A woman who was declared for eight minutes has shared her extraordinary experience, asserting that death is merely an illusion. Brianna Lafferty's spirit "floated" above her body before she transitioned into a realm where time ceased to exist.

The 33-year-old had been grappling with a rare, life-threatening and confessed that her body had already "given up". She heard a voice enquiring if she was ready - to which she assented - as she plunged into utter darkness. During her time there, Brianna discovered that death is a mere illusion and our earthly existence isn't the finale.

"Death is an illusion because our soul never dies," Brianna stated. "Our consciousness remains alive. And our very essence simply transforms. My thoughts instantly materialised in the afterlife. I realised that our thoughts shape reality there - it just takes time - which is a blessing.

"We're capable of converting our negativity into positivity, turning this into reality. I feel empowered and trust life's events, particularly the challenging ones. Reflecting on my past, everything is so crystal clear as to why I battled with illness and other tough struggles.

"There's wisdom in understanding that everything truly happens for a reason, as I go with the flow and don't become angry or upset when misfortunes occur. Also knowing that my thoughts and feelings are that potent helps me lead a life filled with gratitude."

Brianna, who miraculously survived being pronounced clinically dead for eight minutes, revealed her near-death experience after suffering from myoclonus dystonia, a rare and severe neurological condition. Facing intense insomnia that deprived her of sleep for more than a minute across several days, she believed her end was nigh.

She disclosed her profound revelation: "I was suddenly separated from my physical body. I didn't see or remember my human self. I was completely still, yet I felt fully alive, aware and more myself than ever before. There was no pain, just a deep sense of peace and clarity."

Experiencing an out-of-body reality, Brianna underwent a transformation in her understanding of life: "This detachment from my physical form made me realise how temporary and fragile our human experience is.

"There's a presence, or intelligence, higher than ourselves that guides and watches over us with unconditional love. Everything happens at once there, as if time doesn't exist, yet there was perfect order."

Discover more bizarre tales including how a car crash can 'slow' time and the art of the perfect apology in this week's edition of The Weird Science Drop Newsletter!

"I experienced the beginning of everything and learned that our universe is made up of a bunch of numbers. I met other beings that I'm not sure were human, but they felt familiar.

"It changed the course of my life - what I feared no longer had power over me and what I used to chase didn't seem important anymore. I came back with a sense of mission and deep reverence for both life and death."

Brianna revealed that upon returning to her body, it felt as though she had been absent for months, rather than mere moments. During her four-day hospital stay, Brianna grappled with the enigma of her journey. In this period, she embarked on a process of reacclimation, affecting her not only physically, but spiritually as well.

Today, she embraces life without the shadow of death looming over her and feels thankful for her transformative ordeal. She elaborated: "I had to relearn how to walk and talk. I've also had lasting side effects and damage to my pituitary gland, which I got experimental brain surgery for to treat - and has been a success so far."

Admitting a twinge of fear about facing another near-death experience due to the strenuous recovery it entails, she understands that it may be out of her hands if fate decrees it so. She professed: "I am a little fearful of having another near death experience, only because the recovery is tough. I'm not sure I can avoid it if it's meant to happen again, though. But because of this, I have a heart of gratitude instead of anger."

Through her experience, she finds herself equipped to offer support to those contending with chronic illness, confronting mortality, or undergoing spiritual awakenings. She expressed a conviction in her survivorship stating: "And I'm able to help others going through chronic illness, dying and spiritual awakenings using my own experience. I believe I survived because I have a purpose here on Earth.

"There have been many close calls where I should have died and didn't. I'm aware that we choose hard, difficult and painful moments in our human experiences because our soul wants to know what isn't available in the spiritual realm. It's to learn and grow, but sometimes it's because the sense of something new excites us."