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Near Death
Experiences
A near-death experience, refers to a broad range of
personal experiences associated with impending death,
encompassing multiple possible sensations including
detachment from the body; feelings of levitation;
extreme fear; total serenity, security, or warmth; the
experience of absolute dissolution; and the presence of
a light, which some people interpret as a deity. Some
see NDE's as a paranormal and spiritual glimpse into the
afterlife.
These phenomena are usually reported after an individual
has been pronounced clinically dead or otherwise very
close to death, hence the term near-death experience.
Many NDE reports, however, originate from events that
are not life-threatening. With recent developments in
cardiac resuscitation techniques, the number of reported
NDE's has increased. Many in the scientific community
regard such experiences as hallucinatory, while
paranormal specialists claim them to be evidence of an
afterlife.
Popular interest in near-death experiences was initially
sparked by Raymond Moody's 1975 book Life After Life,
and the founding of the International Association for
Near-Death Studies (IANDS) in 1981. According to a
Gallup poll, approximately eight million Americans claim
to have had a near-death experience. Some commentators,
such as Simpson claim that the number of near-death
experiencers may be underestimated, mainly because some
such individuals are presumably afraid or otherwise
reluctant to talk about their experiences.
NDE's are among the phenomena studied in the fields of
parapsychology, psychology, psychiatry, and hospital
medicine.
The phenomenology of an NDE usually includes
physiological, psychological, and alleged transcendental
aspects. Researchers have identified the common elements
that define near-death experiences. Among the general
features of the experience one may find subjective
impressions of being outside the physical body, visions
of deceased relatives and religious figures, and
transcendence of ego and spatiotemporal boundaries. The
most intense NDE's are reported to have an awareness of
things occurring in a different place or time, and some
of these observations are said to have been evidential.
The traits of a classical NDE are as follows: The notice
of a very unpleasant sound or noise. A sense/awareness
of being dead. A sense of peace, well-being and
painlessness. Positive emotions. A feeling of being
removed from the world. An out-of-body experience. A
perception of one’s body from an outside position.
Sometimes observing doctors and nurses performing
medical resuscitation efforts. A "tunnel experience". A
sense of moving up, or through, a passageway or
staircase. A rapid movement toward and/or sudden
immersion in a powerful light. Communication with the
light. An intense feeling of unconditional love.
Encountering "Beings of Light", "Beings dressed in
white", or other spiritual beings. Also, the possibility
of being reunited with deceased loved ones. Being given
a life review. Being presented with knowledge about
one's life and the nature of the universe. A decision by
oneself or others to return to one’s body, often
accompanied by a reluctance to return. Approaching a
border. Kenneth Ring (1980) subdivided the NDE on a
five-stage continuum. He stated, that 60% experienced
stage 1 (feelings of peace and contentment), but only
10% experienced stage 5 ("entering the light").
Clinical circumstances associated with near-death
experiences include cardiac arrest in myocardial
infarction (clinical death), shock in postpartum loss of
blood or in preoperative complications, septic or
anaphylactic shock, electrocution, coma resulting from
traumatic brain damage, intracerebral hemorrhage or
cerebral infarction, attempted suicide, near-drowning or
asphyxia, apnoea, and serious depression. Many NDE's
occur after a crucial experience (e.g., when a patient
can hear that he or she is declared to be dead by a
doctor or nurse) or when a person has the subjective
impression to be in a fatal situation (e.g., during a
close-call automobile accident). In contrast to common
belief, attempted suicides do not lead more often to
unpleasant NDE's than unintended near-death situations.
Some people have also experienced extremely distressing
NDE's, which can manifest in forewarning of emptiness or
a sense of dread toward the cessation of their life. The
distressing aspects of some NDE's are discussed more
closely by Greyson and Bush. The content of near death
experiences may vary by culture. Children, who typically
do not have enough time to develop strongly toward one
faith, had very limited NDE's.
 Near-death experiences can have a major impact on the
people who have them, and they may produce a variety of
after-effects. Many of these effects are associated with
changes in personality and outlook on life. Kenneth Ring
has identified a consistent set of value and belief
changes associated with people who have had a near-death
experience. Among these changes one finds a greater
appreciation for life, higher self-esteem, greater
compassion for others, a heightened sense of purpose and
self-understanding, desire to learn, elevated
spirituality, greater ecological sensitivity and
planetary concern, and a feeling of being more
intuitive. Changes may also include increased physical
sensitivity; diminished tolerance to light, alcohol, and
drugs; a feeling that the brain has been "altered" to
encompass more; and a feeling that one is now using the
"whole brain" rather than just a small part. However,
not all after-effects are beneficial and Greyson
describes circumstances where changes in attitudes and
behavior can lead to psychosocial and psycho spiritual
problems. Often the problems have to do with the
adjustment to ordinary life in the wake of the NDE.
Some of the side effects associated with having had a
NDE (empathic, telepathy, clairaudience, clairvoyance,
precognition, remote viewing, communication with
animals, children, and the failure of timepieces).
Spiritual viewpoints
Many view the NDE as the precursor to an afterlife
experience, claiming that the NDE cannot be adequately
explained by physiological or psychological causes, and
that the phenomenon conclusively demonstrates that human
consciousness can function independently of brain
activity. Many NDE-accounts seem to include elements
which, according to several theorists, can only be
explained by an out-of-body consciousness. For example,
in one account, a woman accurately described a surgical
instrument she had not seen previously, as well as a
conversation that occurred while she was under general
anesthesia. In another account, from a prospective Dutch
NDE study, a nurse removed the dentures of an
unconscious heart attack victim, and was asked by him
after his recovery to return them. It might be difficult
to explain in conventional terms how an unconscious
patient could later have recognized the nurse.
Dr. Michael Sabom reports a case about a woman who
underwent surgery for an aneurysm. The woman reported an
out-of-body experience that she claimed continued
through a brief period of the absence of any EEG
activity. If true, this would seem to challenge the
belief held by many that consciousness is situated
entirely within the brain.
Many individuals who experience an NDE see it as a
verification of the existence of an afterlife. This
includes those with agnostic/atheist inclinations before
the experience. There are examples of ex-atheists, such
as the Reverend Howard Storm, adopting a more spiritual
viewpoint after their NDE's. Storm's NDE may also be
characterized as a distressing near-death experience.
Greyson claims that: "No one physiological or
psychological model by itself explains all the common
features of NDE. The paradoxical occurrence of
heightened, lucid awareness and logical thought
processes during a period of impaired cerebral perfusion
raises particular perplexing questions for our current
understanding of consciousness and its relation to brain
function. A clear sensorium and complex perceptual
processes during a period of apparent clinical death
challenge the concept that consciousness is localized
exclusively in the brain."
A few people feel that research on NDEs occurring in the
blind can be interpreted to support an argument that
consciousness survives bodily death. Dr. Kenneth Ring
claims in the book "Mindsight: Near-Death and
Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind" that up to 80% of
his sample studied reported some visual awareness during
their NDE or out of body experience. Skeptics however
question the accuracy of their visual awareness.
There are many religious and physiological views of
near-death experiences. The NDE is often cited as
evidence for the existence of the human soul, the
afterlife, and heaven and hell, ideas that appear in
many religious traditions. On the other hand, skeptical
commentators view NDE's as purely neurological and
chemical phenomena occurring in the brain. From this
perspective NDE's are the result of purely physiological
and neurobiological mechanisms. The imagery in the
experiences also varies within cultures.
There has been recent research into afterlife
conceptions across cultures by religious studies scholar
Dr. Gregory Shushan. The study analyzes the afterlife
beliefs of five ancient civilizations (Old and Middle
Kingdom Egypt, Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia,
Vedic India, pre-Buddhist China, and pre-Columbian
Mesoamerica) in light of historical and contemporary
reports of near-death experiences, and shamanic
afterlife ‘journeys’. It was found that despite numerous
culture-specific differences, the nine most frequently
recurring NDE elements also recur on a general
structural level cross-culturally. This suggests that
the authors of these ancient religious texts were
familiar with NDE or something similar (e.g.
shamanic-type experiences). Cross-cultural similarity,
however, can be used to support both religious and
physiological theories, for both rely on demonstrating
that the phenomenon is universal.
Some information above courtesy of wikipedia: |
