Few individuals on Earth can claim to understand what may occur after death as well as Dannion Brinkley.
The ex-US Marine was pronounced dead for 28 minutes after being hit by lightning in 1975, but he eventually returned to life and made a complete recovery.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chances of being struck by lightning in any given year are less than one in a million. This means you would have to be incredibly, incredibly unfortunate for it to happen to you.
However, itâs not entirely out of the question. Technically, every storm carries a slight risk of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting struck by lightning. Brinkley is well aware of this.
On September 17, 1975, the businessman, athlete, and veteran was holding a phone to his ear when lightning struck, traveling down the phone line and through the device he was using, directly into Brinkleyâs body.
âIt entered the side of my head above my ear, and it traveled down my spine,â he recounted, as reported by 8 News Now.

âIt fused the nails of my shoe heels to the ground. It propelled me into the air, I see the ceiling, it crashes me back down, a fireball rushes through the room and blinds me. I am aflame. I am engulfed in flames. I am immobilized.
Brinkley can vividly remember actually leaving his body after the terrifying event, and he didnât return to it until it had been taken to the morgue⊠approximately 28 minutes later.
So what transpired during his absence? Well, it didnât all just go dark, it seems. In fact, he has since discussed the traumatic ordeal to provide insight into exactly âwhat occurs when you dieâ.
Brinkley recounted that he felt as if he was floating alongside the ambulance as it carried his body to the hospital, while he observed from above as doctors declared him officially deceased.
He mentioned that his consciousness traveled through what he described as a tunnel, before meeting a spiritual entity made of light in a âCrystal Cityâ.
In an interview with T&H â Afterlife on YouTube, Brinkley shared that he experienced a replay of his entire life in a â360-degree panoramaâ.
âYou view it from a second-person perspective,â he clarified.
âIn the life you just reviewed, what impact did you and God create?â
Brinkley certainly has his doubters, yet he has remained true to his account of his experiences. Furthermore, he has had two additional near-death experiences that have reinforced his beliefs.
In 1989, during open heart surgery, Brinkley remembered being âreunited with his angelic instructorsâ and stated that he learned how to âutilize his new psychic and spiritual abilities to assist the dying and the desperate.â
He then experienced another near-death episode during brain surgery.
âWhen you discover that you donât die, when you realize youâre a spiritual being, and that you wonât go to hell, thatâs enough to motivate you to change,â he shared, according to 8 News Now.
What are your thoughts on what happens after death? Weâd love to hear from you in the comments.
