In Judaism, it is believed that the soul lingers in the body for three days before beginning its journey to the afterlife.
In some Latin American folk beliefs, it is said that “the soul doesn’t know it has died” and remains near the living for a short time, especially if death was sudden.
And what does science say about consciousness after death?
Science cannot speak of the “soul” as a spiritual entity, but it has begun to study what happens to consciousness and brain activity after cardiac arrest. What they have discovered is surprising:
1. Consciousness can last for a few minutes after clinical death
Recent studies have shown that some people who have suffered cardiac arrest and were resuscitated clearly remember what happened during those minutes. They report seeing their body from outside, hearing voices, or feeling a great peace. Science has begun to refer to this as near-death experiences (NDEs).
2. Brain Activity After Death
Research conducted in hospitals has detected flashes of brain activity even minutes after the heartbeat stops. This indicates that consciousness, or at least some form of perception, may persist beyond the point at which a person is considered clinically dead.
A 2023 study published in Resuscitation analyzed cases of cardiac arrest and concluded that, in some patients, a “brain signature associated with conscious perception” was recorded, suggesting that something happens in the brain that is not yet fully understood.
How does this relate to the idea of the soul?
Although science cannot confirm the existence of a “soul,” the aforementioned findings allow us to consider the possibility that consciousness does not immediately cease. This aligns, symbolically, with the belief that the soul needs time to depart.
The idea of the three days could be interpreted as a cultural or spiritual framework that expresses a real, as yet unknown, process of disconnection between the body and consciousness.
