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Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
reply to post by CaticusMaximus
Except that it is "just drugs." A chemical, to be more exact. I've done plenty of research into the effects of the substance which must not be named (btw ATS auto censors it, not me), and various trip reports indicate a very similar trip between users including tunnels, space elves, comprehension of a universal language, etc, all of which are very similar to NDE reports.
This, coupled with our belief that we trip on said unnamed substance during birth, death, and sleep (it causes dreams), suggests that NDEs truly are simply hallucinogenic experiences. There is a death phase, during this phase you are pumped full of Dimitry, and so you trip.
What you claim about hallucinogenic substances not having similar effects on different people is absolutely false; there are plenty of people who experience similar things attributed with certain substances. Take the great buffalo spirit associated with a certain cactus, or the ancestral spirit guide associated with a certain African plant root.
As much as I'd love to believe that life exists without heart, brain, or body, I'm not going to delude myself into doing so simply on faith alone. Now, is it more likely that people seeing, hearing, feeling, and overall experiencing a phenomenon, which is very akin to a hallucination, is attributed to a chemical or some magical hocus pocus fairytale BS?
We cannot possibly comprehend death, so I'm not going to waste my time trying. It'll come when it comes and we will all be enlightened as to whether anything comes after eventually. To claim anything more is to lie to oneself.
Originally posted by C64Warrior
I discovered the book "Journey of Souls" from Dr Michael Newton.
I did some research on Newton a while ago and it's fairly clear to me now that Newton never did these sessions and that his books are fiction. The most obvious analysis is the consistent language and somewhat cliched choice of past lives of his patients. If these were indeed transcribed from real patient tapes as Newton claimed, you would at least expect some variation in the text but there is very little.
Of his claimed 7000 sessions prior to 1994, I'm not aware of a single patient ever coming forwards to confirm Newton's claims, and he has never shown evidence of the tapes he claims to have transcribed.
His bio says: "He holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, is a certified Master Hypnotherapist and is a member of the American Counseling Association"
It neglects to mention where Newton studied for his Ph.D. Also, anyone can join the American Counseling Association for $159 so this says nothing by itself either.
Newton claimed to be a 'traditional therapist' before getting into past life therapy. This may be true. However, I did an extensive search to find any listings for his therapy offices up to 1994 when he said he was taking thousands of patients, and came up with nothing. That by itself is very odd.
Newton has now expanded his original book into a series of books plus a small empire churning out training courses and the rest, so there is a clear financial motivation for him to continue with the story however.
Life Between Lives — Dr. Michael Newton
I wish that I had researched this guy even just a tiny bit to see if he was legit before I purchased his book. If he was indeed a legitimate PhD psychotherapist it would be easy to find a bio that provided his alma mater and degrees licenses and certifications. I could find no such information. Even on Michael Newton's web page for the Newton Institute for Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy he is extremely vague about his credentials saying only, "He holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, is a certified Master Hypnotherapist and is a member of the American Counseling Association."
If you look up the American Counseling Association you will find that there are no credentials or licensing required for membership. Since he does not provide any verifiable credentials licensing certifications or degrees I for one suspect that he is a complete fraud. The glowing reviews found here on Amazon show how extremely naïve and undiscerning readers are. Amazon
What are details of his qualifications? Where did he get his doctorate from and what is exactly is a Master Hypnotherapist? It sounds like a karate champion or something, but an academic qualification? I highly doubt it.
If he is lying about his qualifications why would I believe anything else he says? I fear death like most other people, and I so wanted this book not to be a fraud, but unfortunately it appears to me that I was misled. Amazon
The "case studies" in this book sound very fake and made up. They seem limited by Mr. Newton's imagination as appears through the repeated mention of "tunnel effect" and "bright light". These images are known very commonly as post-death images in all cultures and don't really convey anything new. Mr. Newton, get some REAL cases and then write a book!! Amazon
I bought this book several months ago after seeing all the positive online reviews. I am *still* trying to finish it. It starts out promising, but quickly became not only disturbing and depressing, but a rather boring read. Buy at your own risk. Amazon
Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
Except that it is "just drugs." A chemical, to be more exact. I've done plenty of research into the effects of the substance which must not be named (btw ATS auto censors it, not me), and various trip reports indicate a very similar trip between users including tunnels, space elves, comprehension of a universal language, etc, all of which are very similar to NDE reports.
Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
We cannot possibly comprehend death
Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
reply to [url=http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread942249/pg2#pid16287855]
...
This, coupled with our belief that we trip on said unnamed substance during birth, death, and sleep (it causes dreams), suggests that NDEs truly are simply hallucinogenic experiences. There is a death phase, during this phase you are pumped full of Dimitry, and so you trip.
...
Originally posted by DestroyDestroyDestroy
While we're speaking in absolutes, an NDE is a hallucination. If you have any actual evidence that it is not, please do share.
Originally posted by Kandinsky
They had details that they shouldn't have known about. Things like descriptions of the attending staff when the patient had been brought in unconscious or had been technically 'dead' for a period of time.