According to an end-of-life nurse, many patients make a single, typical movement just before they die.

These medical professionals have undoubtedly seen some horrific scenes in their line of work, but as this hospice carer clarified, there can also be some “mystical” ones.

Katie Duncan, a nurse practitioner from the US state of Maryland, calls herself a “death care coach.”

When it comes to the topic of passing away, she wants to help people “gain more comfort and peace” while also making the process as comfortable as possible for her patients when the time comes.

Katie’s years of experience working in home hospices, intensive care units, and other facilities have allowed her to observe common behaviors and movements that many people exhibit as they near death.

A palliative care patient abruptly reaching upward, possibly toward the ceiling or the sky, is one of these “unexplainable phenomena.”

It frequently appears as though the person is “trying to reach for something” or “hold something that is above them,” according to Katie.

However, why does this occur?

The final answer to this is still unknown, but the end-of-life nurse said she doesn’t mind making a guess.

“In my personal experience working with people who are dying, this reaching towards someone or something above them, is really common,” she said in a video on TikTok.

“The individual will literally reach up, appearing to be attempting to hold someone’s hand or touch them.

“Sometimes this is associated with what we call end of life visions or other end-of-life experiences – when someone will actually vocalises that they are seeing someone or something.”

According to her, it’s comparable to how terminally ill patients frequently claim to see a “bright light” or a “angel” as their time is running out.

“Very commonly, it is a loved one or family member or pet, someone who has died before,” Katie went on. Additionally, the dying person is expressing that they are seeing this person.

“But sometimes, you see a person reach and they don’t say anything at all,” she continued.

“It’s one of those mystical parts of the dying process that we are able to be a witness to,” the nurse continued, reflecting on this reaching movement frequently observed in dying individuals.

“Most commonly, the person does not appear to be in pain or distress, and we also know that other end of life visions and experiences tend to bring the dying person a lot of peace and comfort.”

All things considered, it seems like a pretty good thing.

In any case, it appeared that social media users agreed, as numerous individuals showered Katie’s post’s comment section with compliments.

One commenter stated: “This is the middle ground. What an honor to observe.

“My dad reached up with both arms,” said another commenter. He was unable to raise his arms at all before this.

“It’s heaven they are reaching for,” a third person said.

A fourth, however, added: “I didn’t want to bother him in the least when I saw this. It was an extremely unique experience.