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Terminal lucidity is a remarkable phenomenon often experienced by those who, through the process of disease or accident, have lost the cognitive capacity to interact with others. Scientist Michael Nahm defines terminal lucidity as “The reemergence of normal or unusually enhanced mental abilities in dull, unconscious, or mentally ill patients shortly before death. Including considerable elevation of mood and spiritual affection, or the ability to speak in a previously unusual spiritualized and elevated manner.” Medical school professor Scott Haig gives an example. “Michael” had initially been diagnosed with lung cancer, which metastasized to his brain.
As Michael’s cancer progressed, his speech became slurred and then incoherent. Eventually, he became expressionless and completely unresponsive to any stimuli. Even so, Haig reports that an hour before his death, Michael “woke up.” He smiled and spoke clearly, with his family holding vigil at his bedside, holding their hands and consciously interacting. Shortly after that, Michael died. The attending nurse who had witnessed the event unfold claimed it to be “like a miracle.” Undoubtedly, it was like a miracle— it certainly appeared to meet the criteria. But the story gets even more remarkable.
Professor Haig said, “It wasn’t Michael’s brain that woke him up to say goodbye that Friday. His brain had already been destroyed. Tumor metastases don’t simply occupy space and press on things, leaving a whole brain. The metastases actually replace tissue. Where that gray stuff grows, the brain is just not there.”
Religious experience researcher Dale Allison, Jr. notes that even Alzheimer’s patients present cases of “terminal lucidity.” Often, as Alzheimer’s and Dementia progress, patients fail to recognize those whom they had known and even loved during their lives.
One such case involved an unresponsive patient who, a few moments before her death, began to engage in coherent conversation, talking about her family, her church, and death. Her daughter could hardly believe what had happened. Even so, researchers report that the most common themes include final wishes, words of reconciliation, and preparations for death. And a keen awareness of their “imminent departure.”
Terminal lucidity occurs not only in cases of brain tumors and Alzheimer’s; it has also been observed in victims of stroke, schizophrenics, and meningitis. And these are not one-off isolated cases. They occur over and again, and they occur around the world, among all races, in all cultures, among both sexes, and at various ages. One survey indicated that seven out of ten caregivers were familiar with terminal lucidity.
Although the phenomenon has been known going back to the days of Hippocrates (460-375 BC), it was not until recently that the reality of terminal lucidity began to be studied in earnest. Why? Perhaps because of the Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, and Darwin’s theory of evolution, it was too difficult to reconcile what appears to be a Causal Agent of these events, and cannot be easily explained by the materialistic worldview that dominates the scientific community. On the other hand, Allison notes that early Christian apologists considered terminal lucidity to be a strong argument for the existence of the soul as the generative source of these end-of-life events. On the contrary, evolutionists argue that everything in nature results from a blind evolutionary process through natural selection predicated upon the goal of “survival of the fittest.”
However, there seems to be no evolutionary benefit to experiencing terminal lucidity immediately preceding death for at least two substantial reasons. First, evolutionary processes are blind processes. There is no forward- looking grand plan. Only random genetic mutations that, through natural selection, are either selected for (an advantage) or selected against (death). However, in all of this, the key is the survival of the species, and the survival of the species depends upon the selection of advantageous mutations, then reproducing that advantage in the subsequent generations. However, there is a timing issue with this theory. Terminal lucidity only occurs at the end of life.
That is, terminal lucidity, regardless of advantage (or disadvantage), is not manifest in a person’s life until the last few minutes, long after the reproductive potential of the individual has passed. The point is that there is nothing present to select for during the individual’s reproductive years; therefore, there is no mechanism to pass the advantage forward. Second, a strong argument could be made that terminal lucidity provides no advantage to begin with. Evolutionists sometimes argue that terminal lucidity is an advantage to the species because it provides a calming effect on those nearing death.
I do not doubt that this is true. Researchers report that in almost all cases (95%), terminal lucidity is an exceedingly pleasant experience. However, that misses the point. Evolution is, by nature, a fight for survival. Alfred Lord Tennyson said that nature is “red in tooth and claw,” meaning survival is an ongoing and bloody fight. And the fight instinct is never turned off, not even in the last moments. Consequently, by its premises, evolutionary theory demands that the survival instinct be an unquenchable drive even in the throes of death.
On the other hand, terminal lucidity should be very much expected in a Christian worldview. Indeed, with inference to the best explanation in mind, perhaps it is the soul that is, in the words of Stonewal l Jackson, crossing “over the river to rest under the shade of the trees.” Perhaps the Christian perspective of that eager anticipation of the soul’s spiritual reunion awaiting the believer on the other side of the river drives the soul to speak—even when the material brain is already gone.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Ty B. Kerley, DMin., is an ordained minister who teaches Christian apologetics and relief preaches in Southern Oklahoma. Dr. Kerley and his wife, Vicki, are members of the Waurika church of Christ, and live in Ardmore, OK. You can contact him at [email protected].
