Visions, Trips, and Crowded Rooms: Who and What You See Before You Die - Paperback

by David Kessler (Author)

As seen on the Khloé in Wonder Land podcast

David Kessler, one of the most renowned experts on death and grief, takes on three uniquely shared experiences that challenge our ability to explain and fully understand the mystery of our final days. The first is "visions." As the dying lose sight of this world, some people appear to be looking into the world to come.

The second shared experience is getting ready for a "trip." The phenomenon of preparing oneself for a journey isn't new or unusual. In fact, during our loved ones' last hours, they may often think of their impending death as a transition or journey. These trips may seem to us to be all about leaving, but for the dying, they may be more about arriving.

Finally, the third phenomenon is "crowded rooms." The dying often talk about seeing a room full of people, as they constantly repeat the word crowded. In truth, we never die alone. Just as loving hands greeted us when we were born, so will loving arms embrace us when we die. In the tapestry of life and death, we may begin to see connections to the past that we missed in life.

While death may look like a loss to the living, the last hours of a dying person may be filled with fullness rather than emptiness. In this fascinating book, which includes a new Afterword, Kessler brings us stunning stories from the bedsides of the dying that will educate, enlighten, and comfort us all.

Author Biography

David Kessler is one of the most well-known experts and lecturers on death and grief. His first book, The Needs of the Dying, a #1 best-selling hospice book, received praise by Mother Teresa. His services have been used by Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Marianne Williamson when their loved ones faced life-challenging illnesses. He also worked with late actors Anthony Perkins and Michael Landon.Kessler's work has been featured on CNN, NBC, PBS, and Entertainment Tonight; and he has been interviewed on Oprah & Friends. He has been discussed in The New York Times and The New Yorker, and he is a contributing writer for Oprah.com as well as an AOL.com Health Expert. He has also written for The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, and Anderson Cooper 360°.