When someone is declared brain dead, most of us picture them being still. However, there is a physical reflex called the Lazarus sign that is unsettling to witness if you aren’t prepared for it.
Sometimes, if the patient is moved or if the breathing machine pushes a sudden breath of air into their lungs, the spinal cord will trigger a complex chain of contractions. The patient will slowly raise both arms, bend their elbows, and cross their hands over their chest or neck. After a few moments, the muscles relax, and the arms drop back down to their sides.
It is purely a mechanical nerve reflex with no thought, feeling, or consciousness behind it, but it is still shocking to see. Doctors and nurses often have to warn family members about it so they don’t mistake it for a sign of life.
I once saw a cowerker get really shaken by this during a routine check because they hadn’t encountered it before. We were adjusting the patient’s position when his arms started to lift, and she completely froze, thinking the person was waking up.
Even when you know about it, there is something really creepy about it.