Deathbed Visions from the Republic of Moldova: A Content Analysis of Family Observations

Abstract

This is an interview-based study of 102 families and their observations of the last weeks and days of a dying family member. Forty-one families reported hearing about "visions," "hallucinations," or "dreams" from their dying loved one before their death. Of these 41 mixed cases, 37 cases demonstrated classic features of deathbed visions-reports of seeing dead relatives or friends communicating to the dying person. This article reports a content analysis of these 37 cases in order to identify the major psychosocial themes that seem to be conveyed by these kinds of experiences. Six major themes are identified. These themes are: support, comfort, companionship, reunion, prognosis, and choice and control. Implications of these themes are discussed in relation to their role in providing significant support for the psychological morale and social well being of dying people.

A Thematic Literature Review

“…Arnold and Lloyd, 31 Brayne et al, 32 Fenwick et al, 34 Kellehear et al, 35 Kerr et al, 36 and Nosek et al 37 Broadhurst and Harrington 9 to resolve troubling issues, discover meaning, and communicate with others as death approached. 37 On the other hand, Edwards et al argued that unaddressed spiritual needs could result in fear and spiritual distress, culminating in an increase in physical and emotional symptoms and a traumatic death.…”

“…34 Positive information relating to the contentment of deceased loved ones also brought solace to family members. 23,35,38 Almost half of the family members in one study affirmed their loved one's transcendence experience as positive, bringing comfort and reassurance to themselves. 33 Witnessing their loved one's change of behavior and attitude to dying brought peace and healing to family members, as well as decreasing their own fear of the dying process.…”

“…19,36 All 11 articles reported that transcendence phenomena provided spiritual comfort for dying patients. 19,23,30,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Several studies described the feeling of solace as being tremendous and overpowering. 30,32,37,38 The theme was categorized further to explore whether the spiritual comfort for patients was reported by the patients themselves, by health care professionals, or by a family member.…”

“…23(p5) Additionally, family members gained comfort if their loved one had a peaceful death, which assisted them in their grieving process. 30,35 Spiritual Transformation Spiritual transformation, where spirituality was adapted or modified as a result of transcendent experiences, was a key theme in 9 of the studies being reviewed. 23,31-38 Arnold and Lloyd reported that patients in their research developed a new spiritual identity through an altered sense of the present, of themselves and their well-being.…”

Unusual perceptions at the end of life: limitations to the diagnosis of hallucinations in palliative medicine

“…However, other recent studies conducted in India34 and the Republic of Moldova35 suggest that the UK prevalence is an underestimation. Prevalence in the Indian and Moldovan studies are as high as 30%.…”