I have been at the bedside of many, many people at their exact moment of death. Those people have taught me what happens in the hours to minutes before death. Just before they take their final two or three breaths most people make a facial grimace or frown. Once in a while I have seen a smile but usually it is a grimace. My belief, and I can not prove this in anyway, is that the frown or grimace is made at the actual moment the soul leaves the physical body, the exact moment the driver gets out of the car. Following the facial movement there are usually two or three long spaced out breaths, the rest of the air and energy leaving the body. I don't think the facial expression has anything to do with pain or discomfort. It may show a bit of ambivalence about leaving this world but mostly I think it is the expression of release, of the final letting go from the physical body.
When people are heavily medicated during their last hours to minutes they don't seem to show the grimace but either way, grimace or not, nothing bad is happening, nothing out of the ordinary is happening. The person has let go of the hold on the physical just like they are supposed to do. They are now free to go about a new journey. We often get very confused about the moment someone takes their last breath. We let our own fear of the moment distort our perception of what happened. We tend to put way too much thought into what the last moment looked like.
Please celebrate life, the joys, the legacy your loved one brought to the physical world. Fill your mind with good memories and let go of your concern for the moment of release. A death in this world is a birth into another world. You have witnessed a birth and the labor it entails.
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Hi Anita, in answer to your question of how your sister could have a grimace on her face when she was brain dead; that grimace is so normal, most people have it in their last moments. It was the final tug of life on the body, an involuntary tug in breaking free from a body that is no longer working. Sister’s at 46 are not suppose to die. I am so sorry for your loss.
Blessings! Barbara
My sister was brain dead and on life support. At the moment of death, she had a grimace come over her face. It was frightening. How could she do that with no brain activity?
It has been 2 years since she passed away. I miss her so much. She was only 46 when she passed away from influenza. So sad.
Hi Tara, from the description of your father’s dying moments he did exactly what he was suppose to do. He did a good job of getting out of his body. You did not describe anything that would suggest something was wrong. I know the facial grimace is disturbing to us watching but most people, just before they leave their body, have that facial expression. It’s almost like “No, I don’t want to leave” and then they let go. My thoughts and blessings are with you. Barbara
Exactly one month ago I had the blessing of being with my father in hospice as he passed away. As many have witnessed with their loved ones, my father’s face grimaced he took his last two or three breaths. He was also being given morphine for pain management and was in an unconscious, sleeping state, which seems to be a theme. I pray he was not feeling pain in his final moments and his expression was at least an involuntary movement. Comments posted are making me feel better.
Hi Lena, I am sorry for the loss of your sister. Having two sets of twin grandchildren I know of the connection that ties your souls. Even though your sister was non responsive, eyes open, barely breathing for those 8 hours you were with her I believe she was aware of your presence. She was experiencing those last hours as if from afar. She was in that state just before you wake up from a dream or just before you go to sleep when you can hear but you are just too tired to respond. You might write her a letter and put all your thoughts and tears on paper. Tell her about having her in your life, all those things you want her to know, positive and negative. Then burn the letter and scatter the ashes to the wind knowing she will receive your love and message. My blessings are with you and your family. Barbara
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