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Science and the Near-Death
Experience
Scientific
knowledge is always in a state of flux. New scientific
discoveries come along and overthrow long-held hypotheses.
A good example of this is the attempt by humanity
to explain the phenomenon of light.
Before the dawn of science, humanity relied on religious
experience and philosophy to understand light and
the cosmos. The Bible declares the universe began
when God said, "Let
there be light."
Ancient religious texts throughout history have
associated light with divine consciousness - a consciousness
from which everything, including all other consciousness,
originated. The Bible declares, "God
is light."
Science has discovered that
light was pervasive at the beginning of the
universe. Scientists recently discovered the so-called
"God
Particle" - the particle which bestows mass
upon all particles. This particle is very crucial
to physics because it is
our final understanding of the structure of all
matter. Albert Einstein's great equation
E=mc2
(where E is for energy, m for mass and c is the
speed of light) describes the awesome power and
energy holding all atoms together. Surprisingly,
the Bible supports Einstein's equation when it declares
that
"God is the invisible
power holding all things together."
This transcendent
view of consciousness is the basis for major world
religions. So it shouldn't be surprising that top
quantum physicists where influenced by religion.
Erwin Schrodinger,
for example, studied Hinduism;
Werner Heisenberg
looked into
Plato's theory
of the ancient Greeks;
Niels Bohr
was drawn to the Tao;
Wolfgang Pauli
to the Kabbalah;
and
Max Plank
to Christianity.
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of Contents |
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1. The Holistic Merger of Science
and Spirituality |
The
scientific discovery of the nature of light is the cornerstone
of modern physics and natural law. It is also the cornerstone
of near-death studies and modern consciousness research. Over
the centuries, science has yielded some very unusual, almost "god-like,"
properties of light. The recently discovered "God
particle" - the elusive
particle which gives mass to every other particle - is one of
the greatest discoveries in science. Light was pervasive at
the time of the Big Bang.
Light is the fastest thing in the universe and travels at 671
million miles per hour. It takes an infinite amount of energy
to move an object to the speed of light.
At the speed of light, the past, present, and future all exist
simultaneously. If a person could travel at the speed of light,
they would become immortal. There is also the quantum theory
of
superposition
where matter can exist in more than one dimension at the same
time - making anomalous phenomena such as NDEs and OBEs possible.
Physicists have experimentally demonstrated that two particles
can be separated, and no matter by how far apart they are (even
a billion miles apart), a change in one particle instantly creates
a simultaneous change in the other as if they were connected.
This phenomenon called "quantum entanglement" which
Einstein called "spooky
actions from a distance" and is suggestive of an underlying
reality which physicists have not yet been able to explain although
there are many theories. Light also has a "dual
personality" existing
as both a particle and a wave. The reason we can see anything
at all is because our mere observation of things converts light
waves into light particles thereby making human consciousness
the main factor when it comes to reality.
Carl
Jung (1875-1961) the Swiss psychologist and near-death experiencer
who founded analytical psychology, is best known for his psychological
concepts including archetypes, the collective unconscious, dream
analysis, and synchronicity. His interest in philosophy and
metaphysics led many to view him as a mystic. Following discussions
with both
Albert Einstein
and
Wolfgang Pauli
(two founding fathers of quantum physics) Jung believed there
were
parallels between synchronicity
and the
relativity of time
and its connection to consciousness.
Scientists are
discovering how objective reality is more of an illusion than
a reality. At deeper levels, everything - atoms, cells, molecules,
plants, animals, and people participate in a connected
flowing web of information.
At the quantum level, the
observer becomes a part of the observed
and the distinction between observer and object disappears.
Space and time are concepts we bring with us to the quantum
level but they do not seem to exist there. Time flows both forward
and backward symmetrically according to relativity - a concept
making time travel
a possibility. And because all matter, including our brains
and bodies, are mostly composed of empty space because of the
structure of atoms held together by atomic energy, a metaphysical
case can be made that we are mostly composed of non-physical "spirit."
At the quantum level, location becomes nonlocal and everything
can be thought of as being in no particular place at no particular
time. What we "see" out there has more to do with
our own consciousness and
subjective experience
than anything that might be "out there". In light
of these findings, we must conclude the notion of
objective reality
is in error. Physicists are discovering laws of physics are
the laws of our own minds.
One
of the most compelling theories is called the
holographic principle
which defines the universe as a single, gigantic hologram where
everything is connected to everything else including our minds.
Metaphysically speaking, the brain processes cosmic information
in the form of holograms - the "mind's
eye." The holographic
principle originated from one of the most significant theoretical
physicists of the 20th century,
David Bohm.
Neurophysiologist
Karl Pribram
synchronistically arrived at a holographic model of the mind
and brain at the same time as David Bohm developed his holographic
model of the universe. Surprisingly, these holographic models
may be the basis for all mystical experiences including the
NDE. These holographic models are part of a new emerging paradigm
called "holism"
which is the opposite of reductionism. It is the paradigm where
all natural systems - physical, biological, chemical, social,
economic, etc. - and their properties, should be viewed as a
whole and not the sum of its parts. A corresponding theory of
quantum consciousness
was developed by the joint work of theoretical physicist,
Sir Roger Penrose,
and anesthesiologist
Stuart Hameroff.
Like David Bohm and Karl Pribram before them, Penrose and Hameroff
developed their theories synchronistically. Penrose approached
the problem of consciousness from the view point of mathematics,
while Hameroff approached it from his career in anesthesia which
gave him an interest in brain structures. Quantum consciousness
is the theory of an underlying consciousness connecting everyone
and everything and is based on the fact that quantum fields
can be interpreted as extending infinitely in space.
Carl
Jung referred to this connection between all life as the "collective
unconscious" also
known as the "collective subconscious." Jung theorized
how synchronicity serves a role similar to dreams, with the
purpose of shifting a person's egocentric conscious thinking
to greater wholeness. Jung was transfixed by the idea of life
not being a series of random events but rather an expression
of a deeper order, which he and Wolfgang Pauli referred to as "one
world" - a term referring
to the concept of an underlying unified reality of the universe
from which everything emerges and returns to. Jung believed
this principle of an underlying "world" can express
itself through synchronicity and is the basis for
quantum mysticism.
Quantum theories such as the
many-worlds interpretation
of quantum mechanics and its corresponding
many-minds theory
supports this new paradigm. These quantum theories also supports
the theory of
quantum immortality
which theoretically makes the immortality of a non-physical "soul"
possible. If one views consciousness as a fundamental, non-physical,
part of the universe, it becomes possible to conceive of consciousness
continuing to exist after the death in a parallel universe.
These quantum and holographic paradigms assume anomalous phenomena
such as NDEs to certainly be within the realm of possibilities.
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2. Quantum Physics and the Near-Death Experience |
Just
as surprising is how NDE encounters with an otherworldly light
correspond with principles of quantum physics. The old paradigm
of observing, theorizing, and predicting doesn't work very well
when it comes to understanding light, consciousness, and subjective
experiences - especially when it concerns the NDE. The old paradigm
allows materialists and skeptics to dismiss NDEs as being caused
by brain anomalies - even though
the cause
of NDEs is not relevant to whether the experience is a real
afterlife experience or not. Nevertheless, recent
NDE studies have ruled out brain
anomalies.
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3. Quantum Interconnectivity
and the Near-Death Experience |
Theoretical
quantum physics supports the notion of our universe
as being a
conscious universe
of which all other consciousness is a
fractal.
Many scientists no longer believe in a randomly generated
universe from some sort of primal dust. Nobel prize
winning molecular biologist
Christian de Duve
describes the universe as having a cosmic imperative
to develop conscious life. The very structure of molecules
composing living creatures dictates the evolution of
conscious life. Astrophysicist
Fred Hoyle
agreed how the fundamental laws of the universe governing
the creation of planets, suns and galaxies implies conscious
life will be the end result of those universal laws.
Evolutionary biologist
Rupert Sheldrake
goes even further, describing how "morphic forms"
- patterns of energy which first exist in the universe
- results in life. If these compelling theories are
true, then it is possible to apply them to other dimensions
of reality made up of other elementary subatomic particles.
Anomalous phenomena such as NDEs then becomes less like "fantasy"
and more like the perceptions of conscious beings in
other realties which can be predicted by modern science.
NDEs may simply be clinical applications of the experiments
physicists have discovered in the lab.
For
example, a European astrophysicist by the name of
Metod Saniga used NDE research
to develop a mathematical model of time which seems
to offer solutions to problems vexing scholars since
Einstein. In brief, Dr. Saniga takes seriously the testimony
of NDErs when they describe experiences in a realm where "time
stops" and where some of them "see the past,
present, and future all at once." Dr. Saniga describes
this realm as "the Pure Present." Dr. Saniga
used these anomalous experiences to describe a single
mathematical model which can account for both the conventional
and the extraordinary ways humans experience time.
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4. The Holographic Universe
and the Near-Death Experience |
 The
father of the new paradigm, Albert Einstein,
may have had the old paradigm in mind when he said, "All
knowledge of reality starts from experience and ends
in it." The old paradigm denies a whole range of
valid subjective experiences such as NDEs, OBEs, and
mystical experiences. Severe cracks in the old paradigm
began to appear when, in 1982, a research team led by
physicist
Alain Aspect
performed what may turn out to be one of the
most important experiments of the 20th century.
They discovered subatomic particles were able to
remain in contact with one another regardless of
the distance separating them - even if the
distance is billions of miles. Aspect's findings
seemed to violate the long-held theory of the
impossibility of faster-than-light travel. These
findings are suggestive
of a deeper level of reality where all things in the
universe are infinitely interconnected. Aspect's findings
influenced one of the most significant theoretical physicists
of the 20th century,
David Bohm,
to develop a profound mathematical theory where all
the apparent separateness in the universe to be an illusion.
Bohm's theory, known as the
Holographic Principle,
describes the universe to be a gigantic and splendidly
detailed hologram.
An example of a
hologram
appears in the movie "Star Wars" when an illusionary
holographic image of Princess Lea was projected by the
robot R2D2. The notion of reality as illusionary goes
back to ancient indigenous people who believed existence
to be a dream or an illusion. Modern developments in
science have led theoretical physicists to view reality
in a similar manner - a reality composed of a matrix,
grids, virtual reality, simulation and holograms.
A holographic universe explains
the
supersymmetry
found in the universe and suggests how, at the quantum
level, everything - atoms, cells, molecules, plants,
animals, and people participate in a connected flowing
web of information. For example, the electrons in a
carbon atom in the human brain are connected to the
subatomic particles comprising every other human brains
- even with every star in the sky. All of nature can
ultimately be viewed as one seamless web. In a holographic
universe, time and space become an illusion. The past,
present, and future all exist simultaneously suggesting
the possibility of science to someday be able to reach
into the holographic level of reality and extract scenes
from the long-forgotten past - a phenomenon which has
already been documented in NDE research from the
life review.
Another
aspect of a holographic universe is the mathematical
proof of
every part of a hologram contains
all the information possessed by the whole.
If we try to take apart something constructed holographically,
we will not get the pieces of which it is made, we will
only get smaller wholes. This "whole in every part"
nature of a holographic universe may be the basis for
mystical experiences such as the NDE. It also agrees
with the view of Eastern mysticism that all consciousness
existing as a part of one Whole and the Whole within
all consciousness. This holographic paradigm supports
mathematical principles found in
fractal geometry
and the metaphysical concept of non-physical fractal
souls existing in a fractal universe. A holographic
universe could theoretically be viewed as a
Matrix
bringing into existence everything else in our universe:
all matter and energy - from atoms, to solar systems,
to galaxies, etc. Such a Matrix could be viewed as a
kind of cosmic storehouse of "All That Is"
or the metaphysical concept of an "akashic
field." Such a
Matrix of "all information" could also be
the basis for the NDE life review. David Bohm believed
a holographic level of reality may be a "mere stage"
beyond which lies "an infinity of further development."
According to physicist
Fred Alan Wolf,
NDEs can be explained
using a holographic model
where death is merely a shifting of a person's consciousness
from one dimension of the hologram to another. Craig
Hogan, a physicist at Fermilab, generated even more
interest in a holographic universe when he discovered
proof of a holographic universe
in the data of a gravitational wave detector.
 Profound
evidence supporting the fractal nature of consciousness
within a fractal universe can be seen the images on
the right and left. On March 16, 2006, the journal Nature
published a report of
the discovery of an unprecedented
elongated double helix nebula
(see the image on the right) near the center of our
Milky Way galaxy using observations from NASA's Spitzer
Space Telescope. According to Mark Morris, a UCLA professor
of physics and astronomy, said, "Nobody has ever seen
anything like that before in the cosmic realm. Most
nebulae are either spiral galaxies full of stars or
formless amorphous conglomerations of dust and gas -
space weather. What we see indicates a high degree of
order." Notice how closely the DNA molecule looks like
a fractal of this nebula.
Other evidence supporting the
fractal nature of consciousness can be seen in the images
on the left. Mark
Miller, a doctoral
student at Brandeis University, researched how particular
types of neurons in the brain are connected to one another.
By staining thin slices of a mouse's brain, Miller could
then identify the connections visually. The result can
be seen in the image on the left labeled "The
Brain Cell" (courtesy
of
Dr. Clifford Pickover)
showing three neuron cells on the left (two red and
one yellow) and their connections. By comparing The
Brain Cell image with The Universe image, we can easily
see how these objects have the same structure. This
begs the questions, "Do we exist within a gigantic brain?"
and "Is the law of physics merely the laws of our own
minds?" Learn more about the fractal nature of reality
in Dr. Pickover's outstanding book
The Physics Book: From the Big
Bang to Quantum Resurrection.
His other books,
The Math Book
and
The Medical Book,
are equally outstanding. Visit his
main website
and
Twitter site.
The Universe image on the left
was created by an international group of astrophysicists
called
The Virgo Consortium
using a
computer simulation
to recreate how the universe grew and evolved. The image
is a snapshot of the present universe featuring a large
cluster of galaxies (bright yellow) surrounded by thousands
of stars, galaxies and
dark matter.
There are several theories of the universe within particle
physics called "brane
cosmology" where "brane"
is a reference to "membrane" in
M-Theory.
In theoretical physics, a "brane" is a mathematical
concept where our four-dimensional universe is restricted
to a "brane" inside a higher-dimensional space composed
of eleven theoretical dimensions - the three dimensions
we can see, plus the dimension of time, plus the
seven extra dimensions
we can't see but M-theory theorizes are all around us.
Surprisingly, the number of these dimensions agree with
the number of "afterlife
realms" described by
NDEs and the major ancient religions of the world.
The Internet image on the left
is a visualization of the Internet showing the various
routes through a portion of the Internet. Notice how
the structure of a brain cell is the same as the structure
of the Internet and the universe. Is this merely a coincidence?
Or do these images graphically demonstrate the ancient
principle of "as above, so below." The Internet image
was generated by
The Opte Project
(pronounced op-tee which is Latin word for "optical")
started by
Barrett Lyon
whose goal was to make an accurate representation of
the extent of the Internet using visual graphics. The
project was started in October 2003 in an effort to
provide a useful
network mapping
of the Internet for the purposes of helping students
learn more about the Internet. This map can also be
used to visualize sites of disasters in the world by
citing the significant destruction of Internet capabilities
after a disaster. It can also be used as a gauge for
the growth of the Internet and the areas of growth.
But it also shows how the structure of the Internet
is developing along the same lines as the structures
of the human brain and the universe. The Universe image
is featured at the Boston Museum of Science, the Museum
of Modern Art and the Louvre.
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5. The Holographic Brain
and the Near-Death Experience |
 This "holistic"
view of reality (as opposed to reductionist theories)
can also be applied to the human brain. The holographic
principle was a catalyst towards a theory of quantum
consciousness called the " holonomic
brain theory"
which explains how the brain encodes memories in a holographic
manner. This theory originated from neurophysiologist
Karl Pribram
who synchronistically arrived at a holographic model
of the mind at the same time David Bohm was developing
a holographic model of the universe. Taken all together,
this holographic model is part of a new emerging paradigm
called "holism."
Holism is the principle of a whole system being more
than just the sum of its parts. The best way to study
the behavior of many complex systems is to treat it
as a whole.
One of the
most amazing things about the human thinking process
is that every piece of information seems instantly cross-correlated
with every other piece of information within the brain
- another feature intrinsic to the hologram. Because
every portion of a hologram is infinitely interconnected
with every other portion, the human brain is perhaps
nature's supreme example of a cross-correlated, holistic
system.
A
holistic storage of memory in the brain becomes more
understandable in light of Pribram's
holographic model of the brain.
Another holistic property of the brain is how it is
able to translate the avalanche of frequencies it receives
via the senses (light frequencies, sound frequencies,
etc.) into the concrete world of our perceptions. Consciousness
and perception processes sources of light energy. Encoding
and decoding light frequencies is precisely what a hologram
does best. Just as a hologram functions as a lens which
translates meaningless blurs of frequencies into a coherent
image, Pribram theorizes the brain also comprises a
lens (e.g., the eye) and uses holographic principles
to mathematically convert frequencies received by the
senses into the inner world of our perceptions. An impressive
body of evidence suggests the brain uses holographic
principles to perform its operations. Pribram's theory,
in fact, has gained increasing support among neurophysiologists.
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6. Quantum Consciousness and the Near-Death
Experience |
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A corresponding theory of
quantum consciousness known as
Orchestrated Objective Reduction
(Orch-OR) was developed by the joint work of theoretical
physicist, was developed by the joint work of theoretical
physicist,
Sir Roger Penrose,
and anesthesiologist
Stuart Hameroff.
Like David Bohm and Karl Pribram before them, Penrose
and Hameroff developed their theories synchronistically.
Penrose approached the problem of consciousness from
the view point of mathematics, while Hameroff approached
it from his career in anesthesia that gave him an interest
in brain structures.
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Mainstream
theories assume consciousness emerged from the
brain, so they focus particularly on complex computation
at synapses allowing communication between neurons.
Orch-OR assumes classical physics cannot fully explain
consciousness. In the June 1994 issue of Discover Magazine,
an article ran called "Quantum
Consciousness"
about how consciousness and quantum physics are intimately
connected. The theory of quantum consciousness
suggests that consciousness can be found
inside the
microtubules of brain cells. At
death, the information energy inside
these microtubules - what some people
refer to as the "soul" - doesn’t
disappear; but instead, is retained in
the universe. One of the fundamental
laws in physics,
the first law of thermodynamics,
states that energy cannot be created nor
destroyed - it can only be converted. So
if it is true that consciousness is a
form of energy, then according to the
first law of thermodynamics,
consciousness cannot be created nor
destroyed. Instead, it is converted into
something else.
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On September 6, 2011, National
Geographic published the article, "9/11
and Global Consciousness"
about how random number generators at
Princeton University's Global
Consciousness Project detected a
dramatic spike around the world
before the time of the terrorist attack
- an indication of global consciousness.
The director of the project,
Dr. Roger D. Nelson, describes in
a YouTube video the details of this
event. The media paid relatively little
attention to this project until Nelson
published his paper, "Coherent
Consciousness and Reduced Randomness:
Correlations on September 11, 2001."

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These findings of a global
consciousness are also supported NDE experiencers
such as
Ned Dougherty. During his NDE, Dougherty
received visions of the future and were published
six months before the September 11th terrorist
attack. Here is what the prophecy stated as
published in his book "Fast
Lane to Heaven":
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"A
major terrorist attack may befall New
York City or Washington, DC, severely
impacting the way we live in the United
States." (Ned
Dougherty)
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This prophecy given to Ned Dougherty is
just one of the visions of the future he received during his
NDE. Other near-death experiencers, such as
Dannion Brinkley,
were also visions of terrorist attack in New York and Washington.
In fact,
a great number of NDEs involve visions
the future.
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The
old materialistic paradigm, prevalent mostly in the West, disregards
the possibility of out-of-body dimensions; whereas, the new
paradigm supports them. For this reason, open-minded scientists
have acknowledged the time is now to abandon the old paradigm
and focus on the new one. Disregarding the old paradigm became
even more reasonable when, in December of 2001, The Lancet
(the United Kingdom's highly respected journal of medicine)
published the results of a study by
Dr. Pim van Lommel
showing 18 percent of clinically dead patients having NDEs.
Lommel's study
documented verified events observed by such patients from a
perspective removed from their bodies - called "veridical
perception" - suggesting
the existence of a transcendent consciousness. Such studies
beg the question of why the scientific community at large remains
mostly silent about these facts. Perhaps
this is the reason why.
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Science may
never be able to answer the question of
whether or not consciousness survives
bodily death; but current near-death
studies, such as
The AWARE Study (AWAreness during
REsuscitation) is trying to find
out. The director of this study,
Dr. Sam Parnia M.D., is a critical
care physician and director of
resuscitation research at the
Stony Brook University School of
Medicine in New York. Dr. Parnia is
recognized as an authority on the
scientific study of death, the human
mind–brain relationship, and near-death
experience. Dr. Parnia is also the
author of
What Happens When We Die (2006) and
Erasing Death: The Science That is
Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life
and Death (2013). In the late 90s,
Dr. Parnia and
Dr. Peter Fenwick he set up the
first study of NDEs in the UK. Since
then, they have published several
articles in peer-reviewed scientific
journals
[1]
[2]
[3] in the field of
near-death studies. Since Dr. Parnia
has been part of the AWARE study,
launched by
The Human Consciousness Project,
twenty-five participating hospitals
across Europe and North America have
been examining reports of patients after
their clinical death, several of whom
are expected to have an
out-of-body experience with physical
perceptions of their surroundings. A
major objective of the AWARE study is to
test whether the perceptions reported by
these patients can be verified. One
method involves a visual target being
placed near the ceiling where it can
only be seen by someone reading it from
above; patients who report OBEs are then
asked to describe it.
Read about the latest update of this
study which was in January 2013.
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7. Nonlocal Consciousness and the God
Spot |
Consciousness
and the possibility of its survival after death is perhaps the
final frontier of science. Although a large body of knowledge
exists about the brain, "The
brain has not explained the mind fully"
according to renowned brain surgeon
Wilder Penfield. Materialistic science has yet to produce
a conclusive model of consciousness. This is mainly due to its
inability to quantify first-person, subjective experiences.
Materialism
views only objective, observable experiments verifiable by third
parties to be valid. The current scientific method relies only
upon repeatable experiments to verify a hypothesis; but its
limit is reached when quantifying consciousness. Mainstream
materialistic scientists claim consciousness is produced entirely
by the brain. This is analogous to claiming television sounds
and images are produced entirely by television sets, despite
the fact
television sounds and images are produced by TV stations
transmitting
nonlocal
radio waves. This analogy describes consciousness based not
upon the brain, but the brain based upon consciousness. There
are a multitude of anomalous phenomena including NDEs which
cannot be explained using the scientific method. These anomalous
phenomena provides a theoretical basis for a
nonlocal model of consciousness
while materialistic scientists are unable to explain how immaterial,
conscious, subjective experiences can arises from a material
brain.
Medical
scientists have discovered areas within the brain collectively
known as the "God
Spot" which permits communication with cosmic information
outside of material bodies. Theoretical physicists call this "quantum
nonlocality." Psychologists
call it the "collective
unconscious." Hindus
call it "Brahman."
Buddhists call it "Nirvana."
Jews call it "Shekinah."
Christians call it the "Holy
Spirit"; Christ
and his disciples are called the "light
of the world." New
age adherents call it the "Higher
Consciousness." According
to
Dr. Melvin Morse,
the children he has resuscitated from death simply call it "God."
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8. Quantum Superposition and the Near-Death
Experience |
Atoms
and sub-atomic particles can exist in two or more locations
simultaneously as multiple coexisting possibilities known as
quantum superposition.
The reason why we do not see quantum superpositions on a large
scale in everyday life is known as the "measurement
problem" which has led to various interpretations of
quantum mechanics. Early experiments by quantum pioneer
Niels Bohr
and others seemed to show that quantum superpositions, when
measured by a machine, stayed as multiple possibilities until
a conscious human observed the results. Bohr concluded that "conscious
observation collapses the probability wave function"
and that unobserved superpositions continue to exist until being
observed, at which time they too are collapsed to particular
random states. According to Bohr, this "consciousness causes
the collapse" of quantum possibilities places consciousness
within the realm of science. But materialistic science
views consciousness strictly on classical physics rejecting
the possibility of quantum nonlocality in consciousness and
equates the mind with the brain. Perhaps this is the reason
Bohr made his famous statement, "Anyone who is not shocked
by quantum theory has not understood it."
However,
recent evidence linking biological functions to quantum processes
supports the possibility of consciousness having
nonlocal quantum functions in the
brain. This suggests the
nature of conscious experience requires a world view in which
consciousness has irreducible components
of reality. This interpretation defines superpositions becoming
separations in reality with each possibility evolving its own
distinct universe - giving a multitude of universes. The difference
between this theory and Bohr's interpretation is that the separations
are randomly selected from among the superpositioned possibilities.
The superposition of these locations can then viewed as separations
in the very fabric of reality. This theory posits that such
conditions have evolved within the brain - inside brain neurons
- where microtubules process quantum superpositions giving us
our subjective reality. This quantum process within the brain
may be the basis for consciousness transcending and surviving
physical death as revealed in NDEs. In such altered states,
the quantum process of superpositions may shift consciousness
to different dimensions of higher frequencies. When NDEs occur,
it is possible the quantum information of which consciousness
is made of could shift to an existence outside the brain nonlocally.
This supports the idea that the mind is not a material brain.
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9. The MANY-WORLDS Theory and the Near-Death
Experience |
An
important principle of quantum physics is how human observation
cannot be predicted absolutely. Instead, there's a range
of possible observations to chose from in the form of probability
waves each having a different probability and reality. With
every thought, observation and action we make, we are constantly
choosing just one of these possible probabilities of reality.
One mainstream explanation for this is the "many-worlds
interpretation" where
each of these possible observations corresponds to a different
universe within a "multiverse."
This theory describes the existence of an infinite number of
universes - including our own - which comprises all reality.
This theory includes possible universe(s) where death doesn't
exist, for example. The theory includes all possible universes
existing at the same time despite what happens in any of them.
Many-worlds theorizes our continuous choice of reality from
possible probabilities does not collapse the universal wave
function of all the other possible probabilities. Many-worlds
implies that all possible alternative histories and futures
are real. Before the many-worlds interpretation, reality had
always been viewed as a single unfolding history. Many-worlds,
however, views reality as a many-branched tree, wherein every
possible quantum outcome is realized. In many-worlds, every
possible outcome of every event defines or exists in its own
universe.
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This many-worlds
interpretation supports the NDE phenomenon called "flash-forward"
where the experiencer is shown visions of possible
futures should the experiencer decide to remain
in the light or return to life. This phenomenon
has been reported to occur to convince the experiencer
to return their life because of an incomplete
mission in life. One great example is found
in the NDE testimony of
Karen Schaeffer:
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"I could feel myself
becoming lighter each moment. In a fit of fear
and panic I began crying. No, I couldn't be
dead. What would happen to my son? ... In an
embrace of love, they calmed me by showing me
that my son, my entire family would be okay
after my death. My mother could lean on my grandmother.
It would take time, but she would heal. My husband,
hurt, sad, and lonely would also heal and eventually
find love once again ... I was shown my funeral
... But wait, my son. I couldn't leave my son
... I was told others would be a mother for
me. First grandparents, and then they showed
me Jake's life ... I saw a new mom for Jake
when he was about 7 or 8 ... I couldn't let
go of my human life ... Finally, my hysteria
was calmed by a higher spirit who seemed to
envelop me in love. My guides were instructed
to allow me to return." (Karen
Schaeffer)
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Dr.
Kenneth Ring described
two kinds of precognitive visions in the NDE: (1) the personal "flash-forward"
and the (2) "prophetic
vision." A third category, defined by NDE researcher
Craig Lundahl is the "otherworld personal future revelation
(OPFR). The OPFR resembles the personal flash-forward in that
it previews the experiencer's personal future, but differs from
the personal flash-forward in that it is delivered to the experiencer
by another personage in the otherworld rather than appearing
in the visual imagery of a life review. The OPFR differs from
the prophetic vision in having a personal rather than planetary
focus. Lundahl cites four historic accounts to illustrate major
features of the OPFR: (1) entrance into the otherworld, (2)
encounter with (3) others who foretell the experiencer's future,
and (4) later occurrence of the foretold events.
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10. The MANY-MINDS Theory and the Near-Death
Experience |

The
many-minds interpretation of quantum mechanics is an extension
of the
many-worlds interpretation
by proposing that the distinction between worlds should be made
at the level of the mind of an individual
observer. This is the principle supporting the theory of
quantum immortality - an interpretation of quantum mechanics
which theoretically makes it possible for a human observer to
have a continuous infinity of minds in
parallel universes. These observer states may then be assumed
to correspond to definite states of awareness (i.e., many minds)
as in the classical description of observation. In order to
make this theory work, the mind must be a property which can
separate from the
body as suggested in NDEs and OBEs.
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11. The Zero-Point Field and the Near-Death
Experience |
In quantum theory, the "zero-point
field" is a quantum vacuum state or "void"
which generally contains nothing but electromagnetic waves and
particles popping into and out of existence. A zero-point field
of the universe is supportive of the
holographic principle where consciousness and memories are
not localized in the brain but are distributed throughout a
holographic universe. Brains, acting as receivers, access certain
frequencies of quantum information to process. This universal
zero-point field describes the world and universe as a
dynamic web where everything is connected, where consciousness
influences matter and creates reality, and where all things
are possible. According to Einstein, "Space
and time are modes in which we think, not conditions in which
we live."
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Dr. Ervin Laszlo,
twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is an
integral theorist
and champion of this zero-point field as instrumental
when understanding consciousness and the universe. Laszlo
is generally recognized as the founder of
systems philosophy
who emphasizes the importance of establishing a holistic
perspective on the world and man through
quantum consciousness.
Lazlo's groundbreaking book, "Science
and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything"
makes a compelling case for the zero-point field to
be the substance of the entire universe. It can theoretically
be viewed as the source for all consciousness and matter
in the universe. Using the Hindu concept of a "cosmic
memory" called the "akashic
records,"
Laszlo theorizes the zero-point field to be the fundamental
energy and information-carrying field of the universe,
past and present, including all possible parallel universes.
Laszlo describes how such an informational field explains
why the universe appears to be fine-tuned as to form
conscious life forms. Laszlo's zero-point akashic field
theory solves several problems from quantum physics
such as
nonlocality
and
quantum entanglement.
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Laszlo's theory agrees with
revelations from the Christian mystic
Edgar Cayce.
When Cayce was asked where he received his psychic information,
he answered it was from "the intelligent infinity
is brought into intelligent energy" as a gateway
to view the present. Cayce acknowledged this "gateway"
to be the Hindu concept of the "akashic
records."
Cayce revealed these metaphysical records to be the
same as the Christian concept of the "Book
of Life." Cayce
revealed these otherworldly records are stored in a
heavenly "Hall of Records" which corresponds to the
so-called "Temple
of Knowledge"
or the "Temple of Wisdom" appearing in many
NDE testimonials.
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Dr. Laszlo's theory is supported
by important scientific research. For example, biologist
Paul Pietsch
experimented with salamanders to locate where memories
are stored in the brain. He removed their brains, grinded
them up, even shuffling their brains around, and then
placed them back in their heads. The astonishing result
was their
memories where unaffected
although their brains were demolished.
Pietsch's conclusion was that memory was not a local
phenomenon, but is linked to something outside their
bodies. His findings were published in his book,
Shufflebrain: The Quest for
the Hologramic Mind."
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Neuroanatomist
Harold Burr
conducted similar experiments with salamanders and discovered
a field of light surrounding their unfertilized eggs
in the shape of an adult salamander. Burr also noticed
fields of light surrounding plant seeds taking the shape
of mature plants. Burr's research supports Pietsch's
findings of physical bodies being connected to a surrounding
energy field. Burr's findings where published in his
book, "The
Fields of Life: Our Links with the Universe."
This energy field may account for the fact that salamander
parts grow back when they are removed. This energy field
may also explain why human amputees sometimes feel "phantom
pain" from
their amputated body part as described by NDE expert
Robert Mays.
This energy field also supports the phenomenon of people
having undergone organ transplants taking on certain "memories"
from the organ donor. The discovery of an "electromagnetic
zero-point field" lends credibility to the possibility
of having vast memory storage capabilities outside of
the physical body. Phenomena such as these can be best
understood if the zero point field can be "tapped"
as a storage location for information and energy which
can be accessed at any time.
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This zero point
field has parallels to the "void"
and the "Omega
Point"
described in near-death research and championed
by the near-death expert
Dr. Kenneth Ring
in his book, "Heading
Toward Omega: The Search for the Meaning of
Near-Death Experiences."
One example is the Omega Point is found in the
NDE of
Olaf Swenson
who experienced a timeless spaceless realm when
he nearly died of a botched tonsillectomy at
age 14. He states that:
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"Suddenly I rolled
into a ball and smashed into another reality.
The forces that brought me through the barrier
were terrific. I was on the other side. I realized
that the boundary between life and death is
a strange creation of our own mind, very real
(from the side of the living), and yet insignificant."
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Swenson felt he was
floating in a universe with no boundaries.
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"I had total comprehension
of everything. I stood at the annihilation point,
a bright orange light. As I felt my mind transported
back to my body, I thought, please let me remember
this new theory of relativity."
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The information Swenson
gained during his NDE inspired him to develop
over 100 patents in molecular chemistry. (Dr. Kenneth Ring)
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12. Black Hole Physics and the Near-Death
Experience |
In
the 1970s,
Stephen Hawking put forward a theory of
black holes which appeared to violate a major principle
of physics - the
law of the conservation of information - because it implied
that quantum information can permanently disappear within a
black hole with the exception of "Hawking radiation."
Hawking's inconsistent theory led to what was called the "Black
Hole Information Paradox." Physicist
Leonard Susskind (pictured on the left) later solved this
paradox with his development of
M-theory using the
holographic principle to show how information entering the
edge of a black hole is not lost, but can entirely be contained
on the surface of the horizon in a holographic manner. Susskind's
theory solved the paradox because the nature of a hologram's
two-dimensional information structure can be "painted"
on the edge of the black hole thereby giving a three-dimensional
black hole where quantum information is not lost. Susskind's
solution to the information paradox led to wide-spread acceptance
of the holographic principle.
David
Bohm was convinced that all matter in this universe, including
our physical body, is composed of light in a condensed "frozen"
state. NDE experiencers have often described their spirit bodies
as "bodies of light." During a NDE the experiencer
transitions from the material world which operates at speeds
less than the speed of light to a dimension which operates at
faster-than-light speed. The NDE experiencer may first observe
the Earth or the universe from space before this transition.
In transitioning from the material to the spiritual dimension,
the experiencer may first enter a "NDE
tunnel" much in the
same way a "body of light" might experience what astrophysicists
call a "black
hole." As previously
mentioned, Leonard Susskind's theory of black holes allows for
light particles to travel through a black hole without being
destroyed. At faster-than-light speed, a "body
of light" could enter into a time and spaceless dimension
where this body of light can move forward and backward through
space-time. This NDE tunnel, like a black hole, appears to be
a "portal" to another dimension of reality.
In
the late 1980's, theoretical physicist
Kip Thorne described how objects known as
wormholes
can exist in space which theoretically allows for time travel.
Such wormholes could essentially be two connecting black holes
whose mouths make up a tear in the fabric of space-time. NDE
experiencers have observed such a tunnel described as "two
huge tornadoes appear in the form of an immense hourglass"
(P.M.H.
Atwater,
Beyond the Light.) The upper tornado spins clockwise
and outward, while the lower tornado spins counter-clockwise
and inward which is an excellent description of a wormhole.
The Science Channel documentary "Through
The Wormhole: The Near-Death Experience" has an excellent
segment on NDEs.
Rev. George Rodonaia's
also has an excellent description of this NDE/Black Hole:
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"I was so happy
to be in the light. And I understood what the light
meant. I learned that all the physical rules for human
life were nothing when compared to this unitive reality.
I also came to see that a black
hole is only another part of that infinity which
is light. I came to see that reality is everywhere.
That it is not simply the earthly life but the infinite
life. Everything is not only connected together, everything
is also one. So I felt a wholeness with the light, a
sense that all is right with me and the universe."
(Rev.
George Rodonaia)
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13. Biocentrism and the Near-Death
Experience |
Dr.
Robert Lanza
is considered one of the leading scientists in the world. He
is a medical researcher at the forefront of developments in
cloning, organ transplantation, and stem-cell transplantation.
His mentors described him as a "genius" and the "Bill Gates
of Science." As a young preteen, Lanza caught the attention
of Harvard Medical School researchers when he successfully altered
the genetics of chickens as a class project. Eventually, he
was discovered and mentored by such scientific giants as psychologist
B.F. Skinner, immunologist
Jonas Salk, and heart transplant pioneer
Christiaan Barnard. A Fulbright Scholar, Lanza was part
of the team that cloned the world's first human embryo for
the purpose of generating stem cells. Dr. Lanza's work has
been crucial to our understanding stem cell biology. A year
after receiving his medical degree Lanza published a book on
heart transplantation. In 2009, he published a book entitled,
"Biocentrism:
How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the
True Nature of the Universe." Reviews of his work include
Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas who stated "Any short
statement does not do justice to such a scholarly work. The
work is a scholarly consideration of science and philosophy
that brings biology into the central role in unifying the whole."
Biocentrism's
main tenet is that biology is the most important science in
understanding life and the universe. Other sciences require
a more deeper understanding of biology - specifically life and
consciousness - to make their theories of everything complete.
The areas of biological research playing a central role in understanding
life and consciousness must include neuroscience, brain anatomy,
NDE and OBE consciousness studies, and even artificial intelligence
- all of which will eventually force materialistic scientists
to seriously confront the issues biocentricism raises. Robert
Lanza also uses his theory of Biocentrism to explain the possibility
of consciousness surviving death by such articles as: (a) "What
Is It Like After You Die?," (b) "Is
Death the End? Experiments Suggest You Create Time," (c) "Does
Death Exist?: Life Is Forever, Says Theory," and (d) "What
Happens When You Die? Evidence Suggests Time Simply Reboots."
Biocentrism
also explains a major scientific paradox of how the laws of
physics fits so precisely allowing for conscious life to exist.
There are over 200 precise parameters in physics describing
the universe which suggests
the universe is fine-tuned for an environment which life and
consciousness requires. There are four explanations for
this paradox: (1) it is an astonishingly improbable coincidence,
(2) God created it - an explanation which science cannot quantify
even if it is true, (3) the "Anthropic
Principle" which assumes a fine-tuned universe exists
because that is just the way it is, and (4) Biocentrism's theory
of a biologically aware universe created by biologically aware
life. Physician
Deepak
Chopra agrees that biocentrism "is consistent with
the most ancient wisdom traditions of the world which says that
consciousness conceives, governs, and becomes a physical world.
It is the ground of our Being in which both subjective and objective
reality come into existence."
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14. Subjective Experiences and the Near-Death
Experience |
Physicalism
is a theory positing that nothing exists other than physical
things.
Materialism is a related theory positing that nothing exists
but matter and energy; and that all things are composed of these
materials; and all phenomena are the result of physical interactions.
In other words, reality is limited to states of energy and matter.
Applied to consciousness, it is the concept that all aspects
of subjective experience can be explained purely by objective
states within a physical brain. But the
problem with materialism, as applied to the consciousness,
is that it does not distinguish between
mind and brain. This
explanation problem of materialism suggests there exists
a metaphysical, non-physical component to subjective experiences
philosophically known as "qualia".
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Chalmers
defined this explanatory problem of materialism as the "hard
problem of consciousness." Chalmers illustrated this
problem using the thought experiment of a "brain
in a vat" (see the graphic on the left). If
a person's brain is suspended in a vat of life-sustaining liquid
and its neurons connected to a supercomputer providing it with
electrical impulses identical to those the brain normally receives,
the computer could then simulate reality and the person with
the "disembodied" brain could continue to have perfectly normal
conscious experiences without being related to objects or events
in the real world. In this case, because the experience of being
in a vat and the experience of being in a skull would be identical,
it would impossible to tell from the brain's perspective of
whether it is in a skull or a vat. Yet when the brain is in
a skull and running on a beach, most of that brain's beliefs
may be true. But when the brain is in a vat, the brain's beliefs
are completely false. Therefore, because the brain cannot make
such a distinction, there cannot be solid ground for the brain
to believe anything it believes.
This Brain-in-a-Vat Argument is similar
to the "Dream
Argument" which suggests the brain's ability to create simulated
realities during REM sleep means there is a statistical likelihood
of our own reality being simulated.
Lucid dreams also supports this. There is also a long philosophical
and scientific history to the underlying thesis of
reality being an illusion which is centered on the assumption
we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection
of it created by our own minds. A serious academic debate within
the field of
transhumanism centers around a related argument called the
"Simulation
Argument" which proposes reality to be a simulation and
our current paradigm of reality to be an illusion. Physicists
have even developed
a scientific experiment to determine if our universe is
a computer simulation. Also, as previously mentioned, several
interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the
Holographic Principle, suggests our perception of reality
to be holographically an illusion.
Near-death
studies supports these arguments and goes even further. The
life review process
is often described by NDE experiencers in terms of
viewing "television-like" screen(s)
where they review every second of their life instantaneously
- including the perceptions of everyone on Earth they
ever came into contact with throughout their life. Another aspect
of NDEs supporting simulism is the
out-of-body component
to the NDE. Experiencers have described out-of-body conditions
where they view their physical body from above in a different
"body" - a phenomenon known as
autoscopy. Sometimes
these perceptions are verified later by third-parties - a phenomenon
known as veridical
perception. Veridical dreams have also been reported. See
[1][2][3]. Veridical
NDEs are reports of veridical perception during the out-of-body
component of the NDE which are later confirmed to be accurate. See
[4][5][6][7][8]. Often, these perceptions are very detailed
and specific. Some reports of veridical out-of-body perception
involve detailed observation of events too distant for the physical
body to perceive. See
[9][10][11].
Also, while some NDE experiencers are having their out-of-body
component, they may become aware of an even "higher" version
of themselves (see
Dr. Dianne Morriseey's
NDE for a good example). This also explains why some NDE
experiencers have reported seeing "higher versions" of living
people on Earth. See
Carl Jung's NDE for the ultimate example where he sees the
"avatar"
of his friend during his NDE. While such evidence may not persuade
the skeptics, the millions of individuals who have experienced
a NDE are
absolutely convinced of consciousness
surviving bodily death.
 Near-death
studies contain multiple reports of veridical perception of
events which were outside the range of the NDE experiencer's
sensory perception and, therefore, of brain mediation
(See
Sabom, 1998;
Ring, 2006;
Sharp, 2003;
Ring & Cooper, 2008; and
van Lommel, van Wees, Meyers, & Elfferich, 2001). In
some cases, such perceptions occur while the NDE experiencer
is experiencing the brain inactivity following within 10 seconds
of cessation of heartbeat (van
Lommel et al., 2001). Over 100 such cases are published
on
www.iands.org,
www.nderf.org,
www.oberf.org and
www.near-death.com. More discussion of veridical perception
is presented in a response to the article entitled, "Does
the Arousal System Contribute to Near-Death Experience?: A Response"
in the
Journal of Near-Death Studies. Taken altogether, the evidence
strongly suggests the possibility of NDE and OBE perception
occurring without the help of the physical senses or the brain.
Therefore, for skeptics to refer to NDEs and OBEs in general
as "illusions" or "delusions" is jumping the gun. Mainstream
materialistic scientists have yet to fully quantify the mind;
while near-death researchers provide veridical evidence reported
in NDEs and OBEs as examples suggesting the mind can function
independent of the physical brain. According to
veridical NDE experts Jan Holden and Jeffrey Long:
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"Even if future research convincingly
demonstrated that electrical stimulation of a particular
area of the brain consistently induced typical OBEs,
this finding would not explain veridical perception
associated with OBEs." (Jan
Holden and Jeffrey Long)
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One particular NDE experiencer,
a neurosurgeon by the name of
Eben Alexander III, MD, FACS, (www.lifebeyonddeath.net
and
www.eternea.org)
has a profound understanding of the physiological aspects
to the NDE he experienced. Dr. Alexander is a former)
has a profound understanding of the physiological aspects
to the NDE he experienced. Dr. Alexander
currently practices with a private neurosurgical group
in Lynchburg, Va., and travels extensively, making presentations
about revelations from his coma experience that elucidate
the nature of consciousness. According to Dr. Alexander:
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"...
the
reductive materialist (physicalist) model, on which
conventional science is based, is fundamentally flawed.
At its core, it intentionally ignores what I believe
is the fundament of all existence - the nature
of
consciousness ... From their [Albert
Einstein,
Neils Bohr and
Erwin Schrodinger] experiments one could infer that
consciousness has a definite role in creating reality.
And those experimental results have only become more
bizarre in recent years. (Witness the "quantum
eraser" experiment performed in 2000.) I believe that
the core of that mystery is that
consciousness itself is deeply rooted in quantum processes.
"Even the physicists and scientists who proselytize
the materialistic model have been forced to the edge
of the precipice. They must now admit to knowing just
a little bit about
4% of the material universe they know exists, but
must confess to being totally "in the dark" about the
other 96 percent. And that doesn't even begin to address
the even grander component that is home to the "consciousness"
that I believe to be the basis of it all.
"That we can know things beyond the
ken of the "normal" channels is incontrovertible.
An excellent resource for any scientist who still seeks
proof of that reality is the rigorous 800-page analysis
and review of all manner of extended consciousness,
"Irreducible
Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century."
This magnum opus from the
Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of
Virginia catalogues a wide variety of empirical
phenomena that appear difficult or impossible to accommodate
within the standard physicalist way of looking at things.
Phenomena covered include, in particular, NDEs occurring
under conditions such as deep general anesthesia and
cardiac arrest that - like my coma - should prevent
occurrence of any experience whatsoever, let alone the
profound sorts of experiences that frequently do occur.
Also noteworthy, the
American
Institute of Physics sponsored meetings in
2006 and
2011 covering the physical science of such extraordinary
channels of knowledge." (Dr.
Eben Alexander III)
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Such
quantum eraser experiments mentioned by Dr. Alexander
reveal an astonishing fact about how consciousness is the
supreme factor in quantum physics. These experiments reveal
how an experimenter is able to successfully chose and predict
the random outcome of an event even
after the outcome has already
taken place. They prove how the outcome of such experiments
- whether a photon of light is a wave or a particle - can
be predicted after the fact
by the experimenter making a random mental choice of the
experiment's outcome. In other words, the experimenter's
after the fact choice of the outcome
actually determines
the experiment's outcome. These astonishing findings
dramatically suggests that the possibility of our
choices made today may
determine the outcome of the past.
For these
reasons and more, consciousness cannot be explained entirely
as objective events experienced the brain. Consciousness must
also be explained in terms of the subjective events experienced
in the brain. This leads to such questions as, "Why is
there a personal, subjective component to experience?"
and "Why aren't we all
philosophical zombies?" This "brain in a vat"
argument shows how subjective experience cannot be reduced to
the functional properties of physical processes in the brain.
A complete definition of consciousness must include a component
describing subjective, conscious experiences which have not
been explained in materialistic terms. This brain in a vat argument
is a contemporary version of the argument given in
Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
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Neppe described the possibility where, under
such circumstances, an individual exposed to a purely mental
universe, independent of matter, containing all mental events,
may experience overlap or be entangled with the physical universe.
This is supported by the fact that similarities exist between
elements of NDEs and the
quantum field concept of subjectivity. They suggest that
all events are related and influence each other instantaneously
and in reciprocity, and only subjectivity remains..
These arguments of
subjectivity support the holistic paradigm of the illusionary "separation"
between the subjective observer's experience and the objective
object being observed. Because the old materialistic paradigm is unable
to explain conscious experiences, it leads many scientists to
simply ignore it altogether as being a problem. This ignorance
is demonstrated by
pseudoskeptics (such as "old
paradigm cops") of anomalous conscious experiences and
by
materialistic critics of subjective experiences including NDEs
and OBEs. Materialism cannot explain how consciousness arises
from "goo" or how atoms in the brain comprises
consciousness. The new holistic paradigm views reality to be
in the eye and mind of the observer/beholder. Philosopher
Thomas Nagel also makes a compelling case that materialism
can never, in principle, develop an objective explanation of
consciousness.
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15. Scientific Articles on the Near-Death
Experience and Its Relationship with Quantum Physics |
1. |
van Lommel, P. (2013).
Non-Local Consciousness: A Concept Based on Scientific
Research on NDEs During Cardiac Arrest. Journal
of Consciousness Studies. |
2. |
Venselaar, M. (2012).
The Physics of Near-Death
Experiences: A Five-Phase Theory.
Noetic Now Journal. |
3. |
K kumar Mukherjee (2012).
Three Cases of NDE. Is it Physiology, Physics or Philosophy?
Annals of Neurosciences.
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4. |
S Hameroff, D Chopra. (2012).
The “Quantum Soul”: A Scientific Hypothesis. Exploring
Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship. |
5. |
Ratner, J (2012).
Radiant Minds: Scientists Explore the Dimensions of
Consciousness. NeuroQuantology. |
6. |
E Facco, C Agrillo.
Near-Death Experiences Between Science and Prejudice.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. |
7. |
C Fracasso, H Friedman. (2012).
Electromagnetic Aftereffects of NDEs: A Preliminary
Report on a Series of Studies Currently Under Way.
Journal of Transpersonal Research. |
8. |
JP Jourdan. (2011).
Near-Death Experiences and the 5th Dimensional Spatio-Temporal
Perspective. Journal of Cosmology. |
9. |
B Greyson. (2011).
Cosmological Implications of Near-Death Experiences.
Journal of Cosmology. |
10. |
RG Mays, SB Mays. (2011).
A Theory of Mind and Brain that Solves the “Hard Problem”
of Consciousness. The Center for Consciousness Studies. |
11. |
J Pilotti. (2011).
Consciousness and Physics: Towards a Scientific Proof
that Consciousness is in Space-Time Beyond The Brain.
Journal of Transpersonal Research. |
12. |
GD Belaustegui. (2010).
Phenomenology of the Transcendence of Space-time Coordinates:
Evidence from Death Announcements. Jung Journal:
Culture & Psyche. |
13. |
V Laws, E Perry. (2010).
Near Death Experiences: A New Algorithmic Approach to
Verifying Consciousness Outside the Brain. NeuroQuantology. |
14. |
K Ray, MK Roy. (2010).
A Theoretical Basis for Surges of Electroencephalogram
Activity and Vivid Mental Sensation During Near-Death
Experience. International Journal of Engineering
Science and Technology. |
15. |
D Pratt. (2007).
Consciousness, Causality, and Quantum Physics. NeuroQuantology. |
16. |
P van Lommel. (2006).
NDE, Consciousness, and the Brain: A New Concept About
the Continuity of Our Consciousness Based on Recent
Scientific Research on NDE in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest.
World Futures. |
17. |
RA Brian. (2003).
What can Elementary Particles Tell Us About the World
in Which We Live? NeuroQuantology.. |
18. |
RJ Brumblay. (2003).
Hyperdimensional Perspectives in Out-of-Body and Near-Death
Experiences. Journal of Near-Death Studies. |
19. |
FG Greene. (2003).
At the Edge of Eternity's Shadows: Scaling the Fractal
Continuum from Lower into Higher Space. Journal
of Near-Death Studies. |
20. |
TE Beck, JE Colli. (2003).
A Quantum Biomechanical Basis for Near-Death Life Reviews.
Journal of Near-Death Studies. |
21. |
CR Lundahl, AS Gibson. (2000).
Near-Death Studies and Modern
Physics. Journal
of Near-Death Studies. |
|
Return to Top
|
16. Scientific Discoveries Resulting from
Near-Death Experiences |
a. |
Near-death experiences have
been proven to be real experiences and not fantasies:
Gravitational forces
exerted upon fighter pilots in a centrifuge has revolutionized
the field of consciousness studies by providing experimental
proof of NDEs being real events because they can be
replicated in the laboratory. (Dr.
Jim Whinnery)
|
b. |
Near-death experiences
can cured people from cancer:
Dr. Ken Ring documented
the case of Ralph Duncan who died of leukemia and had
a NDE. During his NDE, Jesus cured him and told him
he no longer had leukemia. Duncan returned from death
cancer-free. (Howard
Mikel). Another case involves a Muslim woman by
the name of
Anita Moorjani who was completely cured from her
Stage V cancer after her NDE. Doctors at the hospital
had given Anita just hours to live when she arrived
at the hospital, unable to move as a result of the cancer
that had ravaged her body for over three years. Anita
shares her experience of entering another dimension
and being given a choice of whether to return to life
or not in her book entitled "Dying
To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to
True Healing."
|
c. |
A near-death experience
cured a person's congenital blindness:
A blind and mute
67 year-old diabetic woman with severe heart problems
was about to undergo open-heart surgery when a Being
of Light appeared and healed her of all her illnesses.
The cardiologists could offer no explanation for her
cure. (Dr.
Kenneth Ring)
|
d. |
A near-death experience
healed a person's abdominal sickness:
Five days after
abdominal surgery, an English patient had complications
and died. During his NDE, a Being of Light healed him.
The patient returned from death healed. (Margot
Grey)
|
e. |
A near-death experience advanced
biological and medical research:
After his NDE, Mellen-Thomas
Benedict brought back a great deal of scientific information
concerning biophotonics, cellular communication, quantum
biology, and DNA research.
Mellen-Thomas
Benedict currently holds six U.S. patents. (Dr.
Kenneth Ring)
|
f. |
A near-death experience supports
astrophysical research:
Mellen-Thomas Benedict's
NDE supports a number of scientific theories such as:
an infinite number of Big Bangs, the reality of
zero-point space, a better understanding of black
holes.
Mellen-Thomas
Benedict believes in the future science will be
able to quantify spirit. (Dr.
Kenneth Ring)
|
g. |
A near-death experience advanced
molecular chemistry:
Olaf Swenson
had a NDE from a botched tonsillectomy at the age of
14 for which he experienced a timeless space-less dimension
which physicists call the "Omega
Point". Because of the information gained from
his NDE, he later went on to develop over 100 patents
in molecular chemistry. (Dr.
Melvin Morse)
|
h. |
Near-death
experiences support
Einstein's theory of
time travel:
Albert Einstein's theory of relativity allows
for the possibility of time travel. During a NDE, some
people have reported traveling back in time and some
have reported traveling into the future.
|
|
I. |
"I
see myself in the midst of a huge crowd.
It's not a modern crowd. They are dressed in
the clothes of Bible times .... I watch in
horror as Jesus is nailed to the cross." (Don
Brubaker)
|
II. |
"I explored
the Roman Empire, Babylon, the times of Noah
and Abraham. Any era you can name, I went there."
(Dr.
George Rodonaia) |
III. |
"The light replied,
'Let us go back in time, as far back as
possible, and tell me how far back we should
go.' I was
thinking for some time. Eventually I blurted
out, 'Stone Age?' I did not have much time to
think about all this, because, all of a sudden,
I saw human beings back on Earth. I was looking
down on a group of people, men and women, who
were dressed in furs, sitting around a camp
fire." (Guenter
Wagner)
|
IV.
|
"The box opened to
reveal what appeared to be a tiny television
picture of a world event that was yet to happen.
As I watched, I felt myself drawn right into
the picture, where I was able to live the event.
This happened twelve times, and twelve times
I stood in the midst of many events that would
shake the world in the future."
(Dannion
Brinkley)
|
|
i. |
Near-death
experiences support a theory of consciousness:
One particular theory of
consciousness is supported by NDE research an involves
consciousness expansion after death.
Stanislav Grof
explains this
theory:
|
|
"My
first idea was that it [consciousness] has to
be hard-wired in the brain. I spent quite a
bit of time trying to figure out how something
like that is possible. Today, I came to the
conclusion that it is not coming from the brain.
In that sense, it supports what
Aldous Huxley believed after he had some
powerful
psychedelic
experiences and was trying to link them
to the brain. He came to the conclusion that
maybe the brain acts as a kind of reducing valve
that actually protects us from too much cosmic
input ... I don't think you can locate the
source of consciousness. I am quite sure it
is not in the brain not inside of the skull
... It actually, according to my experience,
would lie beyond time and space, so it is not
localizable. You actually come to the source
of consciousness when you dissolve any categories
that imply separation, individuality, time,
space and so on. You just experience it as a
presence." (Stanislav
Grof)
|
|
j. |
The expansion
of consciousness reported during NDEs accounts supports
a theory of consciousness:
The following NDE descriptions
of consciousness expansion supports the theory of consciousness
described above by
Stanislav Grof.
It theorizes that the brain acts as a reducing valve
of cosmic input to produce consciousness. At death,
this reducing-valve function ceases and consciousness
is then free to expand. The following NDEs support this:
|
|
I. |
"I realized that, as the
stream was expanding, my own consciousness was
also expanding to take in everything in the
Universe!" (Mellen-Thomas
Benedict) |
II. |
"My mind felt like a sponge,
growing and expanding in size with each addition
... I could feel my mind expanding and absorbing
and each new piece of information somehow seemed
to belong." (Virginia
Rivers) |
III. |
"In your life review you'll
be the universe." (Thomas
Sawyer) |
IV. |
"This white light began
to infiltrate my consciousness. It came into
me. It seemed I went out into it. I expanded
into it as it came into my field of consciousness."
(Jayne
Smith) |
V. |
"My presence fills the
room. And now I feel my presence in every room
in the hospital. Even the tiniest space in the
hospital is filled with this presence that is
me. I sense myself beyond the hospital, above
the city, even encompassing Earth. I am melting
into the universe. I am everywhere at once."
(Josiane
Antonette) |
VI. |
"I felt myself expanding
and expanding until I thought, "I'm going to
burst!" The moment I thought, "I'm going to
burst!", I suddenly found myself alone, back
where this being had met me, and he had gone."
(Margaret
Tweddell) |
VII.
|
Susan Blackmore had an out-of-body
experience where she left her body and grew
very big, as big as a planet at first, and then
she filled the solar system and finally she
became as large as the universe..(Susan
Blackmore) |
|
k. |
Near-death
experiences affirm the reality of psychic phenomena:
|
|
I.
|
After
Dr. Yvonne Kason's NDE, she receives
psychic visions of the health status of people.
She successfully diagnosed a friend with meningitis
although there were absolutely no signs of it.
(Tom
Harper) |
II.
|
Visit the
NDE
and the Future web page for a complete list.. |
|
l. |
Near-death experiences
have influenced some of humanity's
greatest philosophies and religions:
|
|
I.
|
The famed Greek philosopher,
Plato, described in his legendary work entitled
Republic, the
NDE account of a
soldier named Er.
Plato integrated at least three elements of
this NDE into his philosophy:
(1) |
The departure of the soul from the cave
of shadows to see the light of truth. |
(2) |
The flight of the soul to a vision of
pure celestial being. |
(3) |
Its subsequent recollection of the vision
of light, which is the very purpose
of philosophy. |
|
II.
|
The man responsible for
making Christianity a world religion, the
Apostle
Paul, described his own NDE as follows:
"I know a
person in Christ who fourteen years
ago was caught up the third heaven.
Whether it was in the body or out of
the body I do not know - God knows.
And I know that this person - whether
in the body or apart from the body -
was caught up to paradise. He heard
inexpressible things, things that people
are not permitted to tell." (2
Corinthians 12:2-4)
|
In this letter, Paul
based his authority as an Apostle of Christ
on this NDE. The phrase "I know a person" is
a humble way of referring to himself. Some
or all of his revelations of Jesus certainly
came from this NDE. The inspiration of much
of the New Testament can be attributed in
some way to Paul's NDE.
|
|
|
Return to Top
|
17. Scientific Theories Explaining Near-Death
Experiences |
a.
Dying Brain Theory |
PRO:
Because NDEs
have many common core elements, this shows that they
are not spiritual voyages outside of the body, but are
a function of the dying brain. All brains die in the
same way and that is why all NDEs have essential core
elements which are the same. They are the result of
neurotransmitters in the brain shutting down which creates
lovely illusions. (Susan
Blackmore)
|
|
CON:
Because NDEs have many common
core elements, this suggests that they are spiritual
voyages outside of the body. Also, if the dying brain
creates NDE illusions, what is the purpose for doing
it? If our brains are only a high-tech computer-like
lump of tissue which produces our mind and personality,
why does it bother to create illusions at the time of
death? If everything, including the mind and personality,
are about to disintegrate, why would the brain produce
a last wonderful Grand Finale vision? Even if NDE elements
can be reduced to only a series of brain reactions,
this does not negate the idea that NDEs are more than
a brain thing. Read this article on
the errors of the pseudo-skeptics
of NDEs.
|
|
b.
Lack of Oxygen Theory |
PRO:
Neurologist
Ernst Rodin
offers cerebral anoxia as a possible cause of NDEs of
the dying brain. Such anoxia produces a confusing dream-like
state of delusions and hallucinations.
(Susan
Blackmore)
|
|
CON:
Cardiologist
Dr. Michael Sabom
responded that the NDE involves a clear awareness and
a more mystical content, and NDEs have also occurred
in people without anoxia.
Pim van Lommel
led a study concerning NDEs during cardiac arrest. In
our study all patients had a cardiac arrest, they were
clinically dead, unconsciousness that was caused by
insufficient blood supply to the brain, and the EEG
has become flat. In patients cardiac arrest (ventricular
fibrillation) is sometimes induced for testing internal
defibrillators. In these patients the EEG becomes usually
flat within 10-15 seconds from the onset of syncope
due to the (reversible) total loss of function of the
brain. According to the physiologic theory, all patients
in our study should have had NDE, but only 18% reported
NDE.
|
|
c.
Right Temporal Lobe Theory |
PRO:
Neurologist
Dr. Michael Persinger
argues that instability and activity in the brain's
right temporal lobe is responsible for religious experiences
of deep meaningfulness, early memories, and out-of-body
experiences
(see this
Temporal lobe theory page.)
|
|
CON:
Dr. Melvin Morse
agrees that the right temporal lobe shows NDE-like activity,
but he sees it as the mediating bridge for a spiritual
experience, not reductionistically as nothing but brain
activity (Morse, 1992). Also, the characteristic emotions
that result from temporal lobe stimulation are fear,
sadness, and loneliness, not the calm and love of a
NDE. While scientists may be discovering a mechanism
associated with NDEs, this does not mea NDEs are strictly
produced by this mechanism. A mechanical function associated
with NDEs does not negate the idea that NDEs might be
more than a mechanical function.
|
|
d.
Cortical Disinhibition Theory |
PRO:
Susan Blackmore
interprets the tunnel and the light as an optical illusion
created by the effects of anoxia and drugs, creating
cortical
disinhibition, with the effect of random light spots
radiating from the center of a dark internal visual
field.
|
|
CON:
Dr. Michael Sabom
tested and rejected this brain-only argument. While
brain neurology is obviously a part of NDEs, he says,
it is not a sufficient explanation because of the verified
or veridical aspects found in some NDEs. This aspect
suggests the possibility that consciousness can exist
outside of the body.
|
|
e.
Hallucination Theory |
PRO:
The psychiatrist
Dr. Ronald Siegel
interprets NDEs and similar imaginative visions of the
afterlife as hallucinations, similar to the effects
of psychedelic drugs or anesthesia(see this
Hallucination Theory support page.)
|
|
CON:
Psychologist
John Gibbs
states, "NDE accounts from varied times and cultures
were found to be more orderly, logical, defined and
predictable than comparable accounts from drug or illness-induced
hallucination. Impressive data from Tart, Moody and
Carl Becker also argue for the objective elements of
a NDE, including returning with knowledge later verified
and third-party observations of odd death-bed phenomena
(such as luminosity or apparitions).
Peter Fenwick,
a neuropsychiatrist, notes that drug induced hallucinations
take place while the subject is conscious. During a
NDE the subject is unconscious. While in the state of
unconsciousness, the brain cannot create images. Even
if they did, the subject would not be able to remember
them. NDEs involve clear, lucid memories. Also, drug
induced hallucinations distort reality while NDEs have
been described as "hyper-reality."
|
|
f.
Depersonalization Theory |
PRO:
Noyes and Kletti
theorizes that a defense of the nervous system stalls
off mental disorganization during the death crisis by
presenting an altered passage of time, vivid and accelerated
thoughts, a sense of detachment, unreality, automatic
movements, and revival of memories (see
this
Depersonalization theory
page)
|
|
CON:
Dr. Michael Sabom
argues that depersonalization fails to account for all
the elements of NDEs. Some NDE elements do not fit into
the depersonalization mode, such as the strong spiritual
and mystical feelings, and the increased alertness and
awareness. Also, the vast majority of experiencers reject
the idea that their NDE is the result of depersonalization.
To reduce what was a profound and transforming experience
to nothing more than a set of neurotransmitters going
on the blink is a bit like seeing Michelangelo's
statue of David as nothing more than several tons of
marble.
|
|
g.
Memory of Birth Theory |
PRO:
Otto Rank
proposed that the birth trauma is behind all neuroses,
for all anxiety-producing experiences of separation
reactivate the separation from the mother at birth
(Brown, 52-53). This theory has been modified to
explain the NDE. The cosmologist
Carl Sagan proposed that the tunnel and light are
a reliving of the infant's descent down the birth
canal (Sagan, 353-68)
(also see this
Memory of birth page.)
|
|
CON:
Carl Becker
asserts that the infant descending the birth canal has
its eyes closed and its brain too undeveloped to allow
memories of birth (Becker, 1982). Similarly,
Susan Blackmore
showed that people born by caesarian section have the
tunnel experience and OBEs in equal proportion to those
born naturally (Blackmore, 1983). Birth is also often
an unpleasant experience for babies. In contrast, NDEs
are often described as extremely pleasurable.
|
|
h.
Endorphins Theory |
PRO:
The brain's naturally
produced narcotics, such as the endorphins, have been
offered by endocrinologist
Daniel Carr
to explain why, at the very moment when the body's
death would be expected to bring incredible pain and
terror, the NDE surprises us with pleasure, calm, and
peace.
|
|
CON:
Dr. Melvin Morse
responds that patients receiving prescribed narcotics
similar to the endorphins experienced no NDEs
(Morse, 1989).
|
|
i.
Denial of Death Theory |
PRO:
The NDE is seen by some
Freudians
as a denial of death, a hallucinatory wish fulfillment
defending the ego from its impending annihilation.
|
|
CON:
A large number of people
who have NDEs are initially not even aware they have
died. In these cases death is not even considered or
denied (e.g.,
Dr. George Ritchie,
Rev. Howard Storm).
|
|
j.
Fear of Death Theory |
PRO:
Severe anxiety and stress
at the time of death creates a
disassociative
state.
|
|
CON:
Pim van Lommel
led a study concerning NDEs during cardiac arrest. Only
a very small percentage of patients said they had been
afraid the last seconds preceding the cardiac arrest.
Also, the medication given to them made no difference.
|
|
k.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution |
PRO:
This theory holds
that NDE reports are a deliberate ploy of humans to
help the human race to adapt better to the inevitable
end of their lives. This is based on the survival of
the fittest which means that every species has the primary
urge to struggle to increase its hold on the planet
and guarantee the survival of its descendants.
|
|
CON:
This theory does not explain why NDEs are erratic, or
why we shunted down an evolutionary sidetrack for years
by making NDEs something that people are reluctant to
talk about.
|
|
l. Too Much Carbon
Dioxide Theory |
PRO:
Near-death experiences
are tricks of the mind triggered by an overload of
carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. During cardiac
arrest and resuscitation, blood gases such as CO2
rise or fall because of the lack of circulation and
breathing. Patients who experienced the phenomenon,
blood carbon-dioxide levels were significantly
higher than in those who did not. (Zalika
Klemenc-Ketis of the University of Maribor in
Slovenia)
|
|
CON:
According to
neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick of the Institute
of Psychiatry at Kings College London, "The one
difficulty in arguing that CO2 is the cause is that
in cardiac arrests, everybody has high CO2 but only
10 percent have NDEs. What's more, in heart attack
patients, there is no coherent cerebral activity
which could support consciousness, let alone an
experience with the clarity of an NDE."
|
|
m. Rapid Eye Movement
(REM) Intrusion Theory |
PRO:
Dr. Kevin Nelson of the University of Kentucky
suggests near-death experiences are akin to dreaming
and they use the same rapid eye movement (REM)
mechanism associated with sleep. In other words,
near-death experiences are a part of the dream
mechanism and the person having the experience is in
a REM state.
|
|
CON:
Dr.
Jeffrey Long from the Near-Death Experience Research
Foundation (NDERF.org) disagrees with Nelson on
a number of points. First of all, he states that
Nelson's comparison group - the non-NDErs - is not
typical and many were medical professionals and
colleagues of Nelson. Secondly, Nelson's research
questionnaire was poorly designed. Thirdly, Nelson
failed to recognize dramatic differences between NDE
and REM intrusion. Hallucinations stemming from REM
intrusion - just before waking or while falling
asleep - are often "bizarre and unrealistic" such as
seeing objects appear through cracks in a wall or
movement in a painting on the wall. By contrast,
memories from an NDE are lucid and rooted in the
real world. NDErs almost uniformly don't say, "Oh,
that must have been a dream." About 75 percent say
they were more alert, more conscious than normal.
There's also a consistency of elements in NDEs which
hallucinations don't have. Fourthly, 98 percent of
NDErs encounter deceased relatives, as opposed to
dreams where it's common to encounter living people.
NDErs also encounter deceased relatives whom they
didn't know at the time were dead. Fifthly, the
totality of evidence shows there's something going
on that's outside the medical evidence. NDEers
almost always say that it wasn't a hallucination or
dream; it was some different realm, some different
aspect of their existence. And finally, REM
intrusion - whether sleep paralysis or
hallucinations - tends to be frightening or deeply
unsettling. By contrast, most people who go through
an NDE say the experience is almost supernaturally
calm and peaceful, even joyful. Not only anecdotes,
but real evidence does support this. In a 2001 study
in the medical journal The Lancet, of 62 cardiac
attest patients who reported a NDE, more than half
said the main emotions they experienced were
"positive." Long says these distinctive, positive
emotions are powerful evidence that a NDE is not
just REM intrusion in disguise.
|
|
n. Sharp Increase of Brain
Activity After Heart Stops Theory |
PRO:
Dr Jimo Borjigin of the
University of Michigan suggests that the dying brain
does not shut down as might be expected, but
instead, becomes much more active during the dying
process than even the waking state. He bases his
findings on a study involving rats where it was
discovered that in the 30-second period after the
rodent's hearts stopped beating, there was a sharp
increase in high-frequency brainwaves.
|
|
CON:
In a paper entitled,
"Seeing Dead People Not Known
to Have Died: Peak in Darien Experiences,"
Dr. Bruce
Greyson from the
Division of Perceptual Studies at
the University of Virginia argues that in his
collection of 665 NDEs, 138 (21%) included a
purported meeting with a deceased person. People on
their deathbeds see, and often express surprise at
meeting, a recently deceased person, of whose death
neither they nor anyone around them had any
knowledge. This excludes the possibility that the
vision was a hallucination related to the
experiencer's expectations. Such NDEs are termed
"Peak in Darien" cases, after a book by that name
published in 1882 by Frances Power Cobbe. The title
is taken from a John Keats poem describing the shock
of the Spaniards, who, after scaling a peak in
Darien (in what is now Panama), expect to see a
continent, but are confronted instead with another
ocean. Bruce Greyson reports in his paper, published
in the academic journal 'Anthropology and Humanism',
many examples, including that of Physician K. M.
Dale who related the case of 9-year-old Eddie Cuomo,
whose fever finally broke after nearly 36 hours of
anxious vigil on the part of his parents and
hospital personnel. As soon as he opened his eyes,
at 3:00 in the morning, Eddie related that he had
been to heaven, where he saw his deceased Grandpa
Cuomo, Auntie Rosa, and Uncle Lorenzo. Then Eddie
added that he also saw his 19-year-old sister
Teresa, who told him he had to go back. His father
became agitated, because he had spoken with Teresa,
who was attending college in Vermont, just two
nights ago. Later that morning, Eddie's parents
learned that Teresa had been killed in an automobile
accident just after midnight, and that college
officials had tried unsuccessfully to reach the
Cuomos at their home. Bruce Greyson relates many
other examples, including cases in which the
deceased person seen was someone whom the
experiencer had never known. For example, Greyson
reports cardiologist Maurice Rawlings describing the
case of a 48-year-old man who had a cardiac arrest.
In a NDE he perceived a gorge full of beautiful
colours, where he met both his stepmother and his
biological mother, who had died when he was 15
months old. His father had remarried soon after his
biological mother's death, and this person had never
even seen a photo of her. A few weeks after this
episode, his aunt, having heard about this vision,
brought a picture of his mother with a number of
other people. The man picked his mother out of the
group, to the astonishment of his father.
|
|
o.
Consciousness Survives Bodily Death Theory |
PRO:
There exists
strong circumstantial evidence
of consciousness surviving bodily death. While this
evidence does not constitute conclusive scientific proof,
it does make survival after bodily death a possibility
which can be upheld in a court of law. The evidence
for survival can be found in science, philosophy, history,
metaphysics, religion, and anecdotal testimony. Quantum
physics (see above) makes some scientific theories of
the NDE outmoded while supporting elements of NDEs.
Scientific studies support the possible validity of
NDEs elements such as being out of the body, the retention
of mental images during brain death, veridical experiences
of autoscopic events, the ability to accurately foresee
the future, receiving information that leads to new
scientific discoveries, people born blind being able
to see, groups of people sharing a single experience,
unbiased children having similar experiences as adults,
causing experiencers to be drastically changed and convinced
of survival after death, the evidence supporting the
objectivity of NDEs, and the affirmation of ancient
religious concepts found around the world. Some of the
skeptical arguments against the survival theory are
often not valid and the burden of proof against survival
has shifted to the skeptics. The following is a list
of the evidence supporting NDEs as the survival of consciousness:
|
|
1. |
Quantum physics makes
some scientific theories of the NDE outmoded:
New developments
in quantum physics shows that we cannot know
phenomena apart from the observer. Arlice Davenport
challenges the hallucination theory of NDEs
as outmoded because the field theories of physics
now suggest new paradigm options available to
explain NDEs.
Mark Woodhouse argues that the traditional
materialism/dualism battle over NDEs may be
solved by Einstein. Since matter is now seen
as a form of energy, an energy body alternative
to the material body could explain the NDE.
This is supported by Melvin Morse who describes
how NDEs are able to realign the charges in
the electromagnetic field of the human body
so that somehow the brain's wiring is renewed.
He reports on patients who have NDEs and who
recover from such diseases as pneumonia, cardiac
arrest, and cancer (1992, 153-54).
Perhaps the brain is like a kind of receiver
such as a television, radio, or cell phone.
What is received (i.e., signals, music, voice)
is not produced by the receiver, but exists
separately as electromagnetic waves that are
processed by the receiver to make them visible
or audible to the senses.
|
|
|
2. |
Quantum physics support
elements found in NDEs:
Similarities
can be found between elements of
NDEs
and in quantum field concepts of non-locality,
universal interconnectedness, a non-material
dimension without our time-space relationship,
and in the concept of subjectivity. All events
are related and influence each other instantaneously
and in reciprocity, and only subjectivity remains.
|
|
|
3. |
Scientific studies
support the out-of-body aspect of NDEs:
Pim van Lommel
led a study concerning the NDEs of research
subjects who had cardiac arrest. The findings
of the study suggests that research subjects
can experience consciousness, with self-identity,
cognitive function and memories, including the
possibility of perception outside their body,
during a flat EEG. Those research subjects who
had NDEs report that their NDE was a bonafide
preview of the afterlife.
|
|
|
4. |
Memories and images
are produced and retained by standstill patients:
See
Dr.
Michael Sabom's groundbreaking
Atlanta
study.
|
|
|
5. |
People see and hear
verifiable events far from their bodies during
a NDE:
See (a)
Dr.
Charles Tart's research subject,
(b)
Pam Reynolds,
(c)
Dr. George Rodonaia,
(d)
Dr. George Ritchie,
and (e)
various
NDE experiencers.
|
|
|
6. |
Strange aspects to
NDEs cannot be explained by brain chemistry
alone:
If NDEs are
merely hallucinations, why do the vast majority
of experiencers report
being
told an identical and unusual message? This
unusual message is that they must return because
their time for death hasn't come, or some
variation of this. Assuming that NDEs are merely
hallucinations, it is odd that people are having
mass hallucinations of receiving similar unusual
messages.
|
|
|
7. |
People born blind
are able to see during a NDE:
See
Vicki Umipeg's
NDE account.
|
|
|
8. |
Groups of people
can share the same NDE at the same time:
NDE research
Arvin Gibson documented the account of a
group of firefighters who succumbed to a forest
fire. During their NDEs they saw each other
outside of their bodies and had a most interesting
experience. See thee
Group NDE
web page involving May Eulitt and Jake.
|
|
|
9. |
People are able to
successfully foresee future events during a
NDE:
Some of these events
were the Second World War, Desert Storm, and
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. See
the
NDE and the Future
web page.
|
|
|
10. |
People are declared
dead and left for dead for several days during
a NDE:
A Russian scientist
was declared dead and put in the morgue for
three days during which he had a NDE. See
Dr. George Rodonaia's
NDE account. Also, visit
Emanuel Tuwagirairmana's
NDE account.
|
|
|
11. |
Unbiased children
have NDEs that are similar to adult NDEs:
See
P.M.H. Atwater's research on
childhood NDEs.
|
|
|
12. |
Scientific discoveries
have been made from the direct result of NDEs:
See
the list of scientific discoveries above.
|
|
|
13.
|
NDEs can be viewed
to be archetypal initiatory journeys:
Dr. Ken Ring
stated that NDEs can be viewed psychologically
as
archetypal initiatory journeys involving
a death of one's old ego and a rebirth of
a new self. An adequate interpretation must
incorporate the spiritual realm of
kundalini
experiences, the
imaginal
realm, and the
mind
at large. As Ring envisions in an essay in this
book, this paradigm can deconstruct our traditional
Western worldview. It may lead to a dramatic
next step in the evolution of a more ecological
and more compassionate consciousness.
|
|
|
14. |
People are dramatically
changed as a result from having a NDE:
The philosophy of Positivism,
founded by
A. J. Ayer, is the philosophy that anything
not verifiable by the senses is nonsense. And
since NDEs mark the end of the senses, the survival
of the senses after death is nonsense. But this
philosophy is challenged by its founder A. J.
Ayer himself. Later in life, Ayer had a NDE
where he saw a red light. His NDE made him a
changed man: "My recent experiences, have
slightly weakened my conviction that my genuine
death...will be the end of me, though I continue
to hope that it will be." (Ayer,
1988 a, b).
|
|
|
15. |
People are absolutely
convinced they were out of their body during
a NDE:
See the
Evidence of NDEs
web page.
|
|
|
16. |
NDEs can be considered
an objective experience:
The philosopher
Carl Becker examined four ways in which
NDEs may be considered objective: examined four
ways in which NDEs may be considered objective:
|
|
|
17.
|
Other paranormal
phenomena supports NDEs to be experiences of
the survival of consciousness including:
(a)
Deathbed visions,
(b)
Quantum physics,
(c)
Dream research,
(d)
Out-of-body research,
(e)
After-death communications
research,
(f )
Reincarnation research,
(g)
Hypnosis,
(h)
Synchronicity,
(i )
Remote viewing,
and (j )
Consciousness research.
|
|
|
18.
|
NDEs have been happening
for thousands of years and are not a modern
phenomenon:
See the NDE accounts associated with (a)
Plato,
(b) the
Apostle Paul,
and (c) the
Tibetan Book of the
Dead.
|
|
|
19.
|
Skeptical arguments
against the survival theory of NDEs are often
not valid:
Sociologist
Dr. Allan Kellehear states that some scientific
theories are often presented as the most logical,
factual, objective, credible, and progressive
possibilities, as opposed to the allegedly subjective,
superstitious, abnormal, or dysfunctional views
of mystics. The rhetorical opinions of some
NDE theories are presented as if they were scientific
(Kellehear,
1996, 120). Many skeptical arguments
against the survival theory are actually
arguments
from pseudo-skeptics who often think they
have no burden of proof. Such arguments often
based on scientism with assumptions that survival
is impossible even though survival has not been
ruled out. Faulty conclusions are often made
such as, "Because NDEs have a brain chemical
connection then survival is impossible."
Pseudo-skeptical arguments are sometimes made
that do not consider the entire body of circumstantial
evidence supporting the possibility of survival
or do not consider the possibility of new paradigms.
Such pseudo-skeptical claims are often made
without any scientific evidence.
|
|
|
20. |
Memories of near-death experiences are more
real than reality: Researchers at the
Coma Science Group, directed by
Steven Laureys, and the
University of Liege's Cognitive Psychology
Research, headed by
Professor Serge Bredart and
Hedwige Dehon, have demonstrated that
the physiological mechanisms triggered
during NDE lead to a more vivid perception
not only of imagined events in the history
of an individual but also of real events
which have taken place in their lives! These
surprising results - obtained using an
original method which now requires further
investigation - are published in
PLOS ONE. The researchers looked into
the memories of NDE with the hypothesis that
if the memories of NDE were pure products of
the imagination, their phenomenological
characteristics (e.g., sensorial, self
referential, emotional, etc. details) should
be closer to those of imagined memories.
Conversely, if the NDE are experienced in a
way similar to that of reality, their
characteristics would be closer to the
memories of real events. Their results were
surprising. From the perspective being
studied, not only were the NDEs not similar
to the memories of imagined events, but the
phenomenological characteristics inherent to
the memories of real events (e.g. memories
of sensorial details) are even more numerous
in the memories of NDE than in the memories
of real events.
|
|
|
21.
|
The burden of proof
has shifted to skeptics of the survival theory
of NDEs:
All neurological theories that conclude NDEs
to be only a brain-thing, must show how the
core elements of the NDE occur subjectively
because of specific neurological events triggered
by the approach of death. These core elements
include: the
out-of-body
state,
paranormal
knowledge, the
tunnel,
the golden
light,
the voice or presence, the appearance of
deceased
relatives, and
beautiful
vistas. Perhaps the final word should go
to
Nancy Evans Bush, a NDEr with the
International Association for Near-Death Studies,
who said: "There is no human experience
of any description that can't simply be
reduced to a biological process, but that in
no way offsets the meaning those experiences
have for us-whether it's falling in love,
or grieving, or having a baby."
|
|
|
22. |
A significant amount of support suggestive
of consciousness surviving bodily death
exists. Although this has not been
proven conclusively using the scientific
method, the open-minded skeptic
include this significant amount of evidence
as well as taken into consideration the
testimonies of millions
of people who have had both objective and subjective
NDEs and OBEs constituting very strong circumstantial
evidence. Here
are some Wikipedia articles dealing with this subject
as well:
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20] and
[21]. |
|
CON: The
survival of consciousness after death has never been
proven conclusively using the scientific method.
|
|
Return to Top
|
18. Near-Death Studies
Research Conclusions |
Read
current articles
of NDE research supporting the survival of consciousness
from the body.
|
Dr. Raymond Moody:
Common NDE aspects:
|
|
Dr. Kenneth Ring:
Research findings:
|
|
P.M.H. Atwater:
The content of the NDE involves an otherworldly awareness
that can be brief and consist of only one or two elements,
or can be more involved, even lengthy, and consist of
multiple elements. Common elements include:
|
|
Dr. Melvin Morse:
The brain's connection to a higher power can be
validated by indisputable scientific facts such as:
|
|
Dr. Jeffrey and Jody Long: of
302 near-death experiences:
|
a. |
29% saw the
Being
of Light as a familiar being. |
|
Of the percentage
who saw familiar beings: |
|
I. |
25.9%
saw blood
relatives. |
II. |
22.9%
saw religious
figures. |
III. |
25.8%
saw the
Being of Light as an unfamiliar
being. |
|
b. |
Of the 166 people
who saw beings: |
|
I. |
53%
saw familiar
beings. |
II. |
47%
saw unfamiliar
beings. |
|
|
Dr.
Jeffrey Long, in his book, "Evidence
of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death
Experiences," documented a study
he conducted - the largest scientific study of
NDEs ever - based on his research of over 1,300
NDEs shared with NDERF.org. Using his treasure
trove of data, Dr. Long explains how NDEs cannot
be explained by brain chemistry alone, how
medical evidence fails to explain them away and
why there is only one plausible explanation -
that people have survived death and traveled to
another dimension. Dr. Long makes his case using
nine lines of evidence and they are:
|
a. |
Crystal-Clear
Consciousness. The level of
conscious alertness during NDEs is
usually greater than that experienced in
everyday life - even though NDEs
generally occur when a person is
unconscious or clinically dead. This
high level of consciousness while
physically unconscious is medically
unexplained. Additionally, the elements
in NDEs generally follow the same
consistent and logical order in all age
groups and around the world, which
refutes the possibility that NDEs have
any relation to dreams or
hallucinations.
|
b. |
Realistic
Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs):
OBEs are one of the most common elements
of NDEs. Events witnessed and heard by
NDErs while in an out-of-body state are
almost always realistic. When the NDEr
or others later seek to verify what was
witnessed or heard during the NDE, their
OBE observations are almost always
confirmed as completely accurate. Even
if the OBE observations include events
occurring far away from the physical
body, and far from any possible sensory
awareness of the NDEr, the OBE
observations are still almost always
confirmed as completely accurate. This
fact alone rules out the possibility
that NDEs are related to any known brain
functioning or sensory awareness. This
also refutes the possibility that NDEs
are unrealistic fragments of memory from
the brain.
|
c. |
Heightened Senses.
Heightened senses have been reported by
most who have NDEs. Supernormal vision
has occurred even in those with
significantly impaired vision. This is
medically unexplainable.
|
d. |
Consciousness
During Anesthesia. Many NDEs
occur while the NDEr is under general
anesthesia - at a time when any
conscious experience should be
impossible. While some skeptics claim
these NDEs may be the result of too
little anesthesia, this ignores the fact
that some NDEs result from anesthesia
overdose. Additionally, descriptions of
a NDEs differ greatly from those people
who experiences "anesthetic awareness."
The content of NDEs occuring under
general anesthesia is essentially
indistinguishable from NDEs that do not
occur under general anesthesia. This is
more strong evidence that NDEs occur
independent from the functioning of the
material brain.
|
e. |
Perfect Playback.
Life reviews in NDEs include real events
which previously occurred in the lives
of the NDEr - even if the events were
forgotten or happened before they were
old enough to remember.
|
f. |
Family Reunions.
During a NDE, the experiencer may
encounter people who are virtually
always deceased and are usually
relatives of the NDEr. Sometimes they
include relatives who died before the
NDEr was even born. If NDEs are merely
the product of memory fragments, they
would almost certainly include far more
living people, including those with whom
they had more recently interacted.
|
g. |
Children’s
Experiences. The NDEs of
children, including very young children
who are too young to have developed
concepts of death, religion, or NDEs,
are essentially identical to those of
older children and adults. This refutes
the possibility that the content of NDEs
is produced by preexisting beliefs or
cultural conditioning.
|
h. |
Worldwide
Consistency. NDEs appear
remarkably consistent around the world,
and across many different religions and
cultures. NDEs from non-Western
countries are incredibly similar to
those occuring in people in Western
countries.
|
i. |
Aftereffects.
It is common for people to experience
major life changes after having NDEs.
These aftereffects are often powerful,
lasting, life-enhancing, and the changes
generally follow a consistent pattern.
NDErs themselves are practically
universal in their belief that their
experience of the afterlife was real.
|
|
Dr. Michael Sabom:
The Atlanta study concluded:
|
|
Pim van Lommel:
The Dutch study
on NDEs involved:
|
a. |
The
replication of the veridical perception
phenomenon reported by Dr. Michael Sabom. |
b. |
Lommel described a patient who was able to
describe
verifiable events from a vantage point far
away from his body. |
|
Dr. Barbara Rommer:
Less-than-positive NDEs can be classified into four
types:
|
|
Dr. Karl Jansen:
Ketamine research findings:
|
|
Dr.
Peter Fenwick:
On the difference between hallucinations and NDEs, Fenwick
states in Tom Harpur's documentary
Life After Death that drug-induced hallucinations
are not the same as NDEs:
|
"The difficulty
with those theories is that when you create
these wonderful states by taking drugs, you're
conscious. In the NDE, you are unconscious.
One of the things we know about brain function
in unconsciousness, is that you cannot create
images and if you do, you cannot remember them
... [During a NDE] the brain isn't functioning.
It's not there. It's destroyed. It's
abnormal. But, yet, it can produce these very
clear experiences ... An unconscious state is
when the brain ceases to function. For example,
if you faint, you fall to the floor, you don't
know what's happening and the brain isn't
working. The memory systems are particularly
sensitive to unconsciousness. So, you won't
remember anything. But, yet, after one of these
[NDE] experiences, you come out with clear,
lucid memories ... This is a real puzzle for
science. I have not yet seen any good scientific
explanation which can explain that fact."
(Dr.
Peter Fenwick)
|
|
Dr.
Ian Stevenson:
Stevenson's ground-breaking reincarnation research
concluded that birthmarks and congenital deformities
have one to five characteristics in common:
|
|
Kevin Williams, B.Sc:
These are statistics of common elements found in
50
NDEs profiled on this website:
|
|
Return to Top
|
19. Events
Which Can Trigger an Out-of-Body or Near-Death Experience |
|
Return to Top
|
20. Scientific Discoveries are Coming to Earth from Another Dimension |
a. |
"Many of our important inventions
were first created in the spiritual universe by
spirit prodigies. Then individuals on Earth receive
the inspiration to create these inventions here."
(Betty
Eadie)
|
b. |
"Spirituality and science are one
and the same." (Lynnclaire
Dennis)
|
c. |
"Science
and technology are gifts from God bestowed through inspiration.
People on Earth have literally been led to these discoveries,
many of which later became perverted by humanity to
use for its own destruction." (Rev.
Howard Storm)
|
d. |
"The mushroom cloud of the
atomic bomb is one of the holiest archetypes created
by human beings. It, more than any religion or philosophy
on Earth, brought humanity together all of a sudden,
to a new level of consciousness. The power behind the
atom is the power of God - the Force that holds all
things together." (Mellen-Thomas
Benedict)
|
e. |
Visit the
Skeptic's
Corner for specific discoveries learned from
near-death experiences.
|
|
Return to Top
|
21. Television-like
Technology Exists in the Afterlife |
a. |
"Then I was instantly zapped to a domed room with
square screens up and down the walls, on the ceiling
- hundreds of television screens. On each screen
was a home movie of one event in my life." (Jeanie
Dicus)
|
b. |
"In a sacred room, we see our
lives flash before us on a "scanning machine."
This device is a domed screen where our lives are
placed out in three-dimensional holographic form."
(Sylvia Browne)
|
c. |
"It was a lot like looking at a
hologram, but full color 3D with sound and scent." (Hal)
|
d. |
"He is told it resembles a movie
theater which allows souls to see themselves in the
future, playing different roles in various settings."
(Dr. Michael
Newton)
|
e. |
"In response they used a machine
to show her a scene from earlier in her life." (Betty
Andreason)
|
f. |
"With
that I saw frames appear like screens on a television
set." (Lou
Famoso)
|
g. |
"The
box opened to reveal what appeared to be a tiny television
picture of a world event that was yet to happen." (Dannion
Brinkley)
|
h. |
"He told
me what I had to do in life and had me go to the other
side of the room and look down into something like a
television set so I could see my future." (Clara)
|
i. |
"Next
we went to a place she called the lookout. It appeared
to be only an overhang on a high cliff, but the view
was intensely magnified. I could look into the world
I had left behind as though peering into a monitor,
if I chose to do so. No one spent a lot of time here,
Maggi said, but some occasionally stopped by to check
on what was going on in the Earthly realm." (Jan
Price)
|
|
Return to Top
|
22. Computer-Like
Technology Exists in the Afterlife |
a. |
Albert Einstein was observed
operating a Heavenly Computer:
"Next we materialized in a computer room ... Some of
[the people there] I knew by name, others by reputation;
and all had time for me, to teach me if ever I need
help understanding. One of them was Albert Einstein,
whom I had always admired greatly but distantly, and
this great man took time away from his duties to encourage
me. He asked me if I would care to operate the computer,
which was very complex and beautiful and designed to
guide the path of destinies. I was flattered, but felt
incompetent and unsure of myself in the presence of
such greatness. I told him I would like to try, but
I was afraid of making a mistake. He laughed greatly,
and reassured me, saying that error was not possible
in this place. Encouraged, I seemed instinctively
to know how to operate this unusual machine, and waved
my hand in a pattern over the large keyboard, rather
like playing a piano without touching the keys. I knew
instantly the task had been performed perfectly, and
it had somehow been of great benefit to someone. I was
suffused with the joy of a job well done. I would gladly
spend eternity here at this rewarding work if only for
the tremendous feeling of well-being I had experienced
as a result. Through open doors I glimpsed enormous
rooms filled with complex equipment. In several of the
rooms hooded figures bent over intricate charts and
diagrams, or sat at the controls of elaborate consoles
flickering with lights ... Years later, when I picked
up the December 1952 issue of Life magazine and saw
some of the instruments in the second U.S. atomic submarine
engine, I had the strange feeling of deja vu until I
recalled seeing the very same instrument in one of these
labs." (Dr.
George Ritchie)
|
b. |
Betty
Eadie saw a large machine, similar to a computer, but much
more elaborate and powerful. Betty realized that all
important things on Earth are first created in spirit.
(Betty
Eadie)
|
|
Return to Top |
|
|
|
Books on |
Quantum Mind
and NDEs |
|
|

|
God at the Speed of Light: The Melding
of Science and Spirituality
|
by Dr. T. Lee Baumann |
Could it be that light and God are one
in the same? Physician Lee Baumann makes
a case for exactly that. From many sources,
Dr. Baumann has synthesized a compelling
picture of what may be the true nature
of our universe at all levels - physical,
mental, and spiritual.
|
|
|

|
The Holographic Universe
|
by Michael Talbot |
Beginning with physicist David Bohm
and neurophysiologist Karl Pribram,
both of whom independently arrived at
holographic theories explaining the
nature of the universe, Talbot explains
in clear terms this theory and applies
it to both science and and the paranormal.
|
|
|
|

|
The Self-Aware Universe
|
by Dr. Amit Goswami, Maggie Goswami, Richard
Reed
|
The scientific case for a self-aware universe.
Consciousness, not matter, is the ground
of all existence. Consciousness created
the physical world. There is no objective
reality independent of consciousness. The
so-called mind-body schism is illusionary.
|
|
|

|
The Non-Local Universe: The New Physics
and Matters of the Mind
|
by Dr. Robert Nadeau, Menas Kafatos
|
Classical physics rules out "spooky
action at a distance" (i.e., a billiard
ball cannot move unless something contacts
it.). But the new physics permits "non-local"
action (i.e., do certain things to a photon
and another photon can be affected at faster
than light speed). Hence, all of physical
reality is a single quantum system and reality.
|
|
|

|
The Holotropic Mind: The Three Levels of
Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our
Lives
|
by Dr. Stanislav
Grof, Hal Zina Bennett
|
Observations of "non-ordinary"
states of consciousness support the theory
that the mind is essentially "holotropic"
(i.e., like a hologram wherein the whole
can be reconstructed from a tiny part).
Thus, our infinite transpersonal consciousness
can transcend not only the time-space continuum
but even visit other dimensions and parallel
universes.
|
|
|

|
From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey
into the Mystery of Consciousness
|
by
Dr. Peter Russell |
Russell, well known for his work on the
physiology of meditation, describes his
personal struggle to bring science and spirit
together. By describing the more mysterious
discoveries of contemporary physics as a
source of spiritual inspiration, the scientific
study of consciousness can yield an insight
into consciousness that religions call "God".
|
|
|

|
The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental
Theory
|
by
Dr. David J. Chalmers |
What is consciousness? How do physical processes
in the brain give rise to the self-aware
mind and to feelings as profoundly varied
as love or hate, aesthetic pleasure or spiritual
yearning? Now, in The Conscious Mind, philosopher
David J. Chalmers offers a cogent analysis
of this heated debate as he unveils a major
new theory of consciousness, one that rejects
the prevailing reductionist trend of science,
while offering provocative insights into
the relationship between mind and brain.
|
|
|

|
Mindsight: Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences
in the Blind
|
by
Dr. Kenneth Ring |
This book investigates the astonishing claim
that blind persons, including those blind
from birth, can actually "see" during near-death
or out-of-body episodes. The authors present
their findings in scrupulous detail, investigating
case histories of blind persons who have
actually reported visual experiences under
these conditions.
|
|
|

|
Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for
the 21st Century
|
by
Drs. Edward Kelly, Emily Kelly, Bruce Greyson,
et alr |
Current mainstream opinion in psychology,
neuroscience, and philosophy of mind holds
that all aspects of human mind and consciousness
are generated by physical processes occurring
in brains. Views of this sort have dominated
recent scholarly publication. The present
volume, however, demonstrates empirically
that this reductive materialism is not only
incomplete but false. The authors systematically
marshal evidence for a variety of psychological
phenomena that are extremely difficult,
and in some cases clearly impossible, to
account for in conventional physicalist
terms.
|
|
|

|
Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral
Theory of Everything
|
by
Dr. Ervin Laszlo |
In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher
and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential
element of this information field in language
that is accessible and clear. From the world
of science he confirms our deepest intuitions
of the oneness of creation in the Integral
Theory of Everything. We discover that,
as philosopher William James stated, "We
are like islands in the sea, separate on
the surface but connected in the deep."
|
|
|

|
Lessons from the Light: What We Can Learn
from the Near-death Experience
|
by
Dr. Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino |
While providing many accounts of NDEs from
men, women, and children of all ages and
backgrounds, Lessons from the Light is much
more than just an inspiring collection of
NDEs. In Lessons near-death expert Kenneth
Ring extracts the pure gold of the NDE and
with a beautiful balance of sound research
and human insight reveals the practical
wisdom held within these experiences.
|
|
|

|
Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness
are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature
of the Universe
|
by
Dr. Robert Lanza and Bob Berman |
Biocentrism takes the reader on a seemingly
improbable but ultimately inescapable journey
through a foreign universe - our own - from
the viewpoints of an acclaimed biologist
and a leading astronomer. Switching perspective
from physics to biology unlocks the cages
in which Western science has unwittingly
managed to confine itself. Biocentrism will
shatter the reader’s ideas of life - time
and space, and even death. At the same time
it will release us from the dull worldview
of life being merely the activity of an
admixture of carbon and a few other elements;
it suggests the exhilarating possibility
that life is fundamentally immortal.
|
|
|

|
The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark
Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest
of Reality
|
by
Dr. Richard Panek |
In recent years, a handful of scientists
has been racing to explain a disturbing
aspect of our universe: only 4 percent of
it consists of the matter that makes up
you, me, and every star and planet. The
rest is completely unknown. Richard Panek
tells the dramatic story of how scientists
reached this cosmos-shattering conclusion.
In vivid detail, he narrates the quest to
find the “dark” matter and an even more
bizarre substance called dark energy that
make up 96 percent of the universe.
|
|
|
|

|
Science and the Near-Death Experience: How
Consciousness Survives Death
|
by
Chris Carter |
The author is an Oxford scholar who uses
evidence from scientific studies, quantum
mechanics, and consciousness research, to
reveal how consciousness does not depend
on the brain. Examines ancient and modern
NDEs providing evidence of the survival
of consciousness after death while debunking
the materialistic arguments raised by skeptics.
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Experiences Near Death: Beyond Medicine
and Religion
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by
Dr. Allan Kellehear |
Kellehear presents a revolutionary new approach
to the field of near-death studies, one
that examines these episodes as they relate
to the specific cultures from which they
arise, helping us to understand what these
visions are as a cultural and psychological
response and why they occur. Kellehear compares
NDEs from all over the world - India, China,
Guam, America, Australia, and New Zealand
- revealing not only the similarities among
them, but also the pertinent differences
that can tell us much about the way people
from different cultures view their world.
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Light and Death: One Doctor's Fascinating
Account of Near-Death Experiences
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by
Dr. Michael Sabom |
Begun in 1994, The Atlanta Study is the
first comprehensive investigation of its
kind into NDEs. The study presents life-and-death
dramas played out in operating rooms and
hospital beds - and simultaneous events
unseen by medical personnel but reported
with astonishing clarity and conviction
by nearly 50 individuals who returned from
death's door. Now the founder of The Atlanta
Study, Dr. Michael Sabom reveals their impact
on the people who have experienced them.
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The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences:
Thirty Years of Investigation
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by
Drs. Jan Holden, Bruce Greyson, Debbie James |
Experts from around the world share the
history and current state of NDE knowledge.
They explore controversies in the field,
offer stories from their research, and express
their hopes for the future of investigation
into this fascinating phenomenon.
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Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences:
A Handbook of Clinicians
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by
Drs. Jan Holden, Anthony Peake, et al |
This essential handbook by leading NDE experts
provides everyone (especially health professionals)
with the knowledge needed to understand
NDEs and those who have them by examining
children's NDEs, NDEs from a religious perspective,
the role of light in NDEs, the assessment
and management of NDEs, and the future of
NDE research.
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Fingerprints of God: Evidences from Near-Death
Studies, Scientific Research on Creation...
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by
Dr. Arvin S. Gibson |
Star dust! That is what our physical bodies
are made of. But the real us - the spiritual
beings temporarily clothed in star dust
- we are the stuff of eternity, organized
by God. In this fascinating book, Arvin
Gibson takes us on a journey to find answers
about the mysteries of God's existence,
and of our existence too. That journey takes
us on three difference paths: near-death
studies, the creation as understood by scientists,
and Mormon theology. As the journey expands,
we find that there are interwoven patterns
from each of the paths pointing to an inescapable
conclusion - that proofs of God's existence
are everywhere.
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Near Death Experience: A Holographic Explanation
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by
Dr. Oswald G. Harding |
Dr. Harding's contribution to the literature
is original insofar as it intensively locates
debate over possibility of NDEs in the context
of the theory known as "holographic theory".
His interpretation of empirical data is
essentially sound and plausible, and he
has presented his material in clear and
effective manner. This book is a must read
for all scholars and persons interested
in issues of body-mind problem, near death
experience, out of body experience and holography.
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The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth
of Psychic Phenomena
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by
Dean Radin |
Radin explains the evidence for the veracity
of psychic phenomena, uniting the theories
of quantum physics, the latest in high-tech
experiments, the teachings of mystics. With
painstaking research, Radin dispels the
misinformation and superstition clouding
the understanding of scientists concerning
psychokinesis, remote viewing, and more.
All have been scientifically proven, and
the proof is in this book.uences of the
mass realization that mind and matter can
influence each other without having physical
contact.
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What Happens When We Die?: A Groundbreaking
Study into the Nature of Life and Death
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by
Dr. Sam Parnia |
Dr. Parnia faces death every day through
his work as a critical-care doctor in a
hospital emergency room. He became very
interested in some of his patients’ accounts
of the experiences that they had while clinically
dead. He started to collect these stories
and read all the latest research on the
subject, and then he decided to conduct
his own experiments. That work has culminated
in this extraordinary book, which picks
up where Raymond Moody’s Life After Life
left off.
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Where God Lives: The Science of the Paranormal
and How Our Brains are Linked to the Universe
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by
Dr. Melvin Morse and Paul Perry |
Is there proof that NDEs and other spiritual
experiences can cure afflictions of the
body, mind, and spirit? Are there simple
ways to tap into a "universal power source"
that spiritual masters call enlightenment?
Is there scientific evidence of life after
death that is being overlooked by skeptics?
Is there scientific proof of a spot in our
brains that communicates with God and the
universe? Dr. Morse applies the rigor of
science to the study of the spiritual to
prove once and for all the existence of
life after death.
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Science and the Afterlife Experience: Evidence
for the Immortality of Consciousness
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by
Chris Carter |
Oxford scholar Chris Carter examines 125
years of scientific research into reincarnation,
apparitions, and communication with the
dead showing these phenomena are real. The
author examines the scientific methods used
to confirm these experiences and explains
how these findings on the afterlife have
been ignored and denied because they are
incompatible with the prevailing doctrine
of materialism. Carter’s rigorous argument
proves beyond any reasonable doubt not only
that consciousness survives death and continues
in the afterlife, but that it precedes birth
as well.
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The Science of Life After Death: New Research
Shows Human Consciousness Lives On
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by Stephen Hawley Martin |
Those with an interest in science will be
fascinated by the new discoveries and theories
postulated in this book that indicate the
brain and body may have evolved to allow
consciousness to interface with physical
reality, and that our true home may exist
outside three-dimensional reality. For example,
a theory by Cambridge educated biochemist
Rupert Sheldrake is covered that may explain
how it is possible for consciousness and
memory to exist outside of the brain and
without its support.
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Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
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by
Mary Roach |
Best-selling author Mary Roach trains her
considerable wit and curiosity on the human
soul and what happens when we die? Does
the light just go out and that's that or
will some part of our personality persist?
In an attempt to find out, Roach brings
her tireless curiosity to bear on an array
of contemporary and historical soul-searchers:
scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums,
all trying to prove (or disprove) that life
goes on after we die.
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The Afterlife Experiments: Breakthrough
Scientific Evidence of Life After Death
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by
Dr. Gary E. Schwartz |
Risking his academic reputation, Dr. Schwartz
asked well-known mediums to become part
of a series of experiments to prove, or
disprove, the existence of an afterlife.
Schwartz's rigorously monitored experiments
involve mediums attempted to contact dead
friends and relatives of "sitters" who were
masked from view and never spoke, depriving
the mediums of any cues. This book presents
the results of his study which awed sitters
and researchers alike. Forced by data to
abandon skepticism, Schwartz presents this
amazing account of his groundbreaking work,
compelling from first page to last.
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Is There Life After Death? The Extraordinary
Science of What Happens When We Die
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by
Anthony Peake |
Do you occasionally have that strange feeling
known as deja vu? Do you sometimes feel
that you know what is going to happen next?
Do you ever have a strong feeling that actions
you are about to take are the right (or
wrong) thing to do? All these perceptions
may be everyday clues to your immortality.
This book proposes a simply amazing theory
- a theory which states that personal death
is a scientific impossibility. Using the
latest findings of neurology, quantum physics,
and consciousness studies, the author suggests
that we never die. After reading this book
you will understand the reason for your
life and how you can make it better next
time.
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A Measure of Heaven: Near-Death Experience
Data Analysis
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by
Vince Migliore |
The author analyzed over 700 cases of NDE
testimony and presents the quantitative
measurements of this phenomenon and their
after-effects of those who came near death.
The author presents statistical analysis
of these experiences including out-of-body
perception, seeing a light, and meeting
unearthly beings. The after-effects include
changes in feelings about death, a renewed
sense of life purpose, and psychic and healing
abilities. This book is filled with case
narratives to support his statistical findings.
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Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall
of the House of Skeptics
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by
Chris Carter and Rupert Sheldrake |
Oxford scholar Chris Carter presents factual
arguments against materialism’s vehement
denial of psychic phenomena. His research
explores the scandalous history of parapsychology
since the scientific revolution of the 17th
century and provides reproducible evidence
from scientific research that telepathy,
clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis
are real. Carter shows how skepticism of
psychic phenomena is based more on a religion
of materialism than on hard science.
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Life After Death: The Burden of Proof
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by
Dr. Deepak Chopra |
Dr. Chopra draws on cutting-edge scientific
discoveries and the great wisdom traditions
to provide a map of the afterlife - a fascinating
journey into many levels of consciousness.
Chopra presents answers to such questions
as: who you meet in the afterlife and how
your experience there reflect your present
beliefs, expectations, and level of awareness.
In the here and now you can shape what happens
after you die. Chopra opens up immense new
areas of insights where ultimately there
is no division between life and death -
there is only one continuous creative project.
Chopra invites us to become co-creators
in this subtle realm by understanding this
oneness of reality and by shedding our irrational
fears and stepping into a numinous sense
of wonder and personal power.
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Life After Death: The Evidence
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by
Dinesh D'Souza |
Unlike many books about the afterlife, the
author makes no appeal to religious faith,
divine revelation, or sacred texts. Drawing
on some of the most powerful theories and
trends in physics, evolutionary biology,
science, philosophy, and psychology, D'Souza
shows why the atheist critique of immortality
is irrational and draws the striking conclusion
that it is reasonable to believe in life
after death. He concludes by showing how
life after death can give depth and significance
to this life, a path to happiness, and reason
for hope.
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When the Impossible Happens: Adventures
in Non-Ordinary Reality
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by
Dr. Stanislav Grof |
Dr. Grof is a psychiatric researcher and
co-founded transpersonal psychology who
presents firsthand accounts of over 50 years
of inquiry into non-ordinary states of consciousness.
From his first LSD session which gave him
a glimpse of cosmic consciousness to his
latest work with Holotropic Breathwork,
this book will amaze readers with vivid
explorations of topics such as: the possible
existence of a non-local uiverse, experiences
of out-of-body projection and accounts of
synchronicity. This book is an incredible
opportunity to journey beyond ordinary consciousness
guaranteed to shake the foundations of what
you assume to be real and sure to offer
a new vision of our human potential, as
we contemplate when the impossible happens.
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Near-Death Experiences: Exploring the Mind-Body
Connection
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by
Ornella Corazza |
This groundbreaking book takes a strikingly
original cross-cultural approach to NDEs
and incorporates new medical research combined
with new theories of mind and body with
contemporary research into how the brain
functions. The author analyzes dualist models
of mind and body with the main components
of NDEs and examines the use of ketamine
to reveal how characteristics of NDEs can
be chemically induced without being close
to death. By including Japanese examples
of NDEs and their more sophisticated scientific
and philosophical thinking on the subject,
this book is an eye-opener suggestive of
new ways of approaching the NDE.
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Theory of Reality: Evidence for Existence
Beyond the Brain and Tools for Your Journey
(Kindle)
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by
Dr. David O. Wiebers |
As a society, we have the tendency to see
the universe and ourselves as a collection
of separate objects rather than a unified
living process. Dr. Wiebers, a world leader
in neuroscience who has studied the brain
and consciousness from numerous perspectives,
arrives at meaningful answers to questions
about the deeper nature of ourselves, our
universe and reality. He does this by finding
the common denominators of numerous fields,
including neuroscience, physics and metaphysical
science in a way that can bring change to
your life, not only as individuals but also
as a society.
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Searching For Eternity: A Scientist's Spiritual
Journey to Overcome Death Anxiety
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by
Dr. Don Morse |
Dr. Morse, a scientist who believed in the
absolute finality of death, had a NDE that
led him on a quest to uncover what science
knows about the realities of death. His
quest, detailed in this book, led him through
the entire realm of science and all of the
major religious traditions regarding death.
After sifting through modern physics, research
on NDEs, apparitional and out-of-body experiences,
and a vast body of religious literature
and theories offered by a host of organizations
and individuals, Morse came to an inescapable
conclusion: some form of afterlife must
exist. This remarkable book details what
modern physics tells us about the underlying
nature of the universe and its creation,
what virtually every religious and philosophical
group tells us about life and death, and
results from a host of research findings.
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Death and Personal Survival: The Evidence
for Life After Death
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by
Robert Almeder |
In a style that is both philosophically
sophisticated and accessible to general
readers, the author introduces readers to
the vigorous debate in the scientific community
about the possibility of personal survival
after death. He argues that belief in some
form of personal survival is as empirically
justifiable as our belief in the past existence
of dinosaurs. Drawing on 21 of the best
case studies in reincarnation, apparitions
of the dead, ostensible possession, out-of-body
experiences, and trance mediumships, this
book offers a comprehensive discussion of
the best empirical evidence in each of these
areas and refutes alternative explanations
offered by sceptics.
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Near Death Experiences: After-Death, Out-of-Body,
Dreams, Hallucinations, Neuroscience and
Evolution of Spirituality (Kindle)
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by
Drs. Bruce Greyson, Jean-Pierre Jourdan,
R. Joseph et al |
Chapter 1 deals with experiences of after-death,
out-of-body, and astral projection. Chapter
2 examines NDEs from the 5th dimensional
spatio-temporal perspective. In Chapter
3, NDE expert Bruce Greyson presents the
cosmological implications of NDEs. In Chapter
4, Kevin Nelson discusses the borderlands
of consciousness and dreams which spirituality
arise from consciousness in crisis. Chapter
5 deals with dreams and hallucinations that
lift the veil to multiple spiritual realities.
Chapter 6 explores the evolution of Paleolithic
spiritual consciousness.
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