A man who was clinically dead for three minutes has described a chilling experience he believes was a glimpse of hell. The incident occurred after the man suffered a drug overdose, which caused a stroke and led to his heart stopping while he was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance. He later regained consciousness and made a full physical recovery, but his account of what happened during those three minutes has left a lasting impression.
According to his friend, who shared the story on Reddit, the man vividly remembers certain moments leading up to his death. “He remembers the stroke and being wheeled to the ambulance on a stretcher,” the friend explained. But after that, his experience took an eerie turn. “He felt like he was floating under ice-cold water, and it was dark. He wasn’t really thinking or feeling anything emotionally, just existing and knowing it was very, very cold, and he couldn’t see.”
Medical personnel managed to revive the man, though his heart had stopped long enough that emergency responders were concerned he would not survive. After waking up, the man interpreted his experience as a warning. “At some point in the following days, he became convinced that what he experienced was hell minus the knowledge of suffering, like a toned-down preview, and thought it was a warning for him to change his life,” the friend noted. Despite this profound experience, the man reportedly struggled to maintain sobriety and did not remain clean for long.
The story sparked significant discussion after being shared online, with others contributing their own accounts of near-death experiences. Some healthcare workers and individuals who had been “legally dead” described similar sensations, though not all believed they had seen hell.
One commenter, who works in a hospital, noted common themes in patient accounts. “Working in a hospital and taking care of people who have been legally dead and have come back either on their own accord or with CPR, I’ve heard these people say that they felt like they were falling,” they wrote. “They also wake up really confused, not remembering the situation. To me, it seems like what they experience is close to a dream that you’re falling and wake up with a jolt.”
Others recounted personal experiences of clinical death. One commenter described a sensation of “total darkness” and likened it to going to sleep without dreaming. They added that when they were revived, they felt “searing pain,” which they attributed to their body coming out of shock and regaining sensation. Another commenter agreed, describing the return to life as “extremely painful.” They elaborated, “It is as if every cell in your body was sliced open and then shoved back together.”
Here’s another example:
𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆. ✝️
A young man, stabbed in a drug deal and declared dead, woke up in terror. “I met the devil,” he said, recounting his descent into hell. In desperation, he prayed for the first time—and was pulled back to life.
What… pic.twitter.com/wVgN8EA721
— 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 ♱ (@BillArnoldTeach) December 13, 2024
The man’s story is one of many that continue to intrigue both medical professionals and the general public. Near-death experiences often vary widely, with some people reporting feelings of peace, light, or seeing loved ones, while others recall sensations of fear, falling, or pain. While these experiences remain subjective and not fully understood, they often lead individuals to question life, death, and what might come after.
