When Happens When You Die? – Episode 502

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Do we go into another body?

Do we turn into an insect or animal?

Do we go to heaven or hell?

Maybe nothing happens at all…we’re just, you know, dead.

In this episode of the Ted in Your Head podcast, Ted raises the age old question of what happens when we die.

This is a very uncomfortable topic for many.

But there might be a better question to ask: What happens while we live?

 

Listen to this podcast episode now:

 

What happens after we die?

Perhaps you’ve seen the Stephen Colbert videos where he asks celebrities what they think happens.

I don’t think celebrities have any more knowledge than the rest of us, but I found their answers representative of many of the most widely held beliefs about death.

One celebrity said that we transfer into another body.

Another said that we go to Heaven or Hell.

There were some more interesting answers:

  • Matt Damon said, “I think we go home.”
  • Ethan Hawke said, “I don’t think we die because we don’t have a concept of divine time.”
  • Daniel Craig said, “Nothing, we become stars.”
  • Prince Harry said, “I think we become animals.”
  • Robert DeNiro said, “It’s harder to get a job.”

Perhaps the most realistic answer, and one that we can probably all agree on, was the response from Keanu Reeves who said,
“I know that the ones who love us will miss us.”

I thought that it was interesting that this was the only answer that speaks to this life, as opposed to the afterlife.

So, what happens after we die?

Sometimes people come to me wanting to do a past life regression.

This is where I put a client in hypnosis and allow them to tap into their subconscious mind so that they can access memories of previous lives they may have lived. Thirty to thirty-five percent of the world’s population believe in reincarnation. Only 1 in 5 Americans do.

According to a Gallup International Poll in 2022, in the United States, 55% believe in both heaven and hell while 29% believe in neither.

According to that same poll, globally across 61 countries, 59% of respondents believe in heaven while 53% believe in hell.

So, while 70% to 80% of Americans believe in some sort of afterlife, 13% to 17% believe that nothing happens at all. You’re just dead.

About 24% of Americans say that they have no idea what happens after death.

I’ve worked with a few people that find that even thinking about this makes them very uncomfortable. Are you feeling that way?

What happens after we die?

I’m part of that 24%: I have no idea. I personally have no belief about that and I think anything’s possible.

Maybe when we die, we wake up to find we’ve been dreaming this life.

Nobody knows. You might have a belief, but nobody knows. Period.

I’ve done a couple of podcasts about the subject of death. In 2025 I did Episode 473 “Thoughts about Life and Death” and in 2024 I did Episode 462: “Remember What You Don’t Want to Think About: Memento Mori”. That’s Latin for “remember that you have to die”

I think sometime between when I was 50 and 60 years old, I started thinking “Shit! I’m getting up there!” Can you relate?

What happens after we die? Maybe a better question is

“What happens while we live?”

I’ve been to several funerals lately. It seems that the older you get the more people that you know die. Kind of makes sense, right?

But one thing I can say for certain about all those funerals and memorial services is this: people came out to speak with respect and love about those that passed. Those that were gone, were missed.

Of all the people that Stephen Colbert asked, “What happens after we die?”, I think the only answer that can be said to be true is “the ones who love us will miss us.”

Hopefully, right?

I’m not too concerned about what happens after we die.

But I think it might be better to be more concerned with what happens while we live.

Let’s focus on this side of the grave and do what we can to be missed by those that loved us, knew us, and benefited from the fact that we did live.

Thank you for reading this.

Just a reminder that you can listen to this podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Soundcloud or TedinYourHead.com. You can also watch this podcast on YouTube.

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Is fear of death keeping you from living? Reach out for a complimentary consultation at https://tedmoreno.com/contact