This is what happens in the 30 seconds before you die… and whether your life really flashes before your eyes

WE'RE told to expect a white light, or that your life will flash before your eyes.

But the truth is we’ve never known what happens right before we die. Until now.

A leading scientist thinks he's solved the terrifying mystery of dying, and says he can tell us exactly what happens in the 30 seconds before you pass away.

Neurologist Dr Cameron Shaw dissected a woman's brain, along with  magazine, to find out what happened immediately before she died.

Here's what he found...

We lose our sense of self

Because the brain’s blood supply comes from underneath, the brain “tends to die from the top down, claiming our most human characteristics first,” Dr Cameron said.

“Our sense of self, our sense of humour, our ability to think ahead — that stuff all goes within the first 10 to 20 seconds.

“Then, as the wave of blood-starved brain cells spread out, our memories and language centres short out, until we’re left with just a core.”

Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel?

Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel but that doesn't prove there's life after death.

Is it God? Dr Shaw wants to leave that up to people’s own interpretations, but he has a scientific reason for why it happens.

“We know from experience tunnel vision emerges abruptly when you suddenly lose blood supply to the brain,” Dr Cameron said.

“The first thing you notice in fainting is the narrowing of vision, followed by blackness.

“You could argue that’s the way in which death would progress as well because the same mechanisms are in place and it’s an interruption of blood flow to the brain.”

Can you have an out-of-body experience?

No, the out-of-body journey described by people involved in near-death experiences is actually a trick of the mind.

“I had a neuroscience instructor who had an out-of-body, near-death experience,” Dr Cameron told VICE.

“They were trying to revive him and he witnessed that as a disconnected person.

“He was brought back and described that circumstance to others... but none of that actually happened.

“The brain can create a visual world around you that resembles something close to reality that isn’t reality, because you’re actually blind.”

Does your life flash before your eyes?

Yes, in fact the last thing you will think about before dying is the stand-out moments of your life.

Researchers from Hadassah University in Jerusalem examined seven different people who had near-death experiences and found they all saw intense experiences.

It's not like in the movies, where the flashback starts at birth and work chronologically.

However, people who have experienced this it's surprising how many memories can be packed into that short period of time.

“It was like being there for centuries,” one woman explained.

“It all happened at once, or some experiences within my near-death experience were going on at the same time as others, though my human mind separated them into different events.”

Another person claimed they were able to personally experience the pain their friends and family had felt in their lives.

They added: “I was allowed to see that part of them and feel for myself what they felt.”

Dr Cameron is far from the first person to study what happens when you die.

One set of research suggests our brains continue to work for 10 minutes after death, while this terminally ill violinist thinks he's seen the afterlife in one of his 17 near-death experiences.

And Dr Rajiv Parti claims he's seen the depths of Hell during life-saving surgery. There's even a Reddit thread where people who have 'died' share their experiences.