Research Blog 10

 Abstract:

Near death experiences or NDEs are life changing events that occur when a person is clinically dead or extremely close to death, but most importantly, survives to tell the tale. NDEs share similar characteristics, but there is widespread debate over the true meaning and cause of these experiences. Many researchers and scientists believe that they are the result of a brain defense mechanism or abnormal activity in the temporal lobe, while others believe they provide insight into the question of what happens after death and whether some part of a person, such as their spirit, goes on to the afterlife. This essay focuses on the reasonings and evidence that contradict and undermine the scientific explanation. These occurrences cannot be explained by the science we currently know and understand. Perhaps they can be explained by future scientists and researchers, but for now, they will remain unexplained.

Works Cited

Greyson, Bruce. (2010). Seeing Dead People Not Known to Have Died: “Peak in Darien” Experiences. Anthropology and Humanism. 35. 159 - 171. 10.1111/j.1548-1409.2010.01064.x. 

Greyson, Bruce. “Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences.” Humanities (Basel), vol. 4, no. 4, MDPI AG, 2015, pp. 775–96, doi:10.3390/h4040775.

Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. “Decoding The Mystery Of Near-Death Experiences.” NPR, NPR, 22 May 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104397005. 

Kean, Leslie. Surviving Death: a Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife. Three Rivers Press, an Imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018. 

Lichfield, Story by Gideon. “The Science of Near-Death Experiences.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 23 Nov. 2015

Long, Jeffrey. “Near-death experience. Evidence for their reality.” Missouri medicine vol. 111,5 (2014): 372-80. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/   

Morse ML. Near-Death Experiences of Children. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing. 1994;11(4):139-144. doi:10.1177/104345429401100403

Nelson, Kevin. “Near-Death Experiences--Neuroscience Perspectives on Near-Death Experiences.” Missouri Medicine, vol. 112, no. 2, Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, 2015, pp. 92–98

Newman, Tim. “Out-of-Body Experiences: Neuroscience or the Paranormal?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 19 July 2017, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318464#When-do-OBEs-occur?  

Okura, Lynn. “This Mother Says She Knew About Her Son's Death Years Before It Happened.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/dr-mary-neal-in-deep-shift_n_6633758. 

  Ring, Kenneth, and Madelaine Lawrence. “Further Evidence for Veridical Perception During Near-Death Experiences.” Journal of Near-Death Studies, vol. 11, no. 4, Springer, 1993, pp. 223–29, doi:10.1007/BF01078240.

van Lommel, Pim. (2006). Near-Death Experience, Consciousness, and the Brain: A New Concept about the Continuity of Our Consciousness Based on Recent Scientific Research on Near-Death Experience in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest. World Futures. 62. 134-151. 10.1080/02604020500412808. 

Extra Credit

Surviving Death S1:E1 - Near Death Experiences (2021) - 27 min.

Trailer for the Series:                                                   Series Cover:

Link:

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80998853?trackId=14170056

Review:

This Netflix series is based off Leslie Kean's book "Surviving Death". This episode includes many important and well known figures in the NDE research field, including Bruce Greyson, Kimberly Clark (the social worker who confirmed Maria's tennis shoe account), Pam Reynolds, and Dr. Mary Neal (the surgeon who experienced an NDE while kayaking). The show explores multiple cases of near death experiences as well as interviews from scientists and researchers regarding their conclusions about NDEs. For example, Dr. Greyson discusses how drugs tend to inhibit NDEs, rather than causing them like most people believe.  He also discusses how oxygen deprivation to the brain usually causes people to become frightened and scared, which is unlike the calming and blissful experience that most near death experiencers describe. This show also includes an in depth review of Pam Reynolds's case. Last but not least, the show explored the story of Stephanie Arnold. Stephanie had an intense near death experience minutes after her son was born in which she had premonitions about for months before. Overall, this episode was extremely important for my project since I discuss the experiences of Pam Reynolds and Dr. Mary Neal in my paper. Also, I use evidence from Dr. Greyson's research, which he also discusses in this show. In addition, three quotes from the show really stuck out to me;

"There are things that science can't test, but that doesn't mean they don't happen"

"The general mainstream materialist view of reality is that physical matter is all there is. So when the physical brain stops working then the consciousness ends. So the idea that there might be this consciousness piece could continue on conflicts with a pretty basic principle"

"If it is true that consciousness is not solely dependent on the brain, that raises the question, 'What happens to our consciousness after we die?' Can a consciousness continue after the death of the body?"

Literature Review #5

 Visual:

                

Citation:

Kean, Leslie. Surviving Death: a Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife. Three Rivers Press, an Imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018.

Author/Summary:

Leslie Kean is a New York Times bestselling author and is also known for her work “UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go On the Record”. She is an investigative journalist who tends to take a skeptical approach in order to ensure the argument is credible. Her book “Surviving Death” takes a close look at the unexplainable attributes of the near death phenomenon. I did not have access to the entirety of Kean’s book; however, the chapters I was able to read were extremely interesting and captivating. The chapters included accounts from Kimberly Clark, the social worker who confirmed the tennis shoe story from Maria, and Pim van Lommel, a researcher who conducted a study on out of body experiences and NDEs. In addition, the chapters gave more information into the story of Pam Reynolds. Kean’s book was also made into a Netflix series. In fact, this series was what made me very interested in the topic of NDEs.

Key Terms:

A key term from this book is “consciousness”. Kean explains that the evidence found within her book proves that the current definition of consciousness needs to be reevaluated. In addition, she discusses that what was thought as the concrete boundary between life and death is actually very unclear and shadowy. People can be clinically dead for minutes, but can still be resuscitated and come to life, like the story of Dr. Mary Neal. Another key term in this book is “veridical OBE”. This is an out of body experience in which the experiencer is able to use the material/ physical word as support and proof of their OBE. In other words, a veridical OBE is when an experiener’s story can be confirmed with physical evidence. Finally, a third key term is the “material aspect”. Similarly to the veridical OBE, the material aspect is the proof that someone can use to show that their experience was real. In the case of Maria, this was the tennis shoe that was on the ledge. 

Three Quotes:

“Dreams tend to be more chaotic, and we forget them over time, but the OBE remains vivid in the memory as something that actually happened. Most experiencers’ lives are forever changed by it as well, and they no longer fear death. The profound transformation that does occur suggests that something very unusual happened- something with more impact than a dream.” (Kean 94).

“Mainly, I have learned that what we call death may not be the end of our awareness, nor our sense of self, nor our relationship to others. Our consciousness does exist outside of time and space and the confines of our bodies. This knowledge because of a simple shoe, provides the comfort of a possible continuity not just when near death, but also at our actual death.” (Kean 91).

“But when combined with other evidence, such as cases of proved past life memories and near death experiences, veridical OBEs strengthen the overall argument for survival by making an independent consciousness something conceivable” (Kean 94).

Value:

While I did not have access to the entirety of this book, the chapters I did read were extremely valuable. The book offered more insights into the story of Maria (tennis shoe) and Pam Reynolds. In addition, this book helped me find a better theoretical framework to base my argument on.

Argument and Counterargument

Thesis/ Argument:

Veridical OBEs, the material aspect of a near death experience, support the idea that NDEs are not caused by any science or medicine that we know of today; therefore, more research needs to be done in regards to the causes and explanations of an NDE and OBE. These are extraordinary and mystical events that blur the line between life and death as we know it

Research Question:

Can near death experiences be explained by physiological or psychological causations or are they a glimpse of what happens outside of our bodies when we die. If they are not otherworldly events, then how can science explain what should be impossible? How can events such as out of body experiences even be possible?

Counterarguments:

In a source that discusses the main case of my paper (Pam Reynolds), a NDE debunker offers his explanation of what happened to Pam during her NDE and OBE. The article states, "'This report provides absolutely no evidence for survival of any sort of consciousness outside the body during near-death experiences or any other such experiences,' he says....Woerlee says Reynolds experienced anesthesia awareness, in which a person is conscious but can't move. He figures back in 1991, that happened in 1 out of every 2,000 operations." Gerald Worlee, the NDE debunker believes that Reynolds suffered from anesthesia awareness. This is when a person is under general anesthesia but they are able to recall their surroundings or even pain. However, Worlee's explanation does not account for the speakers playing sounds as loud as a lawnmower in Pam's ears.  There is no way that Pam could have heard a conversation, a drill, and the music with the speakers on, so Worlee's explanation is not accurate.

This is just one example of the ongoing debate over the NDE phenomenon; whether or not the cause of NDEs is a medical/ scientific explanation or if there is an unexplainable aspect. Scientists tend to think that the NDE phenomenon is brought on by defense mechanisms of the brain in times of extreme danger or by a lack of oxygen in the brain and abnormal activity in the temporal lobes. Also, some researchers think that certain medications or drugs administered to patients in the hospital can cause an NDE. However, one of my other sources by Bruce Greyson discusses that medications and drugs actually tend to inhibit NDEs.

Bibliographic Information:

Greyson, Bruce. “Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences.” Humanities (Basel), vol. 4, no. 4, MDPI AG, 2015, pp. 775–96, doi:10.3390/h4040775.

Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. “Decoding The Mystery Of Near-Death Experiences.” NPR, NPR, 22 May 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104397005.

Case

 

This is Pam Reynolds, an American singer songwriter who had serious brain surgery in 1991. She had an aneurysm on her brainstem, which entailed a very risky surgery. Doctors had to drain the blood out of her head, snip her aneurysm, and then bring her back to life. At the beginning of the surgery, the doctors taped her eyes shut and placed molded speakers in ears, which played very loud clicking sounds that they could use to determine her brain stem activity. Next Pam said she popped out of her own head and found herself looking down at her body on the operating table. She could see about 20 people and heard a drill sound and an electric toothbrush looking tool in the surgeon’s hand. She also heard a female voice say “Her arteries are too small” and another surgeon state “use the other side.”  Then, an article that discusses Pam’s experience states, ““Soon after, the surgeons began to lower her body temperature to 60 degrees. It was about that time that Reynolds believes she noticed a tunnel and bright light. She eventually flat-lined completely, and the surgeons drained the blood out of her head” During this time when Pam was very close to death, she said she could hear the song “Hotel California” playing.

However, Pam’s recollection of her experience is not enough for proof. A year after her surgery, Pam’s surgeon confirmed her account and even stated “From a scientific perspective, I have absolutely no explanation about how it could have happened” (Hagerty). It was confirmed that there were about 20 people in the room, there was a bone saw that looked like an electric toothbrush, there was a conversation about the size of the arteries in her leg, and the doctors were even listening to “Hotel California” just as Pam heard. It’s important to remember that Pam had her eyes taped shut and speakers in her ears, so there was no way for her to see or her these things. Nevertheless, Gerald Worlee, an Australian researcher and NDE debunker believes Reynolds experiences anesthesia awareness, which is when a patient is conscious but cannot move. Dr. Spetzler argued that her Pam’s brain was incapable of forming or retaining memories during most of her operation, so this disproves Worlee’s theory. Pam’s ability to recall and specific details about her NDE and OBE supports the presence of unexplainable attributes of these phenomena.

Hagerty, Barbara Bradley. “Decoding The Mystery Of Near-Death Experiences.” NPR, NPR, 22 May 2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104397005.

Theoretical Frame

The academic framework for this argument is centered around the fact that there is no undeniable scientific reasoning behind all out of body experiences. People who have an out of body experience and are able to report back information that they should have any knowledge about are the key piece of why out of body experiences cannot be explained by the science and medicine of today.

There are two types of situations when out of body experiences can occur; spontaneous or induced. (Newman). Induced OBEs include those that are caused by drugs, sensory deprivation or overload, or strong g forces. This category of OBEs can usually be explained in a medical way, while spontaneous OBEs are less understood. These OBEs can occur during sleep, extreme physical effort, and near death experiences. About 76% of people who have an NDE also report having an out of body experience where they can see and hear events apart from their physical body (Nelson). NDEs and OBEs are heavily linked and they both contain unexplainable elements. My cases which are about Pam Reynolds and the story of Maria and the tennis shoe are great examples of out of body experiences in which the experiencer is able to recall information that they should not know about since they were clinically dead when it occurred. Both a Medical News Today article, which is titled "Out of Body Experiences: Neuroscience or the Paranormal" and a scientific research article "Neuroscience Perspectives on Near Death Experiences" written by Kevin Nelson helped me create the academic frame for my paper. Both of the sources provide information about the mystery of OBEs and the science involved with them.

Works Cited:

Nelson, Kevin. “Near-Death Experiences--Neuroscience Perspectives on Near-Death Experiences.” Missouri Medicine, vol. 112, no. 2, Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, 2015, pp. 92–98

Newman, Tim. “Out-of-Body Experiences: Neuroscience or the Paranormal?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 19 July 2017, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318464#When-do-OBEs-occur? 

Literature Review #4

 Visual: 

Citation:

Greyson, Bruce. “Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences.” Humanities (Basel), vol. 4, no. 4, MDPI AG, 2015, pp. 775–96, doi:10.3390/h4040775.

Author/ Summary:

This article is written by Dr. Bruce Greyson, a leading expert on near death experiences. His article explores the topic of NDEs as well as their effects and causes. He discusses the invariancy of NDEs across cultures, regardless of cultural expectations. He also found that 10-20% of people who come close to death have an experience with NDE. This article also points out the invariance of near death experiences across people with differing cultures, ages, and beliefs points to either a neurophysiological process in the brain or a mystical domain. It is difficult to research the true causes of NDEs since they have an unpredictable and subjective occurrence. Dr. Greyon also conducted research on the effects of drugs/ medicine on NDEs. His research found that drugs and physical alterations can actually inhibit NDEs, contrary to popular belief. 

Key Terms:

One of the key terms in this article is “ neurophysiological explanation” The article goes into a lot of detail about possible physiological and neurophysiological explanations behind near death experiences. In addition, “out of body experience” is a popular key term in the article. It discusses how OBEs are commonly linked with NDEs. It even states, “The accuracy of out-of-body perceptions during NDEs challenges the conception that they are hallucinations. (Greyson).

Three quotes:

“Moreover, patients who had fevers or were given drugs when near death actually report fewer NDEs and less elaborate experiences than do patients who remain free of drugs and fever. These findings suggest that drugs or physiological alterations in fact inhibit NDEs” (Greyson).

“Although cultural expectations and parameters of the brush with death influence the content of some NDEs, near-death phenomenology is invariant across cultures. That invariance may reflect universal psychological defenses, neurophysiological processes, or actual experience of a transcendent or mystical domain.”(Greyson).

“Although most people who survive close brushes with death report greater appreciation for life, near-death experiencers manifest this in greater zest for life, more intense appreciation for nature and friendship, and living more fully in the moment without concern for the impression they might make, whereas non-experiencers often respond to a close brush with death by becoming more cautious and less likely to take risks” (Greyson).

Value: 

This article is of great value to me because it really helped me to understand near death experiences. Also, Dr. Greyson’s research helped my argument because it found that medicine and drugs actually inhibit near death experiences, rather than cause them which is what most people believe.