This Thanatos TV documentary provides an overview of near-death experiences and death research and summarizes interviews from more than 10 years. The central question is: Is there life after death?
Time and again, people report amazing experiences close to death: They experience themselves outside their bodies and drawn through a tunnel to an indescribable light. They experience a panoramic review of their lives. Many encounter deceased relatives or have “all-unity experiences.”
Scientists offer various explanations for these phenomena: oxygen deprivation in the brain or the body’s own drugs. There are also psychological explanations: hallucinations, fear management strategies, protective mechanisms in the brain.
Two scientists, physicist Werner Gruber (Austria, University of Vienna) and philosopher Godehard Brüntrup (Germany, University of Munich), look back on their own near-death experiences. How do they assess their experiences?
Despite significant neurophysiological findings in recent decades, the phenomenon of “near-death experiences” has remained mysterious. This is because only certain aspects of the experiences could be explained. However, studies show that profound near-death experiences change many of those affected forever—in their religious and ideological orientation, in their personal interests, and in their social contacts. How can this be?
The documentary series “Project Thanatos” – named after thanatology, the study of death – explores the phenomenon of near-death experiences in detail. Over a period of 10 years, hundreds of interviews were conducted with people who had had near-death experiences, as well as with doctors and scientists who are researching the diverse experiences of people who have come close to death.
The results showed that although those affected describe their inner experiences in very different ways, depending on their own worldview, life situation, and education, the content of all experiences is surprisingly and strikingly similar—across all demographic and religious boundaries.
The 100-minute documentary “On the Threshold” – part 1 of the film series – focuses on near-death experiences in the light of scientific research into death.
Contents overview:
00:00:00 Introduction and preview
00:04:52 Experiences “at the threshold” (Javier Gonzales, Emma Otero, Arnold Felfer)
00:17:57 From the history of death research
00:10:36 Accompanying the dying (Monika Renz)
00:13:40 Raymond Moody and the term “near-death experience” (Joachim Nicolay)
00:15:23 Near-death and neural processes (Werner Gruber)
00:24:38 The evaluation of near-death experiences: The “Greyson Scale” (Bruce Greyson)
00:25:35 Out-of-body experiences (Bo Katzman, Astrid Dauster, Anke Evertz, Beate W., Wolfgang Hermann Moissl, Nicole Züllig, Julia Fischer)
00:39:05 Studies on out-of-body perceptions (Wilfried Kuhn, Penny Sartori)
00:48:19 Visual perceptions in the dying process (Werner Gruber)
00:49:49 The “tunnel” and the light (Emma Otero, Astrid Dauster, Julia Fischer, Christine Brekenfeld, Manuela Fazzi, Nicole Züllig, Wolfgang Hermann Moissl, Javier Gonzales, Bo Katzman)
00:59:50 Near-death experiences: Attempts at explanation and unanswered questions (Joachim Nicolay)
01:01:56 The brain: Not the producer, but the receiver of consciousness? (Pim van Lommel)
01:05:09 The “movie of life” (Manuela Fazzi, Stefan Lampe, Heike Sucky, Werner Gruber, Sabine Mehne)
01:11:50 “Super senses” and personality changes (Reto Eberhard Rast, Godehard Brüntrup, Bo Katzman, Stefan Lampe, Heike Sucky, Vinzenz Hensle)
01:24:39 Is there consciousness after death? (Godehard Bruntrup, Reto Eberhard Rast, Werner Gruber, August Ruhs, Pim van Lommel)
01:30:18 “Materialism is baloney” (Reto Eberhard Rast, Bernardo Kastrup, Godehard Brüntrup)
Related Topics: #nde #afterlife
Camera:
Ewald Maier
Romana Meister
Wolfgang Scherz
Vera Spillner
Heike Sucky
Amira Weiss
Mehmet Yesilgöz
Video footage:
Arnold Felfer
Javier Gonzales
Storyblocks
Music:
Efliz: “The Call” © Storyblocks
Jamua: “InSight” © Roman Oberholzer
Jamua: “Cloud” © Roman Oberholzer
Jamua: ‘Wings’ © Roman Oberholzer
Jamua: “The Call” © Roman Oberholzer
Jon Presstone: “Emerging Science” © Storyblocks
Ingrid Weindel: “Studio F” © Thanatos TV
Music information:
Jamua on Spotify:
Jamua homepage:
Translation, Voice-over:
Peter Cox
Kate Howlett-Jones
Werner Huemer
Vera Spillner
With the kind cooperation of:
Jennifer Nejo
Joachim Nicolay
Reto Eberhard Rast
Roman Oberholzer
Jens Rohrbeck
Vera Spillner
Heike Sucky
Netzwerk Nahtoderfahrung, Germany
SWISS IANDS
Editor:
Werner Huemer
A film documentary by Werner Huemer
℗ Mediaservice Werner Huemer
© 2026 Thanatos TV EN
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1:17:36
"Why can't you talk to us about recipes now?" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Danke schön to all Thanatos TV En Team.
I've been following your channel for many years now and I have found this documentary compelling.
Although I had already watched their One-to-One interviews when they were published a while ago, I found interesting to hear again Sabine Mehne (1:10:40) who had been sexually abused as a girl reminding us that during her Life Review she was able to see her abuser's entire biography unfolding before her.
Also enjoyable to hear again Manuela Fazzi (55:30) comparing her merging and dissolving into the wax-and-water-like Light to an orgasm (…oh yes, please! 😂😂).
I was surprised to hear that the A.W.A.R.E Studies did not deliver the results that were expected but on the other hand it is enlightening and refreshing to hear August Ruhs (1:25:40) saying that "The essence of a love letter cannot be revealed by chemical analysis of the ink with which it was written".
Also, there is some fantastic imagery here on this documentary, for example the eye turning into a garden at 1:27:39.
The entire World population should be told more about Near Death Experiences, or at least about Consciousness matters.
Again thank you.
Greetings from Sicily.
If the near death experience is only just a product of a dying brain, then what evolutionary survival advantage would it serve? If you are already unconscious and the brain has basically shut down, why even have an experience at all? Even tremendous pain only causes you to go unconscious. Meaning you experience nothing. Why would the same not happen when you are clinically dead?
Why would death be special enough that we evolved some kind of brain mechanism that gives you some kind of “comfort” as you are dying? What would even be a reason for such a mechanism to evolve anyways? After all, if you are dead and then suddenly have an experience that so many say they don’t want to come back from because it is so beautiful, how does that even begin to provide a “survival advantage”? Seems to me it is actually the exact opposite.
Also, why all of the tropes shared across so many experiencers? A light, a tunnel, comfortable darkness, floating, extreme love, peace and bliss and a life review. Why wouldn’t every person’s NDE be completely different with no or, at best, extremely few similarities across experiences? After all, every person is different and have different likes and dislikes and personalities. All NDEs should be very different from each other if it is just random events from a dying brain releasing hormones and perhaps DMT.
I'm a Pediatric Hospice RN and many of the children we cared for at a 10 bed inpatient facility would see what we called 'thin spirits for children' would see the same beings that would look like a grey but with thin heads and pale grey skin, about 4 feet tall, very thin, 3 fingers, large eyes. Most children only lived days to a few weeks and did not interact with each other. Over the 5 years we were open hundreds of conscious children that could speak would describe them the same. Some loved them, some just observed them and some were frighted of them. It wasn't until years later that I heard of greys that I considered they might be ET not spirits. I never did see them. I shared this in an interview on the Lehto Files last month search the title 45 YEAR HOSPICE NURSE for the story of the beings. I've no idea what they were but odd this happened after I had a very up close encounter with a UFO. A hitchhiker effect? I don't know.
I'm a Pediatric Hospice RN and many of the children we cared for at a 10 bed inpatient facility would see what we called 'thin spirits for children' would see the same beings that would look like a grey but with thin heads and pale grey skin, about 4 feet tall, very thin, 3 fingers, large eyes. Most children only lived days to a few weeks and did not interact with each other. Over the 5 years we were open hundreds of conscious children that could speak would describe them the same. Some loved them, some just observed them and some were frighted of them. It wasn't until years later that I heard of greys that I considered they might be ET not spirits. I never did see them. I shared this in an interview on the Lehto Files last month search the title 45 YEAR HOSPICE NURSE for the story of the beings. I've no idea what they were but odd this happened after I had a very up close encounter with a UFO. A hitchhiker effect? I don't know.
I'm obsessed with NDE's
11:36. What is that instrument?
Thank you!
NDEs are neurological phenomenon and can be created by stimulating the brain. They are often created by dying brains
❤
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Surprising new angle, news feed etc. The same deep respect. ❤️
I have experienced similar.
thank you very much for this extremely well made and interesting documentary. I whish more of my relatives understand English. Anyway, this film will be very useful. Thank you!
Interesting, spoilt by the annoying background music.
15:45
Neural processes don't explain NDE for the same reason that
neural correlates of consciousness don't explain consciousness.
Correlation does not equal causation.
That simple…..
The brain is a description of someone's mental processes,
AFTER MEASUREMENT, on this interface called 'spacetime'.
The brain does not create consciousness for the same reason that flames do not create combustion.
It's that simple…
Correlation does not mean causation.
Lest you think the sun rises because of the crowing roosters 😅
Brain does not create consciousness
for the same reason that whirlpools don't create the water.
It's shocking that physicalism is still a thing……
Physical Realism is false,
so….. NEXT!
MIND is all that exists.
Flames don't create combustion
Lightning don't create atmospheric discharge.
Physical objects are the result of a measurement, so they are a description of something else.
A brain, on the spacetime interface, is a DESCRIPTION of one's mental processes, but it does not create these processes for the same reason that flames don't create combustion.
It is that fucking simple 🤦🏼
Physicalists are clowns.
Physical realism is false, . So physicalists don't have a leg to stand on anymore.
Bernardo Kastrup is THE MAN !!😊
1:24:30
Thank you
Thank you. A wonderfully compiled documentary. 💐 ( NDE survivor🎉)
Brilliant Documentary 👏. Thank you for Sharing ❤
Don't believe NDE's are legit or real? Consciousness surviving the body? Do some basic research on veridical NDE's and how anesthesia effects the brain. How can some individuals having an operation, while under heavy anesthesia (Stage 3-4) and have vivid conscious observations of the space they are in… in great detail? They can't. Then the experiences being replicated hundred-thousands of times around the world that we know of. The data of veridical NDE's is real medical data that medical professionals can verify, and many don't because their afraid of ridicule. Think about those experiences we don't know about. How much recurring, replicated data do we need to make a conclusion? In my opinion, consciousness does exist outside the body when the body ceases to exist.
The scientific industry is currently operating under the ideology of Dogmatic Materialism. As Tesla pointed out, this is holding scientific progress back.
The brain is only a receiver of consciousness (soul), it is not the source of it.
Poor, frightened Dr. Gruber. He has fhe sophistication of an abacus.
Who was the women that seen herself on fire at 30 min in , and why doesn't Bruce greyosn and others speak of cases like this,
I'm curious if their is any lie detector tests of psychology tests to see if nde people are being honest might sound harsh but a lot of people are like my nde when I was 4 to 10 age and I'm like I can't even remember last week let alone when I was 4, just a random thought but it makes me wonder do nde researchers have a way of knowing if a person may be creating a story or genuine people , it's fair to wonder because so many people express stories from a grown women on fire , to a 4 year old nde
Kind of crazy how the women more or less said the same thing as Bruce greyson expressing how verdical perception cases aren't looking for numbers or symbols , a bit odd really of an answer, Sam parnias research had like 15 nde , penny satori said she had 15 , and she saying 8 had verdical perception but didn't see the targets , but it confuses me the never answer if the patients seen anything even the nurse doctors or equipment or confirmed , also would it not make sense to have numbers symbols all over the room floor if the patient is unconscious entering the room emergency is imagine would it no make sense to have huge numbers painted on the floor, and then targets on the patients chest bed or above and around , all the nde researchers sat numbers small writing on a shelf above them
It's a tough one to call because you cant help but wonder what's true and what's added into stories even by staff like penny satori speaks of a patient describing what the did but couldn't see a target, so once again sadly it's believing her account story of patient 10 whoever patient 10 is and that's why nde research is sad we all want to know verified proof witness more details of patients how unconscious the were cardiac or more how verified are their accounts and how much proof is it , like someone seeing a few things doctors did makes it wonder if the were in and out of conciseness and could hear or see or a mix of both reconstructing I don't know
The first sign you are dead is the total loss of memory.
Have twins ever had a near death experience together?
All my Swedish American elders I grew up being closer se to as Elders visited me as Beings of Light last summer.
I had to chuckle at the neuroscientist’s explanation of his NDE/ brain- shutting -down theory.