weakness is a very common occurrence as death approaches. It is normal for a person to need assistance with walking, bathing, and going to the toilet. Over time, you may need help turning over in bed. Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walker or hospital bed can be of great help during this period. This equipment can be rented from a hospital or care center for the terminally ill.

• Respiratory changes as death approaches

As death approaches, periods of rapid breathing may be followed by periods of breathlessness.

Your breath may become wet and congested. This is called the "death rattle." Changes in breathing usually happen when you are weak and normal secretions from your airways and lungs cannot be released.

Although noisy breathing may be a signal to your family, you probably won't feel any pain or notice any congestion. Since the fluid is deep in the lungs, it is difficult to remove it. Your doctor may prescribe oral tablets (atropine) or patches (scopolamine) to relieve congestion.

Your loved ones may turn you on your other side to help the discharge come out of your mouth. They can also wipe this discharge with a damp cloth or special tampons (you can ask for it at a help center for the hopelessly ill or buy it at pharmacies).

Your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy to relieve your shortness of breath. Oxygen therapy will make you feel better, but will not prolong your life.

• Changes in vision and hearing as death approaches

Deterioration of vision is very common in the last weeks of life. You may notice that your vision has become difficult. You may see or hear things that no one else notices (hallucinations). Visual hallucinations are common before death.

If you are caring for a dying person who is hallucinating, you need to reassure them. Acknowledge what the person sees. Denying hallucinations can be distressing to a dying person. Talk to the person, even if he or she is in a coma. It is known that dying people can hear even when they are in a deep coma. People who came out of comas said that they could hear the entire time they were in the coma.

• Hallucinations

Hallucinations are the perception of something that is not actually there. Hallucinations can involve all the senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or touching.

The most common hallucinations are visual and auditory. For example, a person may hear voices or see objects that another person cannot see.

Other types of hallucinations include gustatory, olfactory and tactile.

Treatment for hallucinations depends on the cause.

• ChangesappetiteWithapproachingdeath

As death approaches, you are likely to eat and drink less. This is due to general feeling weakness and slow metabolism.

Since nutrition is important social significance, it will be difficult for your family and friends to watch you not eat anything. However, changes in metabolism mean that you do not need the same amount of food and fluid as before.

You can consume small amounts of food and liquid as long as you are active and able to swallow. If swallowing is a problem for you, you can prevent thirst by moistening your mouth with a damp cloth or a special swab (available at a pharmacy) soaked in water.

• Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems as death approaches

Often the kidneys gradually stop producing urine as death approaches. As a result, your urine turns dark brown or dark red. This is due to the inability of the kidneys to properly filter urine. As a result, the urine becomes very concentrated. Its quantity is also decreasing.

As appetite decreases, some changes also occur in the intestines. The stool becomes harder and more difficult to pass (constipation) as the person takes in less fluid and becomes weaker.

You should tell your doctor if you have bowel movements less than once every three days or if your bowel movements cause you discomfort. Stool softeners may be recommended to prevent constipation. You can also use an enema to cleanse your colon.

As you become increasingly weak, it is natural that you will have difficulty controlling your bladder and bowels. A urinary catheter may be placed in your bladder as a means of long-term urine drainage. Also, the program for helping hopelessly ill patients can provide toilet paper or underwear (these can also be purchased at the pharmacy).

• Changes in body temperature as death approaches

As death approaches, the area of ​​the brain responsible for regulating body temperature begins to function poorly. You may have a high fever and then feel cold within a minute. Your hands and feet may feel very cold to the touch and may even become pale and blotchy. Changes in skin color are called mottled skin lesions and are very common in last days or hours of life.

The person caring for you can monitor your temperature by rubbing your skin with a wet, slightly warm washcloth or giving you the following medications:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• Ibuprofen (Advil)
• Naproxen (Aleve).
• Aspirin.

Many of these medications are available in the form of rectal suppositories if you have difficulty swallowing.

• Emotional changes as death approaches

Just as your body prepares physically for death, you must prepare for it emotionally and mentally.

As death approaches, you may lose interest in the world around you and certain details of daily life, such as the date or time. You may withdraw into yourself and communicate less with people. You may only want to communicate with a few people. This kind of introspection can be a way of saying goodbye to everything you knew.

In the days before your death, you may enter a unique state of conscious awareness and communication that may be misinterpreted by your family and friends. You can talk about how you need to go somewhere - “go home” or “go somewhere.” The meaning of such conversations is unknown, but some people think that such conversations help prepare for death.

Events from your recent past may be mixed with distant events. You can remember very long ago events in great detail, but not remember what happened an hour ago.

You may be thinking about people who have already died. You may say that you heard or saw someone who has already died. Your loved ones may hear you talking to the deceased person.

If you are caring for a dying person, you may be upset or frightened by this strange behavior. You may want to bring your loved one back to reality. If this kind of communication is bothering you, talk to your doctor to better understand what's going on. Your close person may fall into a state of psychosis, and it may be scary for you to watch. Psychosis occurs in many people before death. It may have a single cause or be the result of several factors. Reasons may include:

• Medicines such as morphine, sedatives and painkillers, or taking too much of a medicine that doesn't work well together.
• Metabolic changes associated with high temperature or dehydration.
• Metastasis.
• Deep depression.

Symptoms may include:

• Revival.
• Hallucinations.
• Unconscious state, which is replaced by revival.

Delirium tremens can sometimes be prevented by using alternative medicine, such as relaxation and breathing techniques, and other methods that reduce the need for sedatives.

Pain

Palliative care can help you relieve physical symptoms associated with your illness, such as nausea or difficulty breathing. Controlling pain and other symptoms is an important part of your treatment and improving your quality of life.

How often a person feels pain depends on their disease. Some fatal diseases, such as bone cancer or pancreatic cancer, can be accompanied by severe physical pain.

A person can be so afraid of pain and others physical symptoms that he may be thinking about physician-assisted suicide. But the pain before death can be effectively dealt with. You should tell your doctor and loved ones about any pain. There are many medications and alternative methods (such as massage) that can help you cope with the pain of death. Be sure to ask for help. Ask a loved one to tell your doctor about your pain if you are unable to do so yourself.

You may want your family not to see you suffer. But it is very important to tell them about your pain if you cannot bear it so that they see a doctor immediately.

Spirituality

Spirituality means a person's awareness of the purpose and meaning of his life. It also denotes a person's relationship with a higher power or energy that gives life meaning.

Some people don't think about spirituality often. For others, it is part of everyday life. As you approach the end of your life, you may be faced with your own spiritual questions and challenges. Connecting with religion often helps some people achieve comfort before death. Other people find solace in nature, in social work, strengthening relationships with loved ones or creating new relationships. Think about what can give you peace and support. What questions concern you? Seek support from friends, family, programs, and spiritual guides.

Caring for a dying relative

Physician-assisted suicide Physician-assisted suicide refers to the practice of medical professionals assisting a person who voluntarily chooses to die. This is usually done by prescribing a lethal dose of medication. Although the doctor is indirectly involved in the death of a person, he is not the direct cause of it. On at the moment Oregon is the only state to have legalized physician-assisted suicide. A person with a terminal illness may consider suicide with the assistance of a physician. Among the factors that can cause such a decision are severe pain, depression and fear of dependence on other people. A dying person may consider himself a burden to his loved ones and not understand that his loved ones want to provide him with their help as an expression of love and sympathy. Often, a person with a terminal illness will consider suicide with the assistance of a physician when their physical or emotional symptoms are not addressed. effective treatment. Symptoms associated with the dying process (such as pain, depression or nausea) can be controlled. Talk to your doctor and family about your symptoms, especially if your symptoms bother you so much that you think about dying.

Control of pain and symptoms at the end of life

At the end of life, pain and other symptoms can be managed effectively. Talk to your doctor and loved ones about the symptoms you are experiencing. Family is an important link between you and your doctor. If you yourself cannot communicate with a doctor, your loved one can do this for you. There is always something that can be done to relieve your pain and symptoms so that you feel comfortable.

Physical pain

There are many painkillers available. Your doctor will choose the easiest and most atraumatic drug to relieve pain. Oral medications are usually used first because they are easier to take and less expensive. If your pain is not severe, painkillers can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. These include drugs such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. It is important to stay ahead of your pain and take your medications as scheduled. Irregular use of medications is often the cause of ineffective treatment.

Sometimes pain cannot be controlled with over-the-counter medications. In this case, more effective forms of treatment are needed. Your doctor may prescribe painkillers such as codeine, morphine, or fentanyl. These medications can be combined with others, such as antidepressants, to help you get rid of your pain.

If you cannot take the pills, there are other forms of treatment. If you have trouble swallowing, you can use liquid medications. Medicines can also be in the form of:

• Rectal suppositories. Suppositories can be taken if you have trouble swallowing or nausea.
• Drops under the tongue. Just like nitroglycerin tablets or heart pain sprays, liquid forms of some substances, such as morphine or fentanyl, can be absorbed by the blood vessels under the tongue. These drugs are given in very small quantities - usually just a few drops - and are in an efficient way pain relief for people who have trouble swallowing.
• Patches applied to the skin (transdermal patches). These patches allow painkillers, such as fentanyl, to pass through the skin. The advantage of patches is that you instantly receive the required dose of medication. These patches provide better pain control than pills. In addition, a new patch must be applied every 48 to 72 hours, and the tablets must be taken several times a day.
• Intravenous injections (drips). Your doctor may prescribe treatment with a needle inserted into a vein in your arm or chest if your pain is very severe and cannot be controlled with oral, rectal, or transdermal treatments. Medicines can be given as a single injection several times a day, or continuously in small quantities. Just because you are connected to an IV does not mean your activities will be limited. Some people carry small, portable pumps that provide small amounts of medication throughout the day.
• Injections into the area of ​​the spinal nerves (epidural) or under the spinal tissue (intrathecal). For acute pain, strong painkillers such as morphine or fentanyl are injected into the spine.

Many people who suffer from severe pain fear that they will become dependent on painkillers. However, addiction rarely occurs in terminally ill people. If your condition improves, you can slowly stop taking the medicine to prevent dependence.

Painkillers can be used to manage the pain and help keep it at a tolerable level. But sometimes painkillers make you drowsy. You can only take small quantity medications and, accordingly, endure a little pain in order to remain active. On the other hand, maybe weakness doesn't matter to you. of great importance and you are not bothered by drowsiness caused by certain medications.

The main thing is to take medications on a specific schedule, and not just when “the need arises.” But even if you take medications regularly, you may sometimes feel severe pain. These are called "breakthrough pain." Talk to your doctor about what medications you should always have on hand to help manage breakthrough pain. And always tell your doctor if you stop taking your medicine. Sudden cessation may cause serious side effects and severe pain. Talk to your doctor about ways to relieve pain without using drugs. Alternative medical therapy may help some people relax and get rid of pain. You can combine traditional treatment with alternative methods, such as:

• Acupuncture
• Aromatherapy
• Biofeedback
• Chiropractic
• Imaging
• Healing Touch
• Homeopathy
• Hydrotherapy
• Hypnosis
• Magnetotherapy
• Massage
• Meditation

For more detailed information, see the Chronic Pain section.

Emotional stress

While you are learning to cope with your illness, short-term emotional distress is normal. Depression that lasts more than 2 weeks is no longer normal and should be reported to your doctor. Depression can be treated even if you have a terminal illness. Antidepressants in combination with counseling from a psychologist will help you cope with emotional distress.

Talk to your doctor and family about your emotional distress. Although feelings of grief are a natural part of the dying process, this does not mean you have to endure severe emotional pain. Emotional suffering can make physical pain worse. They can also have a negative impact on your relationships with loved ones and prevent you from saying goodbye to them properly.

Other symptoms

As death approaches, you may experience other symptoms. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms you may experience. Symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, constipation or shortness of breath can be managed with medications, special diets and oxygen therapy. Have a friend or family member describe your symptoms to a doctor or emergency services worker. It is helpful to keep a journal and write down all your symptoms.

Article No. 73

Premonition of Death

Reader question:
Before death, can a person feel that he is dying, that he is dying?

Answer:

Yes, it certainly can. The topic of death and the exodus of the soul from the body was scrupulously studied by the Australian doctor Pyotr Kalinovsky, being not only a professional physician, but also a believer. As an answer, I will give an excerpt from his work “Transition. The last illness, death and after":

Most people die after a more or less long term terminal illness. Gradually fading away, a person has time to think, understand and, to some extent, prepare. However, death can also be unexpected - sudden - for example, in a car collision or acute heart failure (what was previously called “heart rupture”).

People who believed in God and the immortality of the soul are afraid of sudden death, or, more precisely, they are afraid not so much of death as of the consequences of the soul leaving the body without repentance, without prayer, without reconciliation with God. In all centuries of Christianity, except for the most recent ones, people have always tried to let the deceased depart with dignity, in a Christian manner.

People who believe in God and afterlife or at least those who seriously thought about it, usually die easily.

A person’s life on earth is needed only for the formation of the spirit, the search for the path along which the soul will go in eternal life. This answers all our perplexities and explains early death the righteous long life bad people(to whom, therefore, the Lord makes it clear and change their ways) and all those deaths that might seem pointless and unnecessary to us.

Death has its own internal reasons; external factors– illnesses and accidents – lead to the death of a person when further earthly existence no longer makes sense for the life of the soul.

Some people are perplexed why the Lord did not give foreknowledge of death, if the thought of it is so beneficial. The patristic writings explain that this is necessary for your salvation: “For... a person who had long foreseen the time of his death would spend his life in lawlessness and at the very end of this world would come to repentance. But from long-term habit, sin would become second nature in a person, and he would remain completely without correction.”

We are not given the premonition of death, but premonitions of death often occur.

Many surgeons will be able to recall a patient who, before a non-hazardous operation, suddenly says: “I will not endure the operation.” This is not fear. They say this naturally and calmly, as if it were an inevitable, expected event. The patient was examined before the operation - the heart, lungs, blood and everything else were in order - and yet a cautious surgeon would not operate, especially if he had encountered a similar case in the past.

A Russian peasant of the last century, usually an old man, but without any dangerous illness, decides that his time has come and tells his family about it. He puts on a white shirt, is laid on a bench under the icons, given a burning candle in his hands, and he soon dies.

Premonition is not the fear of death; to a certain extent, they are even opposite to each other. The fear of death most often occurs in unrepentant people bad life who reject God. For them, death means the loss of everything they know and love. They are afraid of it and do not want it; they very rarely have a premonition of death. There may be a premonition and fear of something bad after death, but they do not feel its closeness. On the contrary, they may not see until the very end obvious signs her approach, like Solzhenitsyn’s in “Cancer Ward”: “It’s already sucking on the oxygen pillow... and with its tongue it proves “I won’t die”.”

Human righteous life often anticipates his imminent death. He is not afraid, he just calmly waits, and sometimes even wants her to come. After a natural and undistorted life, he accepts death as something natural and normal. This is probably similar to how a person who is tired from the day's work wants to fall asleep. His death will be peaceful and easy, like falling asleep, like falling asleep.

Alas, it often comes quite suddenly. If a seriously ill person knows about his diagnosis and when his death will come, then ordinary person He doesn’t always foresee this, although there are some signs that he will soon be there. Does a person feel his death approaching, even if he does not have a dangerous disease? In some situations - yes. And, although these signs are not absolute, even the presence of one of them can show that a person is in danger of death.

First of all, a person may have a premonition that his days are numbered. This can be expressed by great anxiety, fear, sometimes a strange and incomprehensible feeling of anxiety and melancholy just like that, for no apparent reason. This is one of the signs of death, but also not absolute. Depression and similar conditions can precede changes and the fact that a person goes crazy or simply becomes very mentally ill. Each of us may have periods of wakefulness and depression when everything falls out of hand and nothing works out. Therefore, even if someone, a particularly suspicious and anxious person, tells you that he does not have long to live, you should not always believe it. Most likely, it will simply be the result of panic and anxiety.

Does a person feel his death approaching? In fact, this does not always happen. It all depends on his spiritual state and outlook on life. Very often, before his death, a person performs some kind of karmic task, often fearing not having time to do or fulfill something. Some are accompanied by great luck, luck in everything, or something fatal that can cause horror in others. For example, an obedient and kind girl can change before her eyes, get involved with bad company, or behave in such a way that even her close ones will not recognize her. At the same time, her behavior can become not just defiant, but too bold and provocative, and her parents begin to seriously fear for her life. And this is not due to what others will think about her, but to some kind of unconscious anxiety and fear. Quite often they have strange dreams, often repeating scenes of death with the same pictures. At the same time, the person himself does not always feel the approach of his death. Most often, his behavior changes radically. The cheeky reveler suddenly becomes thoughtful and calm, and may even ask to go to church for a service so that the priest can confess and give him communion. A calm and quiet person, on the contrary, can become very cheeky and behave in such a way that he gets into trouble.

Very often, it is not the person himself who sees the signs of approaching death, but his loved ones. Here's what might precede his death:

Sudden change in behavior. A person becomes either very calm and even philosophically inclined, or, on the contrary, dashingly cheeky, which was completely out of character for him before;

He often asks to suddenly distribute his estate, writes wills, or asks to go to church to confess and take communion, although previously he did this extremely rarely or not at all;

Before death, a person’s aura disappears, but only a psychic can see this;

Loved ones begin to see symbolic dreams, which can be strange. For example, a person begins to walk through a mine or electric field, fly, and to those who are going to follow him he replies that “you can’t come here,” he leaves by train, flies away by plane, gets into a rusty elevator, and the doors close behind him. Sometimes a girl begins to get married in a dream and leaves her parents forever. Moreover, if death is really close, then you can see a coffin in a dream, hear the name of a deceased person, or see his loved ones cry.

There are other signs that death is approaching. These are the dreams of the dreamer himself, in which a dead person calls him. And, although such a dream does not cause physical death for everyone, some people simply feel it approaching, which is why they are sure of it. And often such premonitions are justified.

Does everyone have this feeling?

No, not everyone. Some can even name the date of their death, others do not suspect anything even until the very moment of death. Therefore, it is impossible to definitively answer whether a person feels his death approaching or not. Usually this can be determined not by the person himself, but by his relatives, and even then not always. A hint will be certain kinds of dreams and signs that were described above.

M. Lodyzhensky in his book “The Invisible Light” writes: “The near-death state of a person and the very moment of his death are the most important experience for him... Death is, in its way, the most important test for a person... to what extent his worldview has comprehended the very fact of death... made it easy or even joyful...” In all centuries of Christianity, except the most recent ones, people tried to let the dying person die with dignity, in a Christian way.

People who believe in God, in the immortality of the soul and the afterlife usually die easily, but they are afraid of sudden death or, more precisely, they are afraid not so much of death itself as of the consequences of the soul leaving the body without repentance, without prayer, without reconciliation with God. It’s different with a person who is a complete unbeliever. M. Lodyzhensky writes: “What can be the death of a person in whom the consciousness is implanted that by death he is completely destroyed? Such death is either a feeling of horror or a feeling of dull despair.” Such people often wish to die immediately, suddenly. Here's how one of them expressed his desire: “If I really have to die, then I would like to die immediately or in my sleep, so as not to suffer.” They want to die without suffering, without thoughts, without feeling anything - there was and there is no. Only those who know nothing about death, but are terribly afraid of it, can want this. This desire of theirs is a big mistake; they will not receive such a death - without thoughts and any sensations.

There is no physical pain in death, but fear and difficult perceptions will remain, becauseIn death, consciousness is not lost and there is no disappearance of personality. Even if he dies during sleep without feeling anything, he will suddenly see himself in a strange environment, but with all the thoughts and sensations that he wanted to avoid. Moreover, with such an understanding of death and the desire not to feel anything, these helpless people, full of fear, lose the entire period of terminal soul growth, full of joy and reconciliation.On the contrary, we need to thank God if death does not take us by surprise and we are given time to think and prepare.

Premonition of Death

Before writing about the causes of a person’s death, you need to make a reservation. The soul is immortal, so we can only talk about the reasons for the death of the body and, which is not quite the same thing, about the reasons for the soul leaving the body. There is, of course, no point in mentioning serious injury or list various diseases that destroy any vital organ: here the cause of death is clear. But there are times when the body looks healthy and vital and when there seems to be no reason to die, but the person nevertheless dies. Many surgeons will be able to recall a patient or woman who, before a non-hazardous operation, suddenly says: “I will not endure the operation.” This is not fear. They say this naturally and calmly, as if it were an inevitably expected event. The patient was examined before the operation - the heart, lungs, blood and everything else were in order - and yet a careful surgeon would not operate, especially if he had encountered a similar case in the past.

A Russian peasant of the last century, usually an old man, but without any dangerous illness, decides that his time has come and tells his family about it. He puts on a white shirt, is laid on a bench under the icons, and given a burning candle in his hands. And he soon dies. What was that? Premonition? Just a premonition? Most likely, it was a desire and a call, a subconscious call, the meaning of which: “I’m ready, I want to go there, accept it.” We can recall many similar cases and situations. Knows this and fiction, even our godless century.

There is a story by F. Abramov “The Last Old Man of the Village”. The author comes to his village after many years. Meets an old man he knows. “You’ve lost weight, dried out... is that you?”- I ask. “I, guy, I... I’ve been ordered to move to another vessel.” The old man did not accept words of consolation. “No, no, don’t console me,” he walked away. It went to the post office. He took money for the funeral. I had saved up 600 rubles and withdrew everything. I don't want my kids to go broke on me. And I want to say goodbye to my fellow countrymen in a good way: so that everyone who comes will be treated.” The old man died that same day, in the evening, when the sun was setting... He usually slept on his bed, but then suddenly he asked to sleep on the floor. The adult children made him sit on the floor. “And now let Matryona (wife) lie down next to me.” The children tried to dissuade him - “it’s not good,” but he insisted. Matryona, who had been out of her mind for three years, was placed next to him. Apparently by some miracle, her sanity returned at that moment, and she awkwardly embraced her husband with her gnarled arms. "That's okay,- the old man shed tears. — Now leave me alone, I’ll die.” And soon he died in front of everyone.”

Death when no one is visible physical cause, scientists call “ psychological death" They didn’t find the reason, but they came up with a name, and everything seems to be explained. It is well known that at critical times serious illness the outcome - to live or die - largely depends on the wishes of the patient. And not only during a dangerous illness. If a person is sure that he will die soon, and calmly talks about it as if it is obvious, he will probably die soon. F.M. Dostoevsky on the morning of January 28, 1881 calmly said: "I know I must die today." In the evening he died.

Death wish

The desire and readiness to move to another world, conscious or unconscious, more often arises in old people, but also occurs in young people. “Nature” often meets this desire. Despondency, depression, loss of interests and energy, disappointment, aimlessness of life give rise to the desire to “get away from it all” and lead to the appearance and development of various diseases, including cancer. Napoleon, still far from old and recently full of energy, in exile to St. Helena loses all hope, soon falls ill with cancer and dies. Solzhenitsyn, having a cancerous tumor, knows that he still has a lot to say to the whole world, he wants to do it and is recovering. A strong desire gives rise to some forces in man and in nature that contribute to the fulfillment of his desire. Another source of vitality, even more powerful than desire, can be faith in God and the understanding that our life and death are in God's will, and we simply need to do on earth what we are called to do. Such people often live to a ripe old age. People without faith often have a feeling of purposeless existence and a desire to leave; As a result, some psychological and then physical illnesses arise.

Psychological causes of death

Death has not only external, but also internal causes. Physical death often has an internal psychological cause. The role of depression and feelings of purposelessness in life has already been said, but there are many other reasons. Any strong unexpected experience can lead to instant death. “Died of fright” is not just a figure of speech. In war, a soldier can die at the moment of a close explosion of a shell without receiving any damage. People also die in a fit of deep grief or even with unexpected great joy. They write that death may be the result mental suggestion, about which his victim knew nothing. In ancient times and the Middle Ages they believed in the effectiveness of spells and curses. The cause of death can be completely trivial and incomprehensible. Death can occur at the moment of any small but acute sensation associated with fear or expectation of something unpleasant.

One of these very bitter cases occurred in my practice. My patient, a strong, middle-aged man, received intramuscular injections once a week. They can be done painlessly by inserting a needle while slapping your palm on the buttock. The slap is not strong, it should be sharp and short. There is no pain, but the patient may shudder from surprise. My patient had already received two or three such injections, but each time he was restless, waiting for a harmless injection. With him last visit to me, having received an injection, he fell face down on the floor without breathing and without a pulse. In alarm, I rushed to turn him on his back to give him a cardiac massage, but he suddenly sighed, and a few minutes later we talked peacefully and laughing about what had happened. I didn’t attach any importance to all this - just fainting. Two days later I left for a month's vacation. The next injection was given by my deputy. The same thing happened as after my injection. The patient fell, but this time life did not return. He died.

The famous book “Frank Tales of a Wanderer” describes next case. Peasant convoy. We arrived at a flowing pond with drifting ice. The young peasant feels the urge to bathe. He begins to undress. They dissuade him and don’t let him in. He breaks free. “Oh, well, here you go!” - and jokingly pour it on him cold water from a bucket. He screams: “Oh, how good!” - lies down on the ground and dies. There was an autopsy and nothing was found.

Psychological mood is of great importance. Were held interesting experiments on rats. If you cut a rat's whiskers, their resistance decreases, and they drown faster in water than rats with whiskers.

Early and “senseless” death

Death, and also life as we know it on earth, may seem meaningless. A child was born, he was raised and taught, and he dies without having time to do anything in life. The helpless old man lives, and the young man dies. The bride dies immediately after the wedding. A soldier goes home from war and dies after being hit by a car. There can be meaning only if the death of the body is not the end of the existence of the individual. The death of a soldier may seem senseless and unfair. During the war he was exposed to danger and lived a joyless and difficult life. Nights without sleep, sometimes in a cold and wet trench, I had to go hungry, fatigue, dirt. He was wounded and suffered a lot. There were, of course, good things: close friendship with comrades, he did not think about himself, sometimes he shared his last piece of bread, risking his life, and carried a wounded comrade out of the fire zone. Now the war was over, and he wanted to make up for lost time - to live for his own pleasure - to eat, and drink, and have a good time. I thought about my still young and beloved wife, but... there are many lonely women in the village... There are many other temptations, but he is still young and after many years war wants to enjoy life. Are such thoughts saving? What awaits him?.. And then he walks home from the station - and suddenly almost instant death under a car. There was no dying disease. What if there was? How would he cope with the collapse of all his hopes? Would you resign yourself to fate? With God? Why does he live and die like this?

He knows what would have happenedLord , and Hesends such death to a person and at such a time when it is best for a person.

A person’s life on earth is needed only for the formation of the spirit, the search for the path along which the soul will follow in eternal life. This answers all our perplexities and explains the early death of the righteous, the long life of bad people (whom the Lord gives time to understand and change their ways) and all those deaths that might seem pointless and unnecessary to us. What matters is not the gifts and abilities we have, but how we use them. Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov writes:“Physical death has to occur internal times and deadlines."

The time of our life and death is in the hands of the Lord

Death has its own internal causes; external factors - illnesses and accidents lead to the death of a person when further earthly existence no longer makes sense for the life of the soul. The time of our life and death is in the hands of the Lord. The hour of death is often associated with a person's spiritual mission. A righteous person sometimes wants to die and asks for it, but God can let him live longer.

Some people wonder why the Lord did not give us foreknowledge of death, if the thought of it is so beneficial. The patristic writings explain that this is necessary for our salvation: “For... a person who had long foreseen the time of his death would have spent his life in lawlessness and at the very end of this world would have come to repentance. But from long-term habit, sin would become second nature in a person, and he would remain completely without correction.”

We are not given the premonition of death, but premonitions of death often occur. Premonition is not the fear of death; to a certain extent, they are even opposite to each other. The fear of death most often occurs in unrepentant people with bad lives who reject God. For them, death means the loss of everything they know and love. They are afraid of it and do not want it; they very rarely have a premonition of death. There may be a premonition and fear of something bad after death, but they do not feel its closeness. On the contrary, until the very end they may not see obvious signs of its approach, as in Solzhenitsyn’s “Cancer Ward”: “I’m already sucking on the oxygen cushion... and with my tongue I’m proving that I won’t die.”

A person of righteous life often has a presentiment of his imminent death, he is not afraid, he just calmly waits, and sometimes he wants it to come. After a natural and undistorted life, he accepts death as something natural and normal. This is probably similar to how a person who is tired from the day's work wants to fall asleep. His death will be peaceful and easy, like falling asleep, like falling asleep.

"The Upper Room", No. 36 (2010)

Premonition of death is a common phenomenon in people's lives. In some cases, this is a reflection of one’s own fears, an illusion formed by a person’s subconscious. In this case, there is no serious reason to worry.

What can a feeling of death mean?

Premonition of one's own death- this is a sign from above that can be sent: either by his own, or by his Angels, which he deserves in this and past life. This is a sign indicating that death has come too close, that you need to reconsider your life, stop and realize your mistakes. This is nothing more than a positive signal to you to cleanse and heal your Soul.

It is worth distinguishing between a premonition of death and a dream - when a person dreamed that he or his loved one had died. There is no need to consider these phenomena as one whole; they are different in semantic meaning things.

What does it mean when a person dreams own death or the death of a loved one? This often means that a person has parted with something unnecessary. This is a sign indicating the beginning of something good in his life.

Possible reasons why a person dies before his time

• 1. Choosing the wrong path in life.

A simple example: a man was destined to become a highly qualified specialist in the field of medicine, but turned to the path of the criminal world.

• 2. A person is inactive, does not strive and does not set any goals for himself. The feeling of death can also occur when a person has lost the meaning of life and does not want to look for it.
• 3. Many sins and aggression have accumulated.

- this is a sign with which Higher Powers show that a person has radically lost his way true path. And if such a sign is given, this does not mean at all that you will die soon, but on the contrary, they make you understand that everything can be changed, that you need to act, taking the path of correction.

Life gives each of us secret signs from time to time, we just need to learn to understand and accept them with respect. So, it's better to pay attention to your life, to