SKEPTIC'S
QUESTION: "Can we deny that something
is going on, given the countless reports of
near-death experiences, that some transpersonal
reality exists? The NDE appears to happen in
the
Sylvian Fissure. If people really are out
of their bodies and traveling remotely, why
can't this be demonstrated
empirically? The answer, if
autoscopy is actually happening, is that
it can empirically be demonstrated."
DR. KENNETH RING:
"There have been many attempts - none of them
conclusive - to demonstrate that there is a
literal
out-of-the
body experience, that something actually
separates from the physical body. Much of this
research is found in the literature in parapsychology,
particularly in the
Journal of the American Society for Psychical
Research (some of the research of
Karlis Osis). Good summaries of these studies
can, however, be found in books dealing with
out-of-body experiences, such as Janet Mitchell's
Out-of-Body Experiences (McFarland, 1981).
Of course, as you know, a good many such reports
from the NDE literature are summarized in my
own book,
Lessons from the Light, Chapter 2 (Moment
Point Press)." (Kenneth
Ring)
DR. ROBERT JORDAN:
"If a person believes in the traditional dualistic
and religious notion that the soul is separate
and distinct from the physical body, then out-of-body
experiences can be explained by a non-physical
reality that does not lend itself to scientific
experimentation of explanation. Such a phenomenon
could not be investigated scientifically because
science measures physical phenomena. Of course,
it is possible that there is some kind of physical
manifestation of the out-of-body soul that either
has not been yet measured because the appropriate
scientific measures have not been applied to
measuring it. (Has any scientist actually used
existing scientific instruments to measure physical
signs of the soul departing the body?) Alternately,
from a scientist's perspective perhaps we don't
yet even know of some physical forms of energy
that correspond to the soul. Given the present
astounding state of flux of the science of physics,
I think that the second alternative is certainly
possible.
"If the soul's travel
beyond the body is purely nonphysical, and it
may well be true that it is, then we cannot
decide such issues with scientific research.
Even if many of the sensory phenomena associated
with NDEs can be correlated with or explained
by physical phenomena, the possibility that
they occur in a dimension of nonphysical phenomena
cannot be ruled out." (Robert
Jordan)
DR. P.M.H. ATWATER:
"You need only refer to
The Complete Idiot's Guide to NDEs, or my
Brain Shift/Spirit Shift Model
,
for material that will prove helpful. The Sylvan
Fissure, temporal lobes, limbic system, and
other unique sections of the brain are highly
charged during near-death states. There is no
research at present, though, that links any
of them to causal factors. Nor do any such claims
address the entire phenomenon - only parts of
it. In fact, there is no one explanation given
by any scientist or researcher that explains
near-death states. There already have been verified
cases highly suggestive of out-of body states,
some which simply cannot be denied. However,
the type of repeatable scientific proof you
refer to will not occur until researchers devise
a test that applies to the subject. For instance,
the digital single line board currently in use
that has a nonsense message flitting across
it is a waste of electricity. If you study near-death
cases you will see why. Experiencers only pay
attention to objects in the emotional field
around them or whatever appeals to them emotionally.
As long as you try to intellectualize experiencer
response, you will miss the proof you want."
(P.M.H.
Atwater)
DR. SUSAN BLACKMORE
(NDE Skeptic): "We cannot deny
that something is going on. Undoubtedly people
all over the world and for many millennia have
had similar experiences. This does not, however,
allow us to conclude that there is some transpersonal
reality. We need to approach the experiences
with an open mind and try to find out just what
causes them to be similar. Maybe it is because
all our brains are similar in structure and
organization. Maybe it is because there really
is some other world to which people go. This
is what the research is all about." (Susan
Blackmore)
|