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Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include:
Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body
Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body Following a bright light
Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body Following a bright light Encounter with a higher being (God, Buddha, Aliens, etc.)
Background Information
Background Information
What is clinical death then? Clinical death: no cardiac output, no respiration, fixed dilated pupils
Background Information
What is clinical death then? Clinical death: no cardiac output, no respiration, fixed dilated pupils Focus of our research evidence are centered on cardiac arrest patients because they all exhibit clinical death
Background Information
Background Information
NDE have been recorded through history and in many different cultures.
Best chance to study death because these patients return from dying
Theorized Causes
Theorized Causes
Theorized Causes
When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness
Theorized Causes
When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness Usually occurs before sleep or just after wakefulness
Theorized Causes
When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness Usually occurs before sleep or just after wakefulness Occurs in times of extreme stress in which one may be in REM sleep and partially awake at the same time
Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes
Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes An NDE that seems to last many minutes might occur in the few seconds right before or right after the cortex blanks out
Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes An NDE that seems to last many minutes might occur in the few seconds right before or right after the cortex blanks out NDE may also be very brief but be perceived as prolong because REM compresses time
Vagus nerve: A cranial nerve that connects the brainstem to the heart and lungs REM intrusion and the vagus nerve (Fox 2006)
In times of extreme stress (heart attacks or near drowning) blood pressure or blood oxygen levels quickly drop, or levels of carbon dioxide in the blood quickly rise. This stimulates the vague nerve Since the REM centers are in the brainstem, this causes the REM centers to snap on without warning
Animal studies
When electrically stimulating the vagus nerve in various animal preparations, stimulation enhances REM and causes atonia Stimulating the vagus nerve in cats pushes them into REM sleep within 45 seconds Epilepsy patients whose condition is treated with implants stimulate their vagus nerve also slip more quickly into REM during daytime naps
Human studies
Since it is located at the end of a tree of blood vessels, if blood pressure drops, perfusion in this area is first to go Thus if blood pressure drops when one is fainting, this explains why they may experience NDE-like symptoms
SUPPORTED by: people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder subsequently have more frequent REM intrusion
REM intrusion during wakefulness is a normal occurrence but infrequently recognized (Nelson 2005)
REM intrusion during wakefulness is a normal occurrence but infrequently recognized (Nelson 2005) Underlies other clinical conditions such as narcolepsy
Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences
Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Narcoleptics REM systems can activate leading to out of body experiences
Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Narcoleptics REM systems can activate leading to out of body experiences Combination of dreaming and wakefulness causes people with narcolepsy to recall their hallucinations vividly
Awaken with part of brain still in REM sleep so body feel paralyzed Result: terrified that youre unable to move, visual/auditory hallucinations, and pressure on the chest
Nelson: surveyed of REM intrusion: 55 people who had NDE from a variety of situations and 55 controls matched for age and gender
Found that around 60% of NDE group reported having experiencing some kind of symptoms of REM intrusion, either before or after their NDE, compared with just 24 % of the control REM intrusions in NDE group were more elaborate (not just sleep paralysis but also hallucinations
Nelson: surveyed of REM intrusion: 55 people who had NDE from a variety of situations and 55 controls matched for age and gender
Not conclusive but good preliminary correlational experience Not conclusive because possible that REM intrusion makes you more susceptible to NDE; also suggests that you do not need to have a near-death experience to have NDE
Experience clinical death Experience another reality Large population can experience NDE
Prevalence of REM intrusion 10% cardiac arrest patients develop memories consistent with NDE
What about the other 90%? Still experience but dont remember?
References
Bosveld, Jane. "Soul Search: Can Science Ever Decipher the Secrets of the Human Soul?" Discover magazine, June 2007. Fox, Douglas. "Light at the End of the Tunnel." New Scientist. Retrieved from the web, http://www.newscientist.com, 2008 March 3. Nelson, Kevin R., MD et al (2006). Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience? Neurology, 66:1003-1009.
Parnia, Sam et al (2001). A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features and aetiology of near death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors. Resuscitation, 48:149-156.
Parnia, Sam and Peter Fenwick (2002). Near death experiences in cardiac arrest: visions of a dying brain or visions of a new science of consciousness. Resuscitation, 52:5-11. Wallace, Benjamin and Leslie E. Fisher. Consciousness and Behavior, Fourth Edition. Waveland Press Inc., Prospect Heights, pp. 218-220.