World's Largest-ever Study Of Near-Death Experiences

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin


But IS it silly really, or is just that your opinion , do you see?
Go tell that to all the countless thousands of people who have had NDE's,OBE's, Astral Travel experiences and so forth. just because certain things are not yet fully understood is not to say they are without any credence whatsoever - that would be a presumptuous stance.

Consciousness may well SEAT iteself in the brain, but many people, myself included consider the possibility that it can exist independently of the brain.

There are then ties with the concept of the physical body not being the only body we possess, but rather we have "copies" of the physical , such a copy being the body that separates from the physical during OOBes, NDEs etc, containing all the information and awareness the physical does, ie with consciousness intact, but it is fully able to operate independently of the physical.

There have been various experiments and studies into Astral Travel, etheric bodies and the like, with some interesting findings, I really wouldn't be so quick to dismiss these ideas as "nonsense", we are only just beginning to learn about them really

Etheric Body Studies & Discussion

The Scientific Proof For Life After Death - Censored in GB

This 2nd link has lots of other links near the bottom of the page to relevant articles/other studies which would be worth perusing for those interested. Might also be worth googling the scientists mentioned to get a better idea of their work.

Findings may not be conclusive, but are intriguing nonetheless...as stated previously, these concepts are really only at the beginning point of exploration and investigation in the big scheme of things, and funding for further research can b difficult if not impossible to obtain, which slows the whole process down.



[edit on 18/9/08 by cosmicpixie]

Originally posted by cosmicpixie
Go tell that to all the countless thousands of people who have had NDE's,OBE's, Astral Travel experiences and so forth. just because certain things are not yet fully understood is not to say they are without any credence whatsoever - that would be a presumptuous stance.

No, it wouldn't. They have no physical proof at all, so to assume they might be manifested phenomena rather than an effect in the brain is a presumptuous stance.

Just because lots of people have been fooled by their own minds just means there are lots of fools.

Originally posted by cosmicpixieConsciousness may well SEAT iteself in the brain, but many people, myself included consider the possibility that it can exist independently of the brain.

Based on what evidence? Do you hear voices or something? There's nothing to suggest people continue to live after they die, in any capacity. Anything you can produce will be folktales and anecdotes, completely untestable and utterly unreliable - think about the quality of your witnesses: they are dying at the time! They aren't exactly thinking "I best make sure I remember this!".

Originally posted by cosmicpixieThere are then ties with the concept of the physical body not being the only body we possess, but rather we have "copies" of the physical , such a copy being the body that separates from the physical during OOBes, NDEs etc, containing all the information and awareness the physical does, ie with consciousness intact, but it is fully able to operate independently of the physical.

Do you think this to be likely? Imagination is a wonderful thing, but this is preposterous. I've heard the "theories" about it, and I'm not even vaguely convinced that this is anything other than people who are afraid to die convincing themselves there is something to go to, rather than nothing. If you need this sort of comfort, get a religion. They have it much more finely hammered-out.

Originally posted by cosmicpixieThere have been various experiments and studies into Astral Travel, etheric bodies and the like, with some interesting findings, I really wouldn't be so quick to dismiss these ideas as "nonsense", we are only just beginning to learn about them really

Etheric Body Studies & Discussion

The Scientific Proof For Life After Death - Censored in GB

I don't have time to check these out now, but I bet not a single one has anything that could be considered accurate or quantifiable.

Originally posted by cosmicpixieFindings may not be conclusive, but are intriguing nonetheless...as stated previously, these concepts are really only at the beginning point of exploration and investigation in the big scheme of things, and funding for further research can b difficult if not impossible to obtain, which slows the whole process down.
[edit on 18/9/08 by cosmicpixie]

I don't doubt they are intriguing, but they aren't supernatural. They are a fit of the brain when it is on the verge of the end, nothing more. Probably nature's way of making certain death a little less scary.

I'd be very interested in finding out what exactly is happening inside one's head when this is going on, but I don't doubt that it is a hallucination.

"Cosmicpixie rolls her eyes and lets out a long sigh. "

Have a great day Benjamin

Well, I love the fact they are going to study this phenomen. It's surely worth, but I don't think this study will lead somewhere to be honest. My opinion about NDE is that in the greater part of the cases they could be visting Heaven or soemthing along those lines. Do you people know when will the study be concluded?
However, there are many interesting NDE. One of the most famous and incredible is of course Betty Eadie's. I would like to know how that Being of Light is like. There's a NDE very strange out there, from a certain Gloria Polo(check it out). My opinion is that this study wil conclude nothing. There will be skeptics and believers, as always.

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin


I will venture a guess that if they were able to scientifically prove that there is not life after death. The believers would claim that it is something that cannot be detected by science.

Currently, like most phenomenon, there are only eye witness accounts for verification. Eye witness accounts are not scientific evidence. This applies to life after death, ghosts, aliens and all the other phenomenon. I am not closed to the idea that these things COULD be possible but there are also many other explanations that could fit just as well to explain the unexplainable.

There is evidence that when the body begins to shut down, the brain is flooded with tons of feel good and narcotic type chemicals, thus creating an altered sense of reality. This we do know. So as of right now it would be much more logical to assume that what people experience is attributed to the large amounts of narcotic chemicals and other natural processes.

If anyone chooses to believe that there is life after death, they should also consider the possiblity that it is not a afterlife plane that there soul is ascending to but maybe the Matrix idea that once you die you are flushed out of a pod chamber and left to actually drown in a futuristic serwer system. Maybe we die here in the matrix, experience a rush of chemicals, then awake in a pod. There is just as much evidence to propose this hypothises as there is to assume that the soul is ascending to a new astral plane.

No matter what you believe, one day we will either know or we wont.

Originally posted by cosmicpixie
"Cosmicpixie rolls her eyes and lets out a long sigh. "

Have a great day Benjamin

I would except I now feel a great vacuum of spiritual emptiness as a direct result of my own post.

I'd love to agree with you, and no-one likes science fiction and fantasy more than I do, but that's where it has to stay - in the realms of fiction. I can't even begin to consider something as real if there is an adequate explanation for why it might not be real - in this case, the rush of '___' to the brain in your final moments.

Originally posted by iamcamouflage
I will venture a guess that if they were able to scientifically prove that there is not life after death. The believers would claim that it is something that cannot be detected by science.

Assuming they can somehow find a way of proving the non-existant, I completely agree. Claiming something is beyond the detectable universe, and yet claiming you have a physical tie to it is preposterous.

Originally posted by iamcamouflageIf anyone chooses to believe that there is life after death, they should also consider the possiblity that it is not a afterlife plane that there soul is ascending to but maybe the Matrix idea that once you die you are flushed out of a pod chamber and left to actually drown in a futuristic serwer system. Maybe we die here in the matrix, experience a rush of chemicals, then awake in a pod. There is just as much evidence to propose this hypothises as there is to assume that the soul is ascending to a new astral plane.

Precisely. You may as well believe in fairies and goblins, because they are no less real, and you can use the religious-type's own arguments against them.

Why not Zeus? Why not Lugh? Why not Dyeus, the forefather of the Indo-European high god? They are all just as likely.

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin


Some of the same issues discussed in this thread. I'm not a closed minded person but many seem to think they have all the answers. In my opinion, if you think you have all the answers you are close minded.


Ghost are not real

enjoy.

When the heart stops pumping and the blood stops flowing how are the chemicals getting flushed through the brain?

The point of this study is to scientifically establish the various stages of death people are in when they have these experiences so the analagous components can be replaced with empirical data on ECG levels and cardiogram readings. The pictures are an extra control for the descriptions of such events.

I'm not sure how this study can be described as silly as the entire human civilisation for 25,000 years has shown signs of believing in continued existence after death. Why not investigate it scientifically rather than dismissing the whole phenomenon simply because you believe death is death.

Expanding it to many countries and hospitals is a great idea as it hopefully adds different cultural elements to the mix.

Originally posted by Shere Khaan
When the heart stops pumping and the blood stops flowing how are the chemicals getting flushed through the brain?

I have no idea how '___' is actually released other than that it is, and I guess it does not come via the blood, but that it is stored in the brayny all along.