Case Report: Energy Field Changes Approaching and During the Death Experience
Abstract
Background
This case report, addressing the aspect of the art of nursing devoted to end-of-life care, discusses subtle energy changes identified in the literature and observed in 3 case studies during the dying process. Biofield changes were noted during 3 case studies using assessment procedures of hand scan and penduling. Comparisons were made with near-death experiences reported in the literature and reports of care providers regarding subtle energy changes observed during their care of the terminally ill as they moved through the dying process.
Case Summary
Consistent with reports in the literature, patterns of changes in the biofield observed during the dying process included the biofield decreasing in size and intensity from the feet upward, and chakras closing or reducing activity, from the root to the crown as the person moved closer to death. The energy field moved up and outward from the crown with death.
Conclusion
Knowledge of these energetic patterns may provide guidance to hospice and palliative care providers, and identify supportive activities for the family of the dying as they interact with the transition of death.
When caring for the terminally ill, the primary goal of nursing is to provide patients with support, comfort, and quality of life until their death. By offering compassionate care in a deeply mindful manner, the healing potential that resides within the patient can be released.1 The science of nursing is focused on the functioning of the physical body, which is assessed and managed by diagnostic measurements and protocol-driven treatments. The art of nursing is concerned with the subtle aspects of care such as noting a shift of pattern (subtle shift in behavior or expression that might signal something deeper going on) or a change in affect.1 This article addresses an aspect of the art of nursing, specifically subtle energy changes that have been identified in the literature and have been observed by holistic care providers during the deathing transition. Peck (the first author) witnessed changes with the energy field of patients for whom she cared while supporting them during the dying process. The 3 case studies occurred during the dying process and describe the energy field changes observed.
An extensive review of literature was undertaken seeking to find literature and research to support and describe energy field changes during the death transition. Key word searches used included energy field changes, chakras, death, dying, and patterns. Databases included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, and anthropology and religious studies. The search was done with the assistance of academic librarians. The review identified books on near-death experiences (NDEs) that provided comments on patterns of the dying process. Only a limited amount of published scientific articles or texts were found that discussed energy field changes during the dying process. In addition, practitioners of energy therapy, holistic nurses, shamans, and energy organizations were asked about their experiences with the energetic patterns of the dying process and whether they were aware of published resources describing this process.
Near-Death Experiences
Multiple authors record experiences of life after death with NDEs. Some of the NDEs allude to changes of the energy field during the event and some to coming back into the body after the NDE. People experienced being drawn up, lifted, or sucked from their body.2,3 Some people remembered going out through their head,2,3 or a sensation of peeling away their skin and being released.2,3 Others remembered the events occurring during resuscitation, or when medical providers were sure they were dead.3-10 Some of those deaths occurred while the patient was being monitored with electroencephalograms.4,5
Subtle Energy
Energy medicine deals with 2 types of energy fields: those that can be measured (called veritable) and those that have yet to be measured (called putative). Veritable energy fields include measurable vibrations such as sound, visible light, laser beams, and rays from the electromagnetic spectrum. Measurement of putative energy fields is more controversial. Various attempts have been made to empirically validate these putative energy fields, from 1916 to the mid-1950s, by authors including Burr,11 Kirlian,12,13 Hunt,14-16 Tainio,16 Zimmerman,17 and Rogers.18-22
The concept of the presence of electromagnetic fields underlying the pattern and organization of biological systems is not new11,23,24 and has been a basic tenet of medical systems such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. The putative energy “life force,” referred to as prana in Ayurvedic medicine, and qi in traditional Chinese medicine, flows through pathways called meridians in the traditional Chinese system, or nadis and chakras in the Ayurvedic system. Free flow of this “life force” through the body is thought to support health, whereas disturbances or blockages in the flow of this energy are thought to cause impaired function in organs and tissues, and ultimately illness.11,25-29
The human energy field, or biofield, is thought to be composed of a set of energy bands that graduate in color and frequency as they move outward from the physical body. Each of the bands or fields partners with an energy center. These putative subtle energy centers referred to as chakras, convert fast-moving energy obtained from the environment into slow-moving energy in the body. They serve as collection and transmission centers for both subtle and biophysical energy, interfacing with physical organs.29
Observations of Healers Regarding the Dying Process
Healers and nurses observe changes in the energy field during the dying process. Linley,6,10 quoting from Zohar and Marshall7 and personal clinical practice experience, states the following:
- “The person moves through the states of dying, starting with an acceptance on the part of the body, a withdrawal of the energy through the chakras, the pre-death vision, to the final dissipation of the soul.”7,p18
- “At the point of death, the soul exits. … But to my eyes, it is observed as the final departure of both the spirit and the soul, with just the lower energy field remaining for a few days more. The main aura is gone, only a very faint energy field remains, almost undetectable. The soul and spirit, as well as the attending angels, may still be present near the body for differing periods of time …”7,p19
- “I’ve witnessed the energy withdrawal from the body. … Even during apparent death while CPR is being performed I can usually determine if it is going to be successful or not. I cannot describe what I see, since I am not sure that I see with my eyes if you know what I mean? The soul may or may not be withdrawing from the body, and this determines the outcome of the CPR. If the soul is departing, and the spirit merely present, the body can be kept alive for a period of time on life support until loved ones can be notified or body organs harvested. But death is inevitable. Conversely, if the soul is still attached to the body, I can see it and continue CPR until a full recovery is made.”10
The first author, Peck,9 had personal experience with near death. Before surgery for a ruptured brain aneurysm, she found herself lying comfortably on her side up in the corner of the room looking down at herself. She did not experience how she left her body. When she returned to her body, it was through the crown.
Brennan30 states, “It [the heart chakra] closes or becomes smaller as they near the time of transition. There may be some compacting—holding down of energy—in the heart center, to avoid energetic interaction with people” and that “At the beginning stages of death, the energy field starts to separate. The lower three bodies (layers of the energy field) break up and dissolve. The three lower chakras also break up.” Brennan30 observed that during the dying process, the lower 3 bodies break up and come off the body as opalescent cloudy blobs. The upper 4 chakra shields are gone and appear very wide open: “There is a process the aura goes through. The field is washed and the chakras are cleared and opened. The lower bodies, which hold the physical body together, dissolve as well as the lower chakras.”12,30 Spirit passes through the crown in combination with the heart. As the field shrinks and tightens, there is a letting go of what’s not needed. The healer helps the person bring their light (energy field) up and out through the crown.31-34
Energy Field Assessment and Measurement
The subtle energy changes observed by Peck in the presented case studies were measured utilizing the following methods: kinesthetic changes of subtle energy felt by the hands (hand scanning) and assessment using a pendulum.
The energy field can be experienced with the practitioner’s hands as well as all the major senses (visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, kinesthetic) including intuition.35 With training and practice, an experienced practitioner is able to determine where the energy field edges and layers are, whether the layers of the field are balanced and symmetric or contain disruptions, and the integrity of energy flow in the chakras and energy field of the body.
When assessing the energy field with the hands, the practitioner begins the scan above the head and slowly moves the hands (approximately 1 foot per 2 seconds) to below the feet. During the hand scan, the practitioner may become aware of changes or differences in the energy field such as sensations of heat, cold, static, stagnation, buzzing, pressure, or drawing, among others. The energy field can also be assessed through sounds (tones such as finger snapping, and chimes), smells, and by sight if the practitioner is able to visualize the energy field.35
Assessment of chakra energy flow and openness can also be done with a pendulum. The pendulum is an instrument that can be used to detect the energy flow of the body as well as detecting energy in other situations such as locating underground water, minerals, gemstones, and ores.36 A pendulum consists of a weighted object on the end of a string or chain, typically approximately 6 inches long. It is held over the chakra, usually slightly less than a few inches from the physical body. The flow of energy in the chakra causes the pendulum to move. “A clockwise circular movement of the pendulum denotes an open chakra.”30 Movements other than clockwise indicate the chakra is blocked or has impaired flow. “The size and direction of the pendulum movement indicate the amount and direction of energy flowing through the chakra.”30,p82 The larger the circle, the more the energy flow.
Case Presentation
Case 1
Presenting Concerns
Kay, a 52-year-old Caucasian, with no other underlying health problems, began her journey with cancer in the spring of 2011. At that time she had significant issues surrounding her personal life. During the previous year, she had sustained a terrible ankle fracture, requiring surgery. Four months later, Kay developed severe pain in her right side that was treated as suspected Helicobacter pylori, without improvement. Secondary testing found liver cancer. Kay integrated the use of the biofield modality Healing Touch with her medical treatment of chemotherapy. Healing Touch helped Kay tolerate chemotherapy very well with no hair loss, and very little nausea or fatigue. After 5 months of chemotherapy, her cancer was in remission. The cancer returned within 9 months. Kay continued her Healing Touch sessions and asked that her energetic progress be documented and published.
Therapeutic Intervention and Treatment
When the recurrence of cancer was confirmed, 08/09/12, assessment of Kay’s energy field showed her field had shifted slightly to the right. There was thick, hot, heavy energy over the right side of the field and abdomen where Kay experienced pain in her liver. Assessment of her chakras with a pendulum found the feet chakras closed (had no movement), whereas the leg, root, sacral, heart, brow, and crown chakras were open (shown by clockwise and circular spin of the pendulum). The heart chakra movement was a horizontal ellipse (Figure 1).
A week and a half later, on 08/19/12, Kay’s field was shifted far to the right. The thick, heavy heat over the right upper abdomen extended out to the edges of the field. Movements of the chakras were unchanged from the first treatment. When Kay began chemotherapy again, she had difficulty with nausea and vomiting and was able to eat only small amounts at a time. She felt that the Healing Touch sessions helped her to sleep, eat, and continue to work. The oncologist decided that the current form of chemotherapy was not working and that the protocol would need to be changed.
Kay started the third round of chemotherapy with a new protocol. At a Healing Touch session 2 days later (09/08/12), the energy field assessment showed her field symmetrical and open. The thick, sticky, heavy heat over the right upper abdomen was gone. The heart chakra was now completely open, for the first time since the cancer was originally diagnosed. Some of the personal issues had been favorably resolved and were likely related to the heart chakra opening. The throat, brow, and crown chakras were closed. The energy flow of the legs and feet was slower than usual.
One week later, Kay was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction (09/15/12), and her energy field was found to have spread out and felt much thinner. The heat over the right upper abdomen was gone. Movement in the chakras of the feet and legs was much smaller in size. Movement in the heart, throat, brow, and crown chakras was absent (Figure 2).
Energy field assessment 5 weeks after recurrence diagnosed; reflective of psychoemotional and energy treatments
One week later, Kay returned home after the obstruction was reduced. During the Healing Touch session done on 09/23/12 and for a period of several days after, Kay experienced a great sense of happiness. All layers of the field were fully flowing; all of Kay’s major and minor chakras were fully opened, except the right foot and ankle. Kay’s field was wider, yet symmetrical, but with a slight decrease in the intensity of the energy from the waist down.
Kay was readmitted to the hospital for pain control 3 weeks later (10/10/12), with very elevated bilirubin levels and jaundice, and needing the nasogastric tube replaced. Her energy field was symmetrical and drawn in to her typical size before the illness. The thick heat returned over the right upper abdomen. All the major and minor chakras were open; the heart chakra was elliptical but clockwise.
With Kay’s next Healing Touch session (10/19/12), her field was extended slightly wider on the front and sides than in the last session. There was significant extension of the field above Kay’s head. There was thick heat that formed a very hard ridge over the right upper abdomen. The ridge extended from the shoulder to the top of the hip. The field was present but thinned from the hips down. All the chakras remained open, and the heart chakra was clockwise and elliptical.
One week later (10/25/12), Kay’s energy field was more expanded on the lower half of her body compared with the upper half and shifted to the right. There was no longer the extension of her field above her head as at the last treatment. The thick heavy heat persisted over the upper abdomen, but the hardened ridge was gone. All 7 layers of Kay’s field were open and flowing. There was no movement in the left foot chakra. All other chakras were moving in a full clockwise circle.
One week later (10/31/12), Kay moved back home on hospice care. Kay had lucid segments of time where her speech was clear, oriented, and logical. When Kay became sedated and difficult to arouse, her respirations were slower, labored, and had short periods of apnea. She had retractions in her chest wall that come with difficult breathing. The energy in her field was sparser than before and very thin and difficult to sense below the waist. There was only a faint sensation of heat over the right upper abdomen. The chakras in her feet and hips were closed. The root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, and throat chakras had only a 1-inch diameter swing with the pendulum. The brow energy moved the pendulum in a 3-inch swing, and the crown energy moved the pendulum in a 4-inch swing.
Four days later (11/03/12), Kay was no longer responding verbally and her breathing pattern had changed. Her energy field was full and strong from the waist up, but not detectable from the waist down. Thick, sticky heat again presented over the right upper abdomen. The chakras of the feet and legs were without any detectable energy. The energy of the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras spun the pendulum in a 1-inch wide clockwise circle. The energy of the heart and throat chakras spun the pendulum in a 2-inch wide clockwise circle. And the energy of the brow and crown chakras spun the pendulum in a 3-inch wide clockwise circle (Figure 3).
Within a few hours, Kay’s field was undetectable from the heart chakra down past the feet. Above the heart chakra the field was drawn in very close to her body. The only chakras open were the brow and crown, moving the pendulum in approximately a 1-inch clockwise circle.
Later that same night, Kay’s breathing slowed further with longer periods of apnea in between. As she took her last breath, her brother, who was at her side, encouraged her to let go. We did not touch her physically, not wanting to hold her back. She smiled with her last breath and shed one tear from her right eye as her energy passed through her crown and out (Figure 4).
We both saw the energy flow up and out through the crown chakra. We did not need to go waken the family; they all got up on their own and came rushing into the bedroom. Kay had made no noise as she passed; her brother and Peck were only talking softly to her. In The Afterlife Experiments, Schwartz37 reports several instances where persons knew ahead of time of the death of someone close to them, or they knew at the time the death occurred that something had happened. Kubler-Ross38 noted, “The moment their death occurred, their facial features showed an incredible sense of peace, equanimity, and serenity …”
Case 2
In 1996, Adeline, at age 53 years, was diagnosed with liver cancer. Adeline remembered playing in fields as a child that were being sprayed with chemicals—maybe even DDT, which was considered safe back then. Other than the early exposures, she had no suspected or other known environmental exposures that might have caused the liver cancer. She rarely had an alcoholic drink, had no history of drug use or hepatitis, and had no other underlying health concerns.
As Adeline’s cancer progressed in the course of 2 months, the energy pattern observed was similar to that of Kay’s. The energy flow in her legs became difficult to sense. With Healing Touch treatment, leg energy flow could be reestablished but would not last until the next treatment. After several weeks, the energy field could no longer be reestablished with Healing Touch treatment. Adeline was still coherent but was no longer able to walk. Once the leg energy flow was gone, the lower chakras began to close. The upper chakras, heart, throat, third eye, and crown, were still open and had detectable flow, but no energy flow was detectable below the waist. Adeline suffered a small stroke, affecting her cognitive ability. With the stroke and medication for the severe abdominal pain, she had little interaction with anyone. Her energy field became smaller and closely drawn in to the body with time. On the day of her passing, during a Healing Touch session, Peck was able to detect energy only at the brow and crown chakras. Adeline died 2 hours after the session and because Peck was no longer there, it is unknown if spirit released through the crown.
Case 3
Henry, age 72 years, while in the process of dying from prostate cancer (2001), refused to let family be closely involved with his situation. He “didn’t want to bother them” and did not want family to travel the 5 hours to his home. When it became apparent that he needed family assistance, despite his refusing the help, his energy field was very difficult for Peck to find. Nor could energy flow be identified in the chakras below his waist. Peck felt that because he was a close relative, it affected her ability to sense the field. The field was drawn very close in to the upper physical body and there was no detectable flow in the lower body. Henry’s physical status was very debilitated and weak at this time. Within 2 days, his field grew sparser overall, with just minimal field being perceptible about the head. Peck was not with him when he passed the second night so did not see how the energy left his body.
Follow-up and Outcomes
The patterns identified in the cases of Kay, Adeline, and Henry are consistent with the literature review and information obtained from providers. The pattern of the energy flow as the person nears death becomes thin and draws in toward the physical body, and the chakras close from the feet upward in the cases experienced. It was witnessed that Kay’s spirit left through the crown of the head. In the other cases, only the chakras of the head remained open before the person passed; all the chakras from the throat downward were closed. It is likely that spirit also passed through the crown on Adeline and Henry. The pattern is consistent with multiple reports.3-10
Findings of the case study are consistent with Brennan’s work and publications.30 Kay’s energy field held for a brief period at the heart chakra. Adeline and Henry also had the heart and upper chakras still open, but small, for a short period after the lower chakras closed and the energy field became drawn in close to the physical body. Brennan30 described the changes as the “lower three bodies break up and dissolve … the three lower chakras also break up. And the upper chakras open and are cleansed.” Spirit passes through the crown in combination with the heart. As the field shrinks and tightens, there is a letting go of what is not needed. The healer helps the person bring their light up and out through the crown.31-34
Based on the energy patterns observed during the process of transition, that of fields shrinking and tightening, energy centers disappearing from the feet upward, and transition occurring through the crown and/or heart center, the following care suggestions are made: (1) Techniques should be used that help expand the chakras and thin the energy fields so that the fields can be more easily cleared of what is no longer needed; (2) To avoid slowing their transition, physical touch and energetic work to the lower body should be reduced when energy centers disappear and the lower fields shrink; (3) Continued use of energetic work that assists the crown and heart centers to remain open can support ease in the person’s transition as these are usually the exit centers; and (4) Family can be taught how to provide support when at the bedside. The family can be supportive by verbally giving the person permission to move on while limiting their physical touch of the lower portion of the person’s body. Family can be taught Healing Touch techniques and how to use them to help their loved one transition. The family needs to know that they have a window of opportunity to convey information they wanted the person to know, but perhaps never verbalized. This opportunity is there for a short time even after it appears that the person has gone on. Understanding these changes may assist the family to find greater peace in the process of their family member dying.
The clinical goal of the care of the terminally ill is a comfortable, supported, loving transition. The energy patterns identified in the case studies supports the literature findings. By supporting the dying process on the energetic level, the goal on the physical level is achieved.
Discussion
This article presents a case report of human energy field changes observed during the dying process, along with 3 brief case reports showing similarity in energy field changes. Biofield changes that were noted included the energy field of the person became sparser, drew in closer to the body, and dissolved from the feet upward. The chakras began to close from the root upward, persisting in the upper chakras as death approached. The energy exited from the body through the crown, the uppermost chakra, as death occurred. The human energy field changes noted in the 3 cases were consistent with reports in the literature and practice experience of healers. Further research on energy field and chakra changes that occur during the dying process can help health care providers learn how to support persons as they interact with the transition of death.
Table 1.
Timeline
| Relevant Medical History & Interventions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative medical history, abdominal pain first diagnosed as H pylori infection; treatment did not resolve. CT showed liver cancer. Chemotherapy given. |
| Dates | Summary of Events | HT Treatment | Energy Field Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prediagnosis | December 2010: Ankle fracture, significant life issues with family and with her church. | HT for pain, anxiety, healing X several | Not documented |
| April 2011: Abdominal pain treated as H pylori with no effect. | HT for pain, anxiety, healing X several | Not documented | |
| Acute care phase | June 2011: Liver cancer diagnosed, chemotherapy through summer and fall. | Not documented | |
| September 2011: In remission. | HT for wellness, healing X several | Not documented | |
| Palliative care/hospice | July 2012: Cancer returned, chemo, several hospitalizations. | HT for pain, anxiety, healing X several | Not documented |
| 08/02/12 08/19/12 | Diagram 1 | ||
| 09/08/12 09/15/12 09/23/12 | Diagram 2 | ||
| 10/10/12 10/19/12 10/25/12 10/31/12 | |||
| November 4, 2012: Died. | 11/04/12: 2:00 AM 11/04/12: 3:22 AM | Diagram 3 Diagram 4 |
Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography; HT, Healing Touch.
Acknowledgements
Special thank you to Hans Kishel and Jill Markgraf, librarians at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, for their assistance with the literature review and editing; to Dr Laura Hart, professor emerita, University of Iowa College of Nursing; and to Susan Lutgendorf, professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, for editorial comments.
Biographies
Susan Peck, PhD, GNP-BC, APNP, FAAO, APT, CHTP/I, is a holistic nurse practitioner at the Health Office Company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Gail Corse, BS, BA, CNA, is a health care assistant at the Health Office Company.
Der-Fa Lu, PhD, RN, is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.