Article discussing the acute dying experience (ADE), which incorporates peritraumatic dissociation and hyperarousal into an experiential continuum lasting seconds to minutes. It is instantly triggered by the sudden, clear perception of threat of significant injury and/or death and followed, at times, by physical trauma, physiological derangement, and loss of consciousness. Results from this and other studies show that paradoxically the more terrifying and traumatic an accident may appear, the more peaceful and painless it may actually be experienced.