A major study by medical experts at UK and US hospitals is trying to shed some light – of the end of the tunnel variety – on near-death experiences.
Attempts to explain NDEs away as hallucinations have generaly failed because hallucinations are random and person-specific. NDEs follow a very established pattern – rising out of the body, travelling up a tunnel towards a bright light, a sense of tremendous well-being, whole-life review, meeting a figure of light and dead relatives and friends. Those who experience it are profoundly altered.
Others have suggested its the dying brain dealing with a lack of oxygen and a flood of endorphins, but other studies have shown the brain responds in a totally different way to those two things.
Friends I have in the medical profession are certainly very interested in this, and see it as a definite phenomenon that deserves this kind of detailed study.
Does anyone remember years ago when a trainer was placed on a high shelf in an operating theatre for this very reason?
I am sure I watched a programme about it – don’t let me be the only one!
Yes, I remember that. It was a hospital in Southampton, I think.
Hmmmm, thought so. This research has already been carried out – and largely ignored then.
I’m glad its being done – just hope this time it gains acceptance?!
Did you hear the radio 2 discussion about this today?
I suspect you can listen to it again on the website if you didn’t catch it. Really really interesting
The thing I wonder about is that people only seem to report the positive NDE, where the tunnel leads to dead ones and “the Light”. I’m curious to know if anyone has reported having a negative experience..you know, dark places with hot fires,that type of thing.
I remember seeing a TV documentary many years ago where someone recounted a completely nightmarish NDE with demonic beings. That’s the only one I’ve ever come across.
Something I found really interesting while reading Shamanism and the Mystery lines was that the experiments involving psychedelics that were carried out in the 70’s (I think?) had people coming back with accounts of their experiences not unlike those of hospital patients and the likes who’ve nearly died…