Remote viewing, therapeutic touch, psychic healing, alien abductions and near-death experiences appear to be rare occurrences that are strictly seen in sci-fi television programs like The X-Fles or in fictional stories.
However, this is not the case, it has been recorded that these events have unquestionably occurred amongst several individuals throughout history. Of all the existing paranormal events, the most baffling amidst Western society is that of near-death experiences, which has undoubtedly amplified the popularity of parapsychology.
An American Study conducted in 1982, concluded that fifteen percent of individuals who had been in near death situations had reported a near-death experience. Therefore, it is easy to see why there has been an outstanding amount of dedicated research, all having one common goal; to prove whether or not near-death experiences truly exist.
This topic of near-death experiences leaves some individuals skeptical and asking some common questions:
– What are Near-death experiences?
– Are they an indication of the divine?
– Are they simply hallucinations?
– Do they provide us with evidence of life after death?
– Are they caused by an increase of chemicals or a lack of oxygen in the brain?
– What is a near-death experience?
A near-death experience is an assortment of personal events that occur moments before death. It involves a various set of sensations and encounters like feelings of calmness, out of body experiences, extreme fear, and presence of light (deity), tunnel sight, life review, complete serenity and spiritual entities. These are common traits associated with near-death experiences, however some individual’s do not experience all these events and others may have experienced other events not previously stated.
In general, most near death experience’s occur when an individual is pronounced clinically dead yet they are not biologically dead, in very rare cases the individual may not have been dead at all. Raymond Moody, otherwise known as “the father of near-death experiences” developed the common traits and sensations found in near-death experiences.
When first introduced to this theme, Moody was skeptical of the current findings but he soon changed his mind and is now a believer of near-death experiences. In fact, he has studied and documented thousands of near-death experiences in several books and published articles.
According to Moody (1977), there are two primary phases in near death experiences; in the first phase the individual’s soul exits the body, at this point they are able to see themselves from above, this phase can be known as the disassociated phase.
In the second phase the individual’s soul travels through a psychic tunnel into another dimension which at some point the soul is told that it’s not it’s time to die and returns to the body.
Why are there skeptics?
Without a doubt it is evident as to why some people do not believe in near-death experiences, it may even be correct to conclude that these experiences seem to be hallucinations. According to psychologist Ronald Siegel who discredits Moody’s general phases of near death experiences, claims that these near-death experiences are nothing more than hallucinations.
Coupled with a team of researchers Siegel attempted to reproduce the effects of near death experiences by inducing the patients with LSD, his findings concluded that afterwards each subject explained the same general phases founded by Moody in near death experiences.
In fact, other scientists have concluded while in the stages of dying, the brain produces endorphins which are released into the central nervous system and they create a pain-free state, also known as a “runner’s high”, which may explain why some individuals experience complete serenity while dying.
Other skeptics have attempted to explain the formation of near death experiences through research on neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. It is said that ketamine can produce near death experiences; however in our brains there are neurotransmitters receptors which can produce the same effects as ketamine.
According to Jansen (1990), there are substances in the brain which bind to the same receptor site as ketamine and cause conditions which trigger a glutamate overload and may also trigger an overload of neuroprotective agents which bind to NMDA receptors to protect cells, leading to an altered state of consciousness like that produced by ketamine.
In spite of the efforts made to falsify near death experiences, parapsychologists have argued against these points and state that drug induced hallucinations alter reality whereas near death experiences produce “hyper-realities”.
These findings leave many of us searching for scientific evidence which establishes the truth behind near death experiences. Pursuing this further, some scientists have studied near death experiences in relation with epileptic trauma in the temporal lobe of the brain.
In fact, certain traits of near death experiences such as memory flash backs and out of body experiences have been replicated by sending electrical signals to the temporal lobes. According to Britton & Bootzin (2004), being in a near-death experience causes certain stress factors which stimulates the temporal lobe causing the individual to experience memory flash backs and out of body sensations.
Nevertheless, the believers have rejected the findings of Britton & Bootzin because of the aversive feelings that these individuals experience, feelings such as fear and loneliness are not present in near death experiences however they are present in the stimulation of the temporal lobe.
Another interesting theory proposed is that near-death experiences are either the cause of a lack of oxygen or an excess of carbon dioxide in the brain prior to dying. The technical term used to describe this phenomenon is cerebral anoxia or hypoxia which at first causes an increase of feelings of comfort and a sense of superiority and ends with a delusional state where the individual might see images of God or “the lights of heaven”.
However cardiologist Micheal Sabom was able to distinguish the differences between real near death experiences and oxygen deprived brains and concluded that the effects seen in oxygen starved brains are much more chaotic and may even mirror psychotic hallucinations (Sabom 1982).
On the other hand, some have used psychological theories such as the depersonalization theory the epiphenomenalism theory and the reductionism theory, in an attempt to explain the causes of near death experiences.
The depersonalization theory states that when people are faced with death they attempt to replace the bad feelings with surreal fantasies by dissociating themselves from reality. The reductionism theory states that complex things can always be reduced into simpler terms.
Finally, the epiphenomenalism theory postulates that mental states are complex processes and they cannot create physical effects. Contrary to the psychological theories, parapsychologists believe that depersonalization cannot completely define the events which occur in near death experiences, nor can the reductionism or epiphenomenalism theories.
Are there any theories that can concretely explain the phenomenon’s that surround near death experiences?
By Katie Delwo
Greetings, explorer! We thank our supporters from the bottom of our hearts for their generous donations that keep anomalien.com alive. If you'd like to join the cause and help us continue to deliver amazing articles, please consider making a donation. Let's keep the 👽 smiling!Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Telegram for interesting and mysterious bonus content!
Two weeks prior to my mom’s passing, she began seeing her brother who had passed many years prior. I had even heard my mom say outloud that she wasn’t ready to go home. I asked who she was talking to and she said her brother keeps asking her to come home. Two weeks later, she passed away. Then two weeks after she passed, my 6 year old son came running down the hallway freaked out. I asked what was wrong with him and he said he seen Gammy (what he called my mom) sitting on the end of my bed with her head in her hands crying. I kept begging her not to leave me, probably why she was crying. My son described what my mom looked like when she was younger. He said, Gammy looked way different though, much younger and very pretty. I kind of brushed it off. About 6 weeks later, my 6 year old once again comes running down the hallway a bit freaked out. I ask what was wrong. He then told me that “GG” (what he called my grandma for great-grandma) went to be with Gammy too. I then of course ask why he would say that. He said he just seen GG standing in front of his sink looking into the mirror in his bathroom. I honestly didn’t know what to do with that, I think I told him it wasn’t nice to make up stories and he swore up and down he wasn’t making it up. He said she didn’t speak, just stood in front of his bathroom sink staring into the mirror. Well, the next day, my cousin calls me. She tells me that our grandma passed away the day prior. My son seen her in his bathroom moments after she had passed away. There is NO WAY AT ALL my son could’ve known that my grandma had passed away other than by what he had seen. He ended up putting a block on his gift as it freaked him out badly. He had night terrors, or so the doctor said they were night terrors. My son used to tell me that people were in his bedroom. He was like 13-14 when he FINALLY could sleep in a room alone. By then he had put a block on his gift. Just wait….there’s more! Months had gone by, I want to say it had been a good 6 months after my mom had passed away. I blamed God at the time. I was furious with him for taking my mama away as she was my mom, my rock, my best friend, she could finish my sentences and thought the same thing at the same time as me. I used to say she was my non-romantic soulmate. Anyway, I was on my way to work driving in my car. I was full of so much grief, I needed to blame someone, so I could direct my anger somewhere that I was full of. So, I was screaming at God, telling him I didn’t even believe in him anymore. Told him I lost my faith and it was up to him to show me the way to get it back. So I told him if your real prove it to me already. I kept telling him to prove to me that my mom was okay or else I was going to end my life. Must understand, I felt powerless without my mom with me. That very instant as I stopped speaking and screaming, I was cut off safely by a car whose license plates read “NGODHDS” meaning “In Gods Hands.” If that wasn’t enough, as soon as I got to work and was waiting on my first table (I was a waitress at a breakfast place) and my customer was preoccupied with reading the bible. So remember I said my mom was my rock, I depended on her LOTS, especially financially. That day, my electric was due to be shut off unless I was able to pay $200 for a down payment onto a payment plan as I had gone 5 months without working after my mom passed. I just couldn’t leave my bed. That being said, I was heavily backed up on my bills. So, my 2nd table I waited on that day was a very pretty woman, who looked to be maybe in her early 30s. She was dressed in business attire. She only spoke to me enough to give me her order as it did appear that she was also doing work as she ate. I tried not bothering customers when they would appear to be working. I would sneak by with the coffee pot to fill her up and pulled her dishes and left her check. I noticed she got her stuff together and paid her bill up front and left in a hurry. After about 2 minutes, my boss walked to the back where I was and told me the lady I had just waited on left me this, which was an envelope. I opened the envelope to find a 100 dollar bill and a note. The note said, “Jami, God told me you really needed this today. Please don’t lose your faith. Stay blessed.” How the heck did this lady know that I needed that badly that day? How did she know I was doubting my faith? I mean how could she know? Unless…..God really told her. I began to instantly ball my eyes out. I decided then that I would never lose my faith in God again no matter what happens. Sorry this was so long, but I love sharing this story with everyone.