Are they allowed to write a book about their research? After all, didn't he receive grants and now he gets to make money?

I also would like to know if they have proof of anyone seeing the signs when they were "dead". I agree, though, if this was true, the focus of the book would have been on this.

Originally posted by Daughter2
Are they allowed to write a book about their research? After all, didn't he receive grants and now he gets to make money?

I also would like to know if they have proof of anyone seeing the signs when they were "dead". I agree, though, if this was true, the focus of the book would have been on this.

Even if they don't see the signs, I would like to know how accurate their OBEs were. Did they see the medical staff working on them, etc? If most of them are accurate, that could have pretty major implications. Of course, the same could also be true for the opposite. This is the biggest study to date, so there should be plenty of information on these things.

The study was always about two things. Verifying whether OBE are real and learning about the medical process of death. The results of this book seem to focus on the latter.

The book summary doesn't necessarily imply that NDEs are created by the brain, but then again most people wouldn't want to buy a book like that.

Doesn't sound promising in proving the OBE. I don't think Parnia ever took the idea that consciousness could separate at death very seriously but it will be a step closer to understanding death.

Sam Parnia - "“If, on the other hand, it’s just an illusion, it’s a trick of the mind, which it may well be and I suspect it will turn out to be, then we would expect no one to be able to see those pictures.”

Parnia is demanding that the Aware Study that he’s done - which imo doesn’t have any chance of succeeding - should be the end all. It should overtrump and coffin nail the 25+ years of prior NDE research.

I smell a debunking going about.

It'll be interesting to see what he uses as definitive proof of whatever it is that he declares as being true. I'll also be interesting to see whether he actually asserts anything to be definitive concerning the OBE aspect of the NDE. If this book goes the same way as literally all other books of this sort, he'll only suggest one hypothesis or the other, and leave it - yet again - vague and open to interpretation.

I have yet to read a book that definitively makes a statement concerning the objective reality of the eternal nature of the human being without declaring faith to be proof at some point in the presentation. It's as if everyone knows that a breakthrough is wanted, and everyone wants a piece of that market, and yet no one has the goods to actually deliver on the book jacket's promises.

Originally posted by NorEaster
It'll be interesting to see what he uses as definitive proof of whatever it is that he declares as being true. I'll also be interesting to see whether he actually asserts anything to be definitive concerning the OBE aspect of the NDE. If this book goes the same way as literally all other books of this sort, he'll only suggest one hypothesis or the other, and leave it - yet again - vague and open to interpretation.

I have yet to read a book that definitively makes a statement concerning the objective reality of the eternal nature of the human being without declaring faith to be proof at some point in the presentation. It's as if everyone knows that a breakthrough is wanted, and everyone wants a piece of that market, and yet no one has the goods to actually deliver on the book jacket's promises.

edit on 8/17/2012 by NorEaster because: (no reason given)

Very true. Even if the results are entirely negative, it still doesn't seem like he is ready to make a definite conclusion. It would be a pretty huge breakthrough either way, but nobody can do it.

Either that, or he has concluded that NDE are created entirely by the brain but doesn't want that being the main premise of the book for fear it won't sell. I can't imagine a book like that would be very fun to read for the vast majority of the population.

pretty surprised by how little discussion is going on in this thread, considering how much attention AWARE has been getting the last few years.

What Dr. Parnia and his group have devised is a way of putting targets-that is, pictures inside the room of someone who may experience cardiac arrest. They may experience clinical death. Up above their bed, very close to the ceiling, is a target that they can’t see unless they’re way up in the ceiling looking down, okay? So the idea is that near-death experiencers routinely report that they’re out of their body, that they’re having this out-of-body experience and Dr. Parnia and his group said, “Hey, let’s devise an experiment so objectively see whether they can report information that only they could see.”

In other words, when somebody comes into the hospital, let’s put them in a room. If they have cardiac arrest, let’s go and talk to them and see if they saw our target that was placed above their bed that only they could see. If a lot of them see it, then this survival of consciousness thing must be real. If they don’t see it, then it’s not.

So that’s the Aware Study, and it’s generated quite a bit of buzz, quite a bit of interest, and as the man behind the Aware Study, there’s been a lot of speculation about exactly what Dr. Parnia’s angle is on this research. I mean, is he a true believer who’s looking to establish another line of evidence for the afterlife? Or is he a die-hard skeptic or materialist looking for a novel way to debunk all of this NDE nonsense?

Originally posted by Everywhen
What Dr. Parnia and his group have devised is a way of putting targets-that is, pictures inside the room of someone who may experience cardiac arrest. They may experience clinical death. Up above their bed, very close to the ceiling, is a target that they can’t see unless they’re way up in the ceiling looking down, okay? So the idea is that near-death experiencers routinely report that they’re out of their body, that they’re having this out-of-body experience and Dr. Parnia and his group said, “Hey, let’s devise an experiment so objectively see whether they can report information that only they could see.”

In other words, when somebody comes into the hospital, let’s put them in a room. If they have cardiac arrest, let’s go and talk to them and see if they saw our target that was placed above their bed that only they could see. If a lot of them see it, then this survival of consciousness thing must be real. If they don’t see it, then it’s not.

So that’s the Aware Study, and it’s generated quite a bit of buzz, quite a bit of interest, and as the man behind the Aware Study, there’s been a lot of speculation about exactly what Dr. Parnia’s angle is on this research. I mean, is he a true believer who’s looking to establish another line of evidence for the afterlife? Or is he a die-hard skeptic or materialist looking for a novel way to debunk all of this NDE nonsense?

I absolutely agree with you to a point- but my understanding is the interviews are very in depth and try to verify other things in the rooms and not just the targets. If people are truly out of body, they should be able to verify at least some things like the doctors working on them, what was said, etc.

Since the book is choosing not to focus on that, however, it leads me to believe the results were negative for more than just the targets. People love buying NDE books, even if they are just of inspiring accounts. With 1,500 patients, they should be able to find some rather impressive stories.

I do agree that even if nobody sees the targets it doesn't mean too much. If none of the accounts are verifiable in any other way, or are flat out wrong, then that would be a problem.

So if we start out with 1,500 cardiac arrest patients. Estimate that we should have maybe about 50 who have had an out-of-body experience. 20% if no one see the pictures. Them we know it's bull.

For me, this is the most meaningful study that has ever been undertaken in the course of human history. This study , if Dr. Parnia's conclusions can be trusted, which I believe they can, will answer once and for all the age old question of what happens to us after we die. Even though this study will only give us a small glimpse of the truth of the main question of whether we simply cease to exist or instead enter a new phase of universal existence, for most of us, a glimpse is all we need.

I have listened to interviews of Dr. Parnia on Skeptiko.com which is a very interesting online radio debate show website which deals with these and other similar matters, and also seen his presentation of his work on YouTube. From that information I have concluded that Dr. Parnia is a true scientist, and is genuinely unbiased in his approach to this study, and has taken and will continue to take the necessary scientific steps to arrive at what he truly wants to find which is the truth. That's great because I think that's really what all of us open-minded people want.

I am very excited to discover the results of his groundbreaking study. He has said in a skeptiko interview that he is aware of the possibility of interference in the study data but he thinks this disturbance will be a small percentage and wont be enough to damage the truth.

I think this is more important than any other issue out there, I care about this information more than the truth about et's, secret government, military, and business behaviors. After we're done with our short lives will that all matter? Will we just cease to exist or enter into another dimension of pure energy made by the creator of the universe? I have an open mind and I'm ready for either conclusion, because if we do cease to exist, I look to what Achilles played by Brad Pitt in the movie "Troy" said when he was talking with the Trojan princess. "The God's envy us because we're mortal. because any moment could be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovlier than you are now, and we will never be here again."

The findings that suggest that we do not enter into an afterlife will make me appreciate every moment here a lot more than I already do. The findings that there is indeed a wonderful afterlife waiting for us when we pass on will fill my heart with relief of not ceasing to exist, amplify my faith in a superior, loving being who created the universe and make me so much happier knowing that I will see my loved ones again in the afterlife. I truly hope we do not just cease to exist, but if we do, I will definitely will have a different philosophy of life and try to remember that quote from troy that reminds us to appreciate every moment and rememeber that we and the universe we live in is beautiful and precious because we will be doomed. Also, if there's nothing after we die, there's nothing to be afraid of.

-blackjackmagraw