What do you think happens when you die?

lot of answers have been somewhat religious with all the spirits and souls and stuff.

as far as i know though, science doesn't know the term "soul". science thinks that our consciousness is a sum of impulses going on in our brain. yes, this is a very bad explanation...

if however this is what our "soul" is, it means that once the activity in brain stops, there will be nothing. we cease to exist, even if our body remains.

and again AFAIK, science (ie. psychology) doesn't talk about souls. it doesn't assume that our consciousness is based on some higher power or energy that we cannot explain.

I think when you die you are able to know and see everything that has ever happened. You know any secrets that your loved ones may have been hiding from you, but you also know their thought processes, motives and reasonig behind it. I also believe that you are able to communicate and guide those in the physical world in some capacity. I suppose the best way I could describe this view is to say that you become one with God/your higher self. Just my current opinion.

I'd just like to add, that what I said origonally, is not the same anymore.

Wow, I tottally forgot this thread, and it was so interesting to.

What happens when you die?

Well... that depends on how you die.

If you die from cardiac arrest you are unconcious and unaware when you die, so you don't get to experience all the cool stuff that happens if you're awake.

And if you are awake you'll enjoy it when your brain releases a massive amount of dimethyltryptamine... one of the most powerful hallucinogens known to man. That's right when you die you are tripping your fanny off. Recreational experience reports of this chemical depict visions of God, aliens, long dead family members, complete inability to perceive time (people will swear they were gone for days when it was really 15 minutes). Basically everything people who have near death experiences describe... big surprise.

So... when you die... try to stay awake for it. You wont regret it. Really

Originally posted by apc
And if you are awake you'll enjoy it when your brain releases a massive amount of dimethyltryptamine... one of the most powerful hallucinogens known to man. That's right when you die you are tripping your fanny off. Recreational experience reports of this chemical depict visions of God, aliens, long dead family members, complete inability to perceive time (people will swear they were gone for days when it was really 15 minutes). Basically everything people who have near death experiences describe... big surprise.

Are you alluding that the release of '___' is evidence that the NDE is in fact an illusion? Because there is a chemical connection to the experience? What human experience is exempt from the electric-chemical relationships in the brain. Knowing of the brains processes do you feel all human experience is in essence a form of illusion then? If not, then why make that distinction with '___' /NDE?

The brain releases endorphins after a long jog or a vigarious workout which produces a sense of well-being, i.e runners high. So because this psychological sense of well-being was "caused" by chemical changes in the brain it is not "real"?

All human experience is affected by biological and neurological changes. If you segregate some experiences as illusory then you have the problem of explaining the illusion in neurological terms. So explain to me what makes the runners high "real" and the NDE an "illusion"? Neurologically the brain doesn't believe in "illusion" or "reality". This is apparent when an action during a dream evokes the same neurological responses as the action in waking life.

Psychologically you may segregate your reality, but the brain only knows one reality: all experience.

Here is my personal theory on this '___' release:

The brain releases '___' so the mind is in the proper state to experience the death experience, and like all experience, it is "real".

**Note: The brain releases '___' every night, and some theorize this has a direct relationship to dreaming. That doesn't explain why we dream. Just as the release of '___' at death does not explain why we have a death experience. It merely shows all human experience is accompanied by a chemical change.

BTW A Perfect Circle is the best band

[edit on 092828p://10u38 by Lucid Lunacy]

Wake up Lucid...

The Matrix has you...



I couldn't agree more with most of your conclusions... kind of pointing out the obvious. With an exception: reality is an illusion... although fabrication would be a more appropriate term. Dreaming or awake, our minds don't really care. When we dream, our cognitive centers are shut down, which is why things tend not to make much sense. But as far as our perceptual centers are concerned, its all the same. Tell the brain it's eating some pancakes, and even if the body is actually engaged in... I dunno... sex... the brain will believe them flapjacks are mighty tasty.

I define '___' influence as a likely explanation for NDE because of the significant similarities in reported observations and the simple fact that if the brain thinks it is dying, it starts dishing it out. Maybe it is just the brains way of preparing the body for death... masking the rather uncomfortable sensations one is about to endure. But, of course, I don't know. To my knowledge, I've never died.

> Btw... What does this have to do with A Perfect Circle?

Also... I didn't really realize it when I typed it, but I think my first paragraph there is more or less agreeing with most of what you said. You ask why I associated NDE with '___'... well... because the topic of discussion was "a scientific explanation for what happens when we die."

[edit on 10-2-2006 by apc]

I believe, that when you die you do not have a spirit/ or a soul or anything, people say well you have a soul and thats what lives on but I think most people mistake there conscience for there soul, we use soul and that gives it religious meaning, however our conscience is powered by our brain and when we die our brain ceases to work, man made religion for there own manipulative reasons and one of those reasons was to ensure safety afterdeath a life after life, indulgences were common in the dark ages, when people paid to be forgive, this was before protestant beliefs which are common now, so religion in my oppinion was created then as mean of getting what people want (manipulation) over time however the people made it theres, (protestant) and changed everything, so honestly how much of christianity can you consider true... so whe I think of the afterlife I base it tottally on science because of that, and I belive since your brain no longer works and your body and your thoughts (soul) are controlled by impulses sent from your brain that you don't even know your dead, you may know your dying, but you will not know you are dea, you will not know you exist, you won't even think therefore you wouldn't care if you were to be alive. It's just over.

Originally posted by inspiringyouth
I believe, that when you die you do not have a spirit/ or a soul or anything, people say well you have a soul and thats what lives on but I think most people mistake there conscience for there soul, we use soul and that gives it religious meaning, however our conscience is powered by our brain and when we die our brain ceases to work, man made religion for there own manipulative reasons and one of those reasons was to ensure safety afterdeath a life after life, indulgences were common in the dark ages, when people paid to be forgive, this was before protestant beliefs which are common now, so religion in my oppinion was created then as mean of getting what people want (manipulation) over time however the people made it theres, (protestant) and changed everything, so honestly how much of christianity can you consider true... so whe I think of the afterlife I base it tottally on science because of that, and I belive since your brain no longer works and your body and your thoughts (soul) are controlled by impulses sent from your brain that you don't even know your dead, you may know your dying, but you will not know you are dea, you will not know you exist, you won't even think therefore you wouldn't care if you were to be alive. It's just over.

well said

what i wonder is why arent there more of this kind of answers cause the man asked for an scientific answer. he didnt want to know about the religious point of view..

[edit on 10-2-2006 by systemlord_]

Lol here it is, it's your soul it's in the middle of the brain and it shows up like a glow on the x-rays.
If we were able to explain in a scientific way the soul it would be grate.
Did scientists look for it?
It would be nice to find out that a kind or tipe of form of cloud or some kind of a energy is runing my brain.

Science explain how things work but not why.
It would be cool for them to go in to that matter and study to try to trace the soul.

^ i think the both of you dont know what the soul is. The soul is what makes us live and breath, what motivates us to go on. I belive EVERYTHING that is alive has a soul. Why do trees grow roots and also try to get sunlight?? They do that to feed and live, therefore, I think EVERYTHING has a soul. A tree dosnt have a brain, but it does have a will to live(soul). Im in NO WAY religious, but I do have an understanding of what a soul is, just think about it.

edit:sorry pepsi, I was talking to the people above you.

[edit on 10-2-2006 by TravisT]

I seen many deaths in my lifetime. And I have seen some strang things surrounding those deaths. (Like a strong Rose smell after a Catholic woman died.)

Do I have First hand experience. Not yet, But I have lots of 2nd hand experience.

Yet I doubt. And such is my Nature.

Summery: What a person believes is usually what they see in the there after.

Then there is the "Hell" experiences. And the Paradise turning into Hell experiences. Or the Hell turning into Heaven experiences.

I've had a guy say "Don't let me die, It Burns. Don't let me go to hell". To "My Mom and Dad are standing by you, And want me to tell you "thank you".

I also had a patient die, and Come Back. And asked me, Not her priest to perform last rites. (Her priest she stated was "Black", And I was total "white". What ever that meant? )Anyway, Her family let me through the words of the rite. And to this day, I don't remember what was said. All I know is that she said "thank you" afterwards and died.

For me, Death is a combination of '___' and Here after. But when I cross over. All that I want to hear. Is "Well done good and faithfull servent."

I believe when you die, that's it. Just as your computer powers off when you pull the plug, same with your brain. No more power, no more life.

NDE's are reproducible as you'll see on this site.

serendip.brynmawr.edu...

Even oobe's are explainable.

brain.oxfordjournals.org...

Well, the author of this thread asked for a scientific explanation of what happens when we die. If you would like to submit a post that explains the scientific relation between the soul and death, be my guest. Nobody is denying the existence of a soul, if there is such a thing. I can't say for certain. Nobody can. However, when it comes to biological processes... there is a scientific explanation, whether or not we understand it.

Btw... TravisT... you wouldn't happen to be a resident of the greater Kansas City area, would you?

Originally posted by systemlord_

what i wonder is why arent there more of this kind of answers cause the man asked for an scientific answer. he didnt want to know about the religious point of view..

[edit on 10-2-2006 by systemlord_]

I dont understand hat kind of "scientific answer" your looking for. If death was explained already then Im pretty sure everybody would feel alot better/worse about their day. When it comes to death science nor religion can do ANYTHING to answer. I see it more like this, your soul is a form of energy, and energy cant be created or destroyed so it has to go somewhere. I think that when we die we do live on, but its MUCH different then what you can ever expect. Now, when your "dead" you dont want to be "alive", just like when we're "alive" we dont want to be "dead". Kinda like ying and yang, think about it.


As for KC, no. Do you know someone with my name?

[edit on 10-2-2006 by TravisT]