Hi
The brain has a "mind map" of body parts. This sense of "self", of knowing which bit of the universe is you and which is not, is very important. If an arm or leg is amputated, but your "mind map" thinks the appendage is still there, you will experience phantom limb pain.
I came across an article in the April/May 2011 issue of the Australian magazine "Cosmos", page 24, titled "Ever wanted a third arm? It's all in your head" written by Benjamin Skuse, which goes the other way.
"Swedish scientists have managed to convince people that they own three arms, or that they're the size of a Barbie doll, using tricks in a laboratory setting.
"The research addresses some of the oldest philosophical and psychological questions about the relationship between body and mind, and has potential applications in prosthetics and robotics.
" "We demonstrated that the body image is much more flexible then previously thought, even allowing healthy participants to experience awareness of an extra third arm," said study author Arvid Guterstam from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.
"The experiment reported in PLos ONE involved sitting a participant at a table with a rubber prosthetic arm placed next to the right arm. Touching the subject's right hand and the rubber hand with two small brushes at corresponding locations, the scientists stimulated a feeling of owning the prosthetic arm by synchronising the strokes.
" "Instead of choosing to experience only one hand as your own, we surprisingly, found that the brain accepts both right hands as part of the body image," said Guterstam. On going projects question whether the perceived body can be shrunk to the size of a barbie doll, or if the brain can accept a body of a different sex. "This might have important bearing on the development of advanced prosthetics, where the patient can experience and control an extra arm," Guterstam said."
My comment:
I seem to recall accounts from my reading in which people believed their body size had varied during an unusual experience. I'll try and locate some references on this, for a future post.
The full article may be read here.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Near-death experiences - a new book
Hi all
I have just finished reading a new book which has relevance to both near-death experiences and UFO abductions.
The book is "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain: A Neurologist's search for the God Experience." The author is Kevin Nelson. Publisher is Dutton. New York. 2011. ISBN 978-0-525-95188-9.
Opening:
Nelson's interest in the subject of NDEs started nearly 30 years ago when a patient he calls "Joe" had an NDE which Joe said was "absolutely real." (p.3.) Over the following years Nelson "...began to collect these stories..." (p.4.) He observed a number of medical professionals research the topic. This lead him to collect "...case studies of spiritual experiences." (p.18.)
In a chapter titled "What is a spiritual experience?" Nelson reviews the work of William James and his 1902 work "The Variety of Religious Experiences." James' work included spirituality and religion.
Consciousness:
Central to later discussions is the subject of consciousness. Consciousness is defined in clinical neurology as "Awareness of one self and one's surroundings." (p.38.)
Nelson writes that "Within consciousness, neurology recognises three states: wakefulness; REM sleep, and non-REM sleep." (p.38.) REM is short for rapid-eye movement. Nelson's work "...has focused on the switch in the brain stem that regulates our three conscious states." (p.38.)
The three states:
"Each of the three conscious states-wakefulness, REM sleep...and non-REM sleep-has identifiable brain activity..." (p.42.)
"The nerve centres arousing the brain to respond to itself and the environment, switching the brain to sleep or wakefulness, are in the structure called the brain stem...located at the base of the skull." (p.48.)
"The arousal system contains the switches that shift our consciousness between it three states." (p.48.)
The self:
We all identify "the self' - that sense of "me." There are a number of ways in which the self can be lost. Firstly, "The Alien Arm" where your arm doesn't seem to belong to you, and moves of its own volition. "Underlying the alien limb is a disconnection from consciousness and other parts of the self..." (p.75.)
Secondly, is the rubber hand illusion. Here a person can be convinced that a lifelike but rubber hand is a part of them - their "self."
Thirdly, phantom limb pain, where an amputee can still sense their missing limb.
Fourthly, "A brainstem stroke can also cause spare limbs to sprout." (p.75.)
These four things lead Nelson to pose the question, "...if I can sprout new limbs from my body-can I trust the seemingly reality of an out-of-body experience?" (p.76.)
Nelson points out that there are also people who are convinced that they are dead - they do not exist - Cotard's syndrome. "Cotard's syndrome patients think they are dead and that their bodies are decomposing or they are walking around in an afterworld." (p.88.)
These type of experiences led Nelson to remind us that "The brain is perfectly capable of creating experiences that are utterly convincing and are often described as "realer than real." (p.89.)
NDE elements:
Nelson then takes a look at the elements which make up an NDE, from a neurological perspective. He points out the work of Dr Thomas Lempert of Berlin, who in the 1990's experimented on healthy subjects by causing them to safely faint in a laboratory. He found that sixty per cent of fainters had visual hallucinations; on the borderland of consciousness and unconsciousness. 10 per cent had an OBE. Comparing these to elements of NDEs, he found "...no real difference between the two types of experience." (p.125.)
The tunnel mystery solved:
Research by Dr Edward Lambert, a neurophysiologist, on pilots, found that "...when exposed to a force designed to bring on fainting, the pilot's peripheral vision began to dim...the pilot could only see within a small circle in front of him" -it was like looking through a tunnel. (p.129.) "When not enough blood is pumped to the head, the eyes fail first, causing tunnel vision..." (p.130.)
Out of body experiences in NDEs:
"Neurologists have discovered that out-of-body perspectives are created by disrupting how the brain puts sensations together to form the self's body schemas..." (p.139.)
"...out-of-body experiences are about a displacement or misapprehension oft he location of the whole body." (p.140.) The brain brings together various bits of sensory information from such places as the eyes and the vestibular organs in the ear. In an OBE these sensations get disconnected at the tempoparietal junction in the brain.
Nelson proposes that during an OBE in an NDE, "Consciousness has lost its bearings in relation to bodily position, touch, gravity and motion." (p.142.)
Presence of others during an NDE:
NDErs often report seeing a person or supernatural being during the experience. Nelson cites the work of Blank et al who "...discovered shadowy presences lurking in the tempoparietal junction..." of a patient. Instead of an OBE she reported (p.148.) a person behind her when her tempoparietal junction was electrically stimulated.
The Locus Coeruleus:
"Through its connections the locus coeruleus plays crucial roles in arousal and conscious states, paying attention and responding to stress." (p.156.)
Nelson suggests that when in danger " this experiment suggests that we perceive time slowing or our thoughts speeding when we're in danger." (p.171.)
"If we accept that the brain participates in spiritual experience then the orbital prefrontal must be responsible for giving us a glimpse of the rewards that will be ours when we go to heaven or reach enlightenment." (p.180.)
Summary to here:
"Low blood flow reaching the brain from fainting or cardiac arrest leads to many features of near-death experiences. If the tempoparietal portion of the brain shuts down, we have an out-of-body experience or have "sensed presences." When blood flow is cut off to the eye as well as the brain, we experience tunnel vision." (p.183.)
REM sleep:
"During REM sleep, spinal paralysis sets in so we cannot act out our dreams...Our eyes and breathing muscles are left unaffected..." (p.188.)
During REM sleep the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex is turned off. This area of the brain processes logical problem-solving and planning. It organises information, thought and emotions.
Lucid dreaming:
If in REM sleep the dorso-lateral brain were switched on, then we would get lucid dreaming. In lucid dreaming, we become aware we are dreaming whereas normally we do not realise we are dreaming when we dream, only when we awaken. "Lucid dreaming mixes the two conscious states of REM sleep and wakefulness but only in 3 percent of dreams do people enter the borderland of consciousness." (p.190.)
"The experienced lucid dreamer can feel a wide range of emotions, including fear, spiritual ecstasy and sexual bliss." (p.191.)
"Since lucid dreaming can be learned, turning on the dorso-lateral brain seems to be at least somewhat under our control." (p.194.)
"Recently, sophisticated brain-wave recordings have shown that lucid dreaming is a conscious state between REM and waking." (p.194.)
REM switch:
"A switch in the brainstem tilts us between these two states." Awake and REM sleep. (p.197.)
"...tucked away near the centre of the brainstem is a portion of the REM switch called the V1Pag. When it activates consciousness tilts towards waking and away from REM." (p198.)
NDErs different:
Nelson located 55 people who had had NDEs. He asked them "...if during the transition (between wakefulness and sleep they had ever experienced visions, sounds, or paralysis, in other words REM consciousness." (p.200.)
"What we found was that the brain switch linking waking and REM consciousness was different in people who had had a near-death experience. Instead of passing directly between the REM state and wakefulness, the brain switch in these people was two-and-one half times more likely to blend the two states." (p.202.)
"Our study strongly showed that people who have had a near-death experience possess an arousal system predisposed to blending REM and waking consciousness." (p.202.)
The vagus nerve:
"Eighty per cent of the vagus conveys information to the brainstem." (p.206.) "Could wild vagus activity alone tilt someone into REM consciousness?" It seems so. (p.208.)
"When the vagus nerve is stimulated for medical purposes in patients, REM appears rapidly with sleep onset and REM intrudes into non-REM states." (p.206.)
"What is clear is that through its nerves the heart can cause REM consciousness in waking times." (p.207.)
The unearthly light:
"Light at the end of the tunnel can come from two sources. The first is ambient light that comes through our eyelids...A second source of light might, of course, be the light of REM consciousness...Light is the core business of the REM system, creating the visual images ..." (pp212-213.)
Bliss near-death:
"Regardless of what gaps remain in our knowledge, experiencing the bliss of heaven while on earth must have its Genesis somewhere in the brain's reward system." (p.214.)
"...near-death experiences...are more akin to the lucid dream...Part of the dreaming brain erupts in a brain already awake...blending REM with waking consciousness creates experiences that are realistic and memorable." (p.214.)
Summary to here:
Nelson proposes the following near-death experience elements have the following physiological causes:
Tunnel - Low blood flow to the eye's retina
Light - Ambient light and REM visual excitation.
Appearing "dead" - REM paralysis.
Out-of-body - Tempoparietal REM deactivation.
Life review - memories from flight or fight.
Bliss - Reward system.
Narrative quality - REM dreaming and the limbic system.
Mystical experiences:
"A sizable 42 percent of our research subjects felt "united, one with the world" during their near-death experience." (p.221.)
How does this occur?
"It seems possible that shutting down the tempoparietal brain could contribute to the loss of self in a mystical experience." (p.232.)
My comments:
This was a deeply engrossing book to read. I have come across numerous explanations for the different elements of an NDE before, but this is a unified hypothesis that covers all elements.
I see relevance to the out-of-body experience, as I have covered in previous posts on this blog about scientific OBE research.
I now need to ponder the possible relevance of some of this material to UFO abduction accounts, for there seems some highly relevant material here. There is the 'oz factor", the loss of everyday activity which overcomes some abductees. Jenny Randles in the UK has written extensively on the 'oz factor.' Some abductions invlove a "floating sensation." Many abductions are reported to have occurred on the borderland between sleep and awake. There is also the bodily paralysis which overcomes many abductees.
What do blog readers think of Nelson's work?
I have just finished reading a new book which has relevance to both near-death experiences and UFO abductions.
The book is "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain: A Neurologist's search for the God Experience." The author is Kevin Nelson. Publisher is Dutton. New York. 2011. ISBN 978-0-525-95188-9.
Opening:
Nelson's interest in the subject of NDEs started nearly 30 years ago when a patient he calls "Joe" had an NDE which Joe said was "absolutely real." (p.3.) Over the following years Nelson "...began to collect these stories..." (p.4.) He observed a number of medical professionals research the topic. This lead him to collect "...case studies of spiritual experiences." (p.18.)
In a chapter titled "What is a spiritual experience?" Nelson reviews the work of William James and his 1902 work "The Variety of Religious Experiences." James' work included spirituality and religion.
Consciousness:
Central to later discussions is the subject of consciousness. Consciousness is defined in clinical neurology as "Awareness of one self and one's surroundings." (p.38.)
Nelson writes that "Within consciousness, neurology recognises three states: wakefulness; REM sleep, and non-REM sleep." (p.38.) REM is short for rapid-eye movement. Nelson's work "...has focused on the switch in the brain stem that regulates our three conscious states." (p.38.)
The three states:
"Each of the three conscious states-wakefulness, REM sleep...and non-REM sleep-has identifiable brain activity..." (p.42.)
"The nerve centres arousing the brain to respond to itself and the environment, switching the brain to sleep or wakefulness, are in the structure called the brain stem...located at the base of the skull." (p.48.)
"The arousal system contains the switches that shift our consciousness between it three states." (p.48.)
The self:
We all identify "the self' - that sense of "me." There are a number of ways in which the self can be lost. Firstly, "The Alien Arm" where your arm doesn't seem to belong to you, and moves of its own volition. "Underlying the alien limb is a disconnection from consciousness and other parts of the self..." (p.75.)
Secondly, is the rubber hand illusion. Here a person can be convinced that a lifelike but rubber hand is a part of them - their "self."
Thirdly, phantom limb pain, where an amputee can still sense their missing limb.
Fourthly, "A brainstem stroke can also cause spare limbs to sprout." (p.75.)
These four things lead Nelson to pose the question, "...if I can sprout new limbs from my body-can I trust the seemingly reality of an out-of-body experience?" (p.76.)
Nelson points out that there are also people who are convinced that they are dead - they do not exist - Cotard's syndrome. "Cotard's syndrome patients think they are dead and that their bodies are decomposing or they are walking around in an afterworld." (p.88.)
These type of experiences led Nelson to remind us that "The brain is perfectly capable of creating experiences that are utterly convincing and are often described as "realer than real." (p.89.)
NDE elements:
Nelson then takes a look at the elements which make up an NDE, from a neurological perspective. He points out the work of Dr Thomas Lempert of Berlin, who in the 1990's experimented on healthy subjects by causing them to safely faint in a laboratory. He found that sixty per cent of fainters had visual hallucinations; on the borderland of consciousness and unconsciousness. 10 per cent had an OBE. Comparing these to elements of NDEs, he found "...no real difference between the two types of experience." (p.125.)
The tunnel mystery solved:
Research by Dr Edward Lambert, a neurophysiologist, on pilots, found that "...when exposed to a force designed to bring on fainting, the pilot's peripheral vision began to dim...the pilot could only see within a small circle in front of him" -it was like looking through a tunnel. (p.129.) "When not enough blood is pumped to the head, the eyes fail first, causing tunnel vision..." (p.130.)
Out of body experiences in NDEs:
"Neurologists have discovered that out-of-body perspectives are created by disrupting how the brain puts sensations together to form the self's body schemas..." (p.139.)
"...out-of-body experiences are about a displacement or misapprehension oft he location of the whole body." (p.140.) The brain brings together various bits of sensory information from such places as the eyes and the vestibular organs in the ear. In an OBE these sensations get disconnected at the tempoparietal junction in the brain.
Nelson proposes that during an OBE in an NDE, "Consciousness has lost its bearings in relation to bodily position, touch, gravity and motion." (p.142.)
Presence of others during an NDE:
NDErs often report seeing a person or supernatural being during the experience. Nelson cites the work of Blank et al who "...discovered shadowy presences lurking in the tempoparietal junction..." of a patient. Instead of an OBE she reported (p.148.) a person behind her when her tempoparietal junction was electrically stimulated.
The Locus Coeruleus:
"Through its connections the locus coeruleus plays crucial roles in arousal and conscious states, paying attention and responding to stress." (p.156.)
Nelson suggests that when in danger " this experiment suggests that we perceive time slowing or our thoughts speeding when we're in danger." (p.171.)
"If we accept that the brain participates in spiritual experience then the orbital prefrontal must be responsible for giving us a glimpse of the rewards that will be ours when we go to heaven or reach enlightenment." (p.180.)
Summary to here:
"Low blood flow reaching the brain from fainting or cardiac arrest leads to many features of near-death experiences. If the tempoparietal portion of the brain shuts down, we have an out-of-body experience or have "sensed presences." When blood flow is cut off to the eye as well as the brain, we experience tunnel vision." (p.183.)
REM sleep:
"During REM sleep, spinal paralysis sets in so we cannot act out our dreams...Our eyes and breathing muscles are left unaffected..." (p.188.)
During REM sleep the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex is turned off. This area of the brain processes logical problem-solving and planning. It organises information, thought and emotions.
Lucid dreaming:
If in REM sleep the dorso-lateral brain were switched on, then we would get lucid dreaming. In lucid dreaming, we become aware we are dreaming whereas normally we do not realise we are dreaming when we dream, only when we awaken. "Lucid dreaming mixes the two conscious states of REM sleep and wakefulness but only in 3 percent of dreams do people enter the borderland of consciousness." (p.190.)
"The experienced lucid dreamer can feel a wide range of emotions, including fear, spiritual ecstasy and sexual bliss." (p.191.)
"Since lucid dreaming can be learned, turning on the dorso-lateral brain seems to be at least somewhat under our control." (p.194.)
"Recently, sophisticated brain-wave recordings have shown that lucid dreaming is a conscious state between REM and waking." (p.194.)
REM switch:
"A switch in the brainstem tilts us between these two states." Awake and REM sleep. (p.197.)
"...tucked away near the centre of the brainstem is a portion of the REM switch called the V1Pag. When it activates consciousness tilts towards waking and away from REM." (p198.)
NDErs different:
Nelson located 55 people who had had NDEs. He asked them "...if during the transition (between wakefulness and sleep they had ever experienced visions, sounds, or paralysis, in other words REM consciousness." (p.200.)
"What we found was that the brain switch linking waking and REM consciousness was different in people who had had a near-death experience. Instead of passing directly between the REM state and wakefulness, the brain switch in these people was two-and-one half times more likely to blend the two states." (p.202.)
"Our study strongly showed that people who have had a near-death experience possess an arousal system predisposed to blending REM and waking consciousness." (p.202.)
The vagus nerve:
"Eighty per cent of the vagus conveys information to the brainstem." (p.206.) "Could wild vagus activity alone tilt someone into REM consciousness?" It seems so. (p.208.)
"When the vagus nerve is stimulated for medical purposes in patients, REM appears rapidly with sleep onset and REM intrudes into non-REM states." (p.206.)
"What is clear is that through its nerves the heart can cause REM consciousness in waking times." (p.207.)
The unearthly light:
"Light at the end of the tunnel can come from two sources. The first is ambient light that comes through our eyelids...A second source of light might, of course, be the light of REM consciousness...Light is the core business of the REM system, creating the visual images ..." (pp212-213.)
Bliss near-death:
"Regardless of what gaps remain in our knowledge, experiencing the bliss of heaven while on earth must have its Genesis somewhere in the brain's reward system." (p.214.)
"...near-death experiences...are more akin to the lucid dream...Part of the dreaming brain erupts in a brain already awake...blending REM with waking consciousness creates experiences that are realistic and memorable." (p.214.)
Summary to here:
Nelson proposes the following near-death experience elements have the following physiological causes:
Tunnel - Low blood flow to the eye's retina
Light - Ambient light and REM visual excitation.
Appearing "dead" - REM paralysis.
Out-of-body - Tempoparietal REM deactivation.
Life review - memories from flight or fight.
Bliss - Reward system.
Narrative quality - REM dreaming and the limbic system.
Mystical experiences:
"A sizable 42 percent of our research subjects felt "united, one with the world" during their near-death experience." (p.221.)
How does this occur?
"It seems possible that shutting down the tempoparietal brain could contribute to the loss of self in a mystical experience." (p.232.)
My comments:
This was a deeply engrossing book to read. I have come across numerous explanations for the different elements of an NDE before, but this is a unified hypothesis that covers all elements.
I see relevance to the out-of-body experience, as I have covered in previous posts on this blog about scientific OBE research.
I now need to ponder the possible relevance of some of this material to UFO abduction accounts, for there seems some highly relevant material here. There is the 'oz factor", the loss of everyday activity which overcomes some abductees. Jenny Randles in the UK has written extensively on the 'oz factor.' Some abductions invlove a "floating sensation." Many abductions are reported to have occurred on the borderland between sleep and awake. There is also the bodily paralysis which overcomes many abductees.
What do blog readers think of Nelson's work?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Spiritual Encounters with lightforms
Every now and then, one stumbles on a little gem of a book, and my latest find is by Mark Fox, titled "Spiritual Encounters with Unusual Light Phenomena:Lightforms," published by the University of Wales Press in 2008. ISBN 978-0-7083-2157-7.
Fox uncovered a treasure trove of about "400 accounts of unusual experiences of light, nearly all unpublished and gathered over a period of more than thirty years." (p.3.) These accounts were included in a 6,000 strong collection of accounts held by the University of Wales, Lampeter, in Wales.
A man named Alister Hardy gathered the material together from public appeals for such material, and the collection is today managed by the Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC.)
Hardy collected accounts of experiences "...of that continuing sense of spiritual awareness which many people feel makes a difference to their lives," (p.24.) as well as one-off experiences.
Lights:
He received accounts involving "lights" which could be fitted into a number of categories, including near-death experiences, angelic experiences, lights which seemed to be UFO experiences, and apparent Marian apparitions. A small number (10) featured more than one witness. There are also some very odd accounts such as one in which "...the subject and her companion found themselves casting shadows on the ground, as if a strong light was present and shining on them from behind but where no light could be discerned." (p.68.)
Timing:
Fox analyses the date provided in the almost 400 cases and noted that "...over 50 per cent of the number of experience of light in the entire archive occurred at a time of crisis..." (p.72.) One of the patterns which emerged was that "Many accounts which contain the features of the emerging pattern of crisis/positive feelings/positive fruits..." (p.91.)
Fox poses the question "Could it, in fact, be the case that the reported lights somehow ease or resolve individuals' crises and produce the good fruits that so often ensues? In other words, could it be that these lights that subjects encounter somehow represent-or in some sense create-turning points that resolve their personal crises and transform their lives, redirecting them in new, more positive, and often spiritually enriched ways?" (p.98.)
Mystical experiences:
In a recent post on the blog http://uf0s-scientificresearch.blogspot.com I mentioned I had come across a woman who underwent a UFO related mystical experience., and a feeling of one with the Universe. Fox's book has examples of mystical experience which include:
While in prayer, a person "...became suddenly aware of light rays about me...I actually felt that I was in tune with the entire Universe." (p.102.)
Another individual "I was suffused with an awareness of the entire oneness of the universe." (p.119.)
Yet a third, "For a few moments I really did feel at one with the Universe." (p.261.)
Lights seen during near-death experiences:
The term "near-death experience" was first used by Raymond Moody in 1975 in his book "Life after life." The collection of accounts in Fox's work, which seem to be NDE's was gathered by Alister Hardy before 1971. So these NDE accounts have been untouched by all the post-1975 research into NDEs, and hence represent cases "...that cannot have arisen from the attention that was focused on them in the last quarter of the twentieth century and on into the twenty-first." (p.7.)
An account from the Second World War recounts "...found myself travelling down a long dark tunnel. I felt no fear, only a sense of peace. There was a brilliant light at the end...a pair of gates were opening soundlessly...I was being returned and drawn back down the tunnel..." (p.128.) A classic post 1975 NDE.
Analysis and explanation:
Part three of Fox's book seeks to analyse the material in a number of ways. He sub-divides the accounts into those occurring at time of crisis; ones which involve positive feelings; the colours of the lights, and so on.
Fox then looks at possible explanations for the observations of these lights. He finally notes the landmark article by Dewi Rees, from the 1971 British Medical Journal, which I first came across in the 1970's. This was titled "The Hallucinations of Widowhood." Then Fox looks at the "abreaction/rebound" as applied to soldiers with what today would be called Post Traumatic Distress Disorder.
The question is posed as to "...whether or not these unusual episodes of light are evidence of some kind of mental dysfunction...?" (p.179.) He thinks not.
Oliver Sachs' work on migraine auras is reviewed but Fox concludes "...it appears that migraine auras too cannot adequately explain the vast majority of accounts of light in the RERC archive." (p.184.)
A lengthy examination conducted of temporal-lobe transients, concludes that "...meaningful experiences to be had as a result of TLT is able to account for some fragmentary episodes involving unusual lights." (p.191.)
In the end Fox arrives at the conclusion that "...no single theory that we have examined so far has been able entirely to explain the phenomena under investigation. We are left, then, with a mystery." (p.196.)
"Reading through the accounts that make up this study it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the pattern which many experiences follow may be telling us something. That there are dimensions to reality that extend beyond the physical, perhaps; dimensions and realities that may be able, on occasion, to interact with our own." (p.196.)
End thoughts:
At the beginning of this post I spoke of finding "gems." Here is another gem" from this book (p.176.)
"Perhaps, then, we should simply conclude that encounters with light after death are just one subset of a much larger group of post-mortem experiences such as those uncovered by Rees that include sensing the presence of the dead, hearing them, or even feeling their touch."
An important point I think, in looking at the UFO phenomenon is tat you cannot separate it from other aspects of the paranormal. I have, for example, come across an alien abduction that had some of the elements of an NDE. I was looking for NDE experiences in Australia in the early 1980s and found the following.
1979 Melbourne Victoria 11pm
"A man named Mark retired to bed one night . Shortly after closing his eyes he lost all sense of sound and feeling and found himself travelling in a tunnel through space. Looking forward he noted a light at the end of the tunnel. In a room, on a table, he was medically examined by three beings...When they introduced a "scanner" to check him over he "freaked out" and woke up in his own bed..."
Other Australian abduction cases have similar elements to mystical experiences. In a 1974 abduction in New South Wales, a man named Peter experienced "a euphoric feeling" during the event.
An excellent book.
Fox uncovered a treasure trove of about "400 accounts of unusual experiences of light, nearly all unpublished and gathered over a period of more than thirty years." (p.3.) These accounts were included in a 6,000 strong collection of accounts held by the University of Wales, Lampeter, in Wales.
A man named Alister Hardy gathered the material together from public appeals for such material, and the collection is today managed by the Religious Experience Research Centre (RERC.)
Hardy collected accounts of experiences "...of that continuing sense of spiritual awareness which many people feel makes a difference to their lives," (p.24.) as well as one-off experiences.
Lights:
He received accounts involving "lights" which could be fitted into a number of categories, including near-death experiences, angelic experiences, lights which seemed to be UFO experiences, and apparent Marian apparitions. A small number (10) featured more than one witness. There are also some very odd accounts such as one in which "...the subject and her companion found themselves casting shadows on the ground, as if a strong light was present and shining on them from behind but where no light could be discerned." (p.68.)
Timing:
Fox analyses the date provided in the almost 400 cases and noted that "...over 50 per cent of the number of experience of light in the entire archive occurred at a time of crisis..." (p.72.) One of the patterns which emerged was that "Many accounts which contain the features of the emerging pattern of crisis/positive feelings/positive fruits..." (p.91.)
Fox poses the question "Could it, in fact, be the case that the reported lights somehow ease or resolve individuals' crises and produce the good fruits that so often ensues? In other words, could it be that these lights that subjects encounter somehow represent-or in some sense create-turning points that resolve their personal crises and transform their lives, redirecting them in new, more positive, and often spiritually enriched ways?" (p.98.)
Mystical experiences:
In a recent post on the blog http://uf0s-scientificresearch.blogspot.com I mentioned I had come across a woman who underwent a UFO related mystical experience., and a feeling of one with the Universe. Fox's book has examples of mystical experience which include:
While in prayer, a person "...became suddenly aware of light rays about me...I actually felt that I was in tune with the entire Universe." (p.102.)
Another individual "I was suffused with an awareness of the entire oneness of the universe." (p.119.)
Yet a third, "For a few moments I really did feel at one with the Universe." (p.261.)
Lights seen during near-death experiences:
The term "near-death experience" was first used by Raymond Moody in 1975 in his book "Life after life." The collection of accounts in Fox's work, which seem to be NDE's was gathered by Alister Hardy before 1971. So these NDE accounts have been untouched by all the post-1975 research into NDEs, and hence represent cases "...that cannot have arisen from the attention that was focused on them in the last quarter of the twentieth century and on into the twenty-first." (p.7.)
An account from the Second World War recounts "...found myself travelling down a long dark tunnel. I felt no fear, only a sense of peace. There was a brilliant light at the end...a pair of gates were opening soundlessly...I was being returned and drawn back down the tunnel..." (p.128.) A classic post 1975 NDE.
Analysis and explanation:
Part three of Fox's book seeks to analyse the material in a number of ways. He sub-divides the accounts into those occurring at time of crisis; ones which involve positive feelings; the colours of the lights, and so on.
Fox then looks at possible explanations for the observations of these lights. He finally notes the landmark article by Dewi Rees, from the 1971 British Medical Journal, which I first came across in the 1970's. This was titled "The Hallucinations of Widowhood." Then Fox looks at the "abreaction/rebound" as applied to soldiers with what today would be called Post Traumatic Distress Disorder.
The question is posed as to "...whether or not these unusual episodes of light are evidence of some kind of mental dysfunction...?" (p.179.) He thinks not.
Oliver Sachs' work on migraine auras is reviewed but Fox concludes "...it appears that migraine auras too cannot adequately explain the vast majority of accounts of light in the RERC archive." (p.184.)
A lengthy examination conducted of temporal-lobe transients, concludes that "...meaningful experiences to be had as a result of TLT is able to account for some fragmentary episodes involving unusual lights." (p.191.)
In the end Fox arrives at the conclusion that "...no single theory that we have examined so far has been able entirely to explain the phenomena under investigation. We are left, then, with a mystery." (p.196.)
"Reading through the accounts that make up this study it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the pattern which many experiences follow may be telling us something. That there are dimensions to reality that extend beyond the physical, perhaps; dimensions and realities that may be able, on occasion, to interact with our own." (p.196.)
End thoughts:
At the beginning of this post I spoke of finding "gems." Here is another gem" from this book (p.176.)
"Perhaps, then, we should simply conclude that encounters with light after death are just one subset of a much larger group of post-mortem experiences such as those uncovered by Rees that include sensing the presence of the dead, hearing them, or even feeling their touch."
An important point I think, in looking at the UFO phenomenon is tat you cannot separate it from other aspects of the paranormal. I have, for example, come across an alien abduction that had some of the elements of an NDE. I was looking for NDE experiences in Australia in the early 1980s and found the following.
1979 Melbourne Victoria 11pm
"A man named Mark retired to bed one night . Shortly after closing his eyes he lost all sense of sound and feeling and found himself travelling in a tunnel through space. Looking forward he noted a light at the end of the tunnel. In a room, on a table, he was medically examined by three beings...When they introduced a "scanner" to check him over he "freaked out" and woke up in his own bed..."
Other Australian abduction cases have similar elements to mystical experiences. In a 1974 abduction in New South Wales, a man named Peter experienced "a euphoric feeling" during the event.
An excellent book.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Kevin Nelson
Hi
I've just had a few thoughts about the work of U.S. neurologist, Kevin Nelson (see my previous post.)
There are people who have trained themselves (e.g. Stephen La Berge) to increase the percentage of lucid dreams they have. This would imply that they can learn to switch on the dorso-lateral cortex areas of their own brains, while they are in REM sleep. How would they do this?
There are other people who have trained themselves to have out-of-body experiences (e.g. Robert Monroe). If Nelson's ideas are correct, then such individuals must have been able to learn how to turn off the temporoparietal region of their own brains. How would they do this?
If, as according to Nelson, OBEs during NDEs are in fact due to the temporoparietal region of the brain being switched off, then what about abductions where experiencers tell us they are able to "float" during the event? Perhaps it is in fact due to the same mechanism. Experiencers lose their body's sense of spatical position, and become convinced that they are "out-of-body" floating. Here, we would not be talking of a person who knows how to switch off the temporoparietal region, but who has an experience, when the temporoparietal region switches itself off for some reason, beyond their control. Naturally, as it was out of their control, the fact that it occurred would cause them puzzlement, distress and anxiety, and a total lack of understanding of what was happening.
I look forward to getting a copy of Nelson's new book, to read his hypothesis in full.
I've just had a few thoughts about the work of U.S. neurologist, Kevin Nelson (see my previous post.)
There are people who have trained themselves (e.g. Stephen La Berge) to increase the percentage of lucid dreams they have. This would imply that they can learn to switch on the dorso-lateral cortex areas of their own brains, while they are in REM sleep. How would they do this?
There are other people who have trained themselves to have out-of-body experiences (e.g. Robert Monroe). If Nelson's ideas are correct, then such individuals must have been able to learn how to turn off the temporoparietal region of their own brains. How would they do this?
If, as according to Nelson, OBEs during NDEs are in fact due to the temporoparietal region of the brain being switched off, then what about abductions where experiencers tell us they are able to "float" during the event? Perhaps it is in fact due to the same mechanism. Experiencers lose their body's sense of spatical position, and become convinced that they are "out-of-body" floating. Here, we would not be talking of a person who knows how to switch off the temporoparietal region, but who has an experience, when the temporoparietal region switches itself off for some reason, beyond their control. Naturally, as it was out of their control, the fact that it occurred would cause them puzzlement, distress and anxiety, and a total lack of understanding of what was happening.
I look forward to getting a copy of Nelson's new book, to read his hypothesis in full.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Australian Big Cats - a new book
Hi
Introduction:
Over the years, besides my interest in NDEs and UFOs, I have kept an eye on the subject of animals turning up where they shouldn't be.
So, when I came across a new Australian book on "Australian Big Cats," I looked upon it as an opportunity to catch up with where research was on this topic. The full title of the book is "Australian Big cats:An Unnatural History of Panthers" by Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang. Published by Strange Nation Publishing, Hazelbrook, NSW, Australia in 2010. ISBN 978-0-646-53007-9.
The introduction to the book tells us that Mike Williams "...is a Sydney based writer and researcher who has investigated strange phenomena and mystery animal sightings for the past 25 years." Rebecca Lang is a Sydney journalist, whose animal mystery work has appeared in such places as the UK Fortean Times magazine.
What is the subject of the book?
"For almost 150 years, sightings of strange, cat-like creatures have been reported and documented across Australia. While predominantly described as resembling jet-black panthers or sandy-coloured pumas and lions, spotted and striped large cats have also been reported since white settlement."
Evidence:
The book is filled with account after detailed account from individuals who report sighting unusual animals. These accounts span time and come from most states, with the top state being Victoria.
The lines of evidence pursued in the work are:
* carcasses of sheep, cattle, native animals and sometimes even domestic animals, which show evidence of death or attack other than by dogs, foxes etc
* Images-photographs, films and videos e.g. that filmed by Garry and Kerry Blount near Mudgee
* Prints in the ground e.g. John Patterson's from Ninety Mile beach in Victoria.
What do the authors conclude?
"The absence of physical evidence in many cases (but not all, as we have seen above) leaves plenty of room to argue that perhaps these cats are just figments or phantoms of the imagination..." (p.301.)
""We've even heard researchers discuss a paranormal element to big cat sightings , to account for the speed, stealth and uncatchable nature of these animals-but we can tell you that flesh and blood cats possess all of these attributes." (P.301.)
The 2005 Gippsland, Victoria shooting by Kurt Engel, of an animal which DNA testing revealed to be a large domestic style feral cat, which was 1.85m long "...threw up an altogether more frightening...scenario: Australian feral cats are busily super sizing..." (p.302.)
"That said, assessing the evidence from Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, we still believe exotic cats have also carved a niche for themselves in the Australian ecosystem. Our belief has been supported by the discovery of government paperwork on a scat and hair analysis on the Winchelsea cat hairs that came back as a possible melanistic leopard." (p.303.)
Where do they come from?
"The zoo/circus angle is perhaps the most credible of all potential origins. " (p.303.)
"And what of the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo Carnifex - could it still be roam the Australian bush? We're not 100% certain, but a distant marsupial relative might account for the profusion of 'Queensland Tiger' sightings." (P.304.)
Oddities:
Given my interest in the UFO phenomenon, with its conspiracy theories, alleged Government interference and the frailties of researchers, it was curious to see the same things were operating in the field of big cat research. For example;
Evidence disappears - David Pepper-Edwards was "the former senior specialist keeper of exotic cats at Toronga Zoo...sadly just before his retirement and shortly after a 'big cat' meeting of several representatives from various departments, the box containing some of the best documentary evidence to date went missing from his workplace." (pp43-44.) Similar things happened to vet Peter Brighton (p.171) and researcher Wally Davies (p.172.)
Suppressed reports- Dr Johannes Bauer, "...a wildlife ecologist from Charles Sturt University, who was engaged by the Department of Primary Industry in 1994 to look into sightings in the Hawkesbury area---After evaluating the evidence he concluded, "Difficult as it seems to accept the most likely explanation of the evidence of the presence of a large feline predator in the area."
His report to the Department was not publicly released and it was only after application was made under the Freedom of Information Act that the report surfaced." (p.44.)
Experts erring- "During this time the group also conducted a 'blind test' of several experts by sending leopold hair and scat...sure enough, after dispatching hair samples taken from a melanistic leopold...the results came back Felis Catus! The scat came back 'dog.' (p.34.)
Overall comments:
This work follows on from the 1981work "Savage Shadow: the search for the Australian cougar" by journalist David O'Reilly, published by Creative research. Perth, WA. ISBN 0908469136; and "Out of the Shadows" by Paul Cropper and Tony Healy, published in 1994 by Ironbank/Pan Macmillan. Sydney. ISBN 978-0-33027-4999.
It is an excellent overview of the state of 'Australian big cat' research as at 2010. There are excellent footnotes of sources on many pages, and a good index. The book might have benefited from a bibliography, but that is only a minor point.
All in all, a great book for your bookshelf.
Introduction:
Over the years, besides my interest in NDEs and UFOs, I have kept an eye on the subject of animals turning up where they shouldn't be.
So, when I came across a new Australian book on "Australian Big Cats," I looked upon it as an opportunity to catch up with where research was on this topic. The full title of the book is "Australian Big cats:An Unnatural History of Panthers" by Michael Williams and Rebecca Lang. Published by Strange Nation Publishing, Hazelbrook, NSW, Australia in 2010. ISBN 978-0-646-53007-9.
The introduction to the book tells us that Mike Williams "...is a Sydney based writer and researcher who has investigated strange phenomena and mystery animal sightings for the past 25 years." Rebecca Lang is a Sydney journalist, whose animal mystery work has appeared in such places as the UK Fortean Times magazine.
What is the subject of the book?
"For almost 150 years, sightings of strange, cat-like creatures have been reported and documented across Australia. While predominantly described as resembling jet-black panthers or sandy-coloured pumas and lions, spotted and striped large cats have also been reported since white settlement."
Evidence:
The book is filled with account after detailed account from individuals who report sighting unusual animals. These accounts span time and come from most states, with the top state being Victoria.
The lines of evidence pursued in the work are:
* carcasses of sheep, cattle, native animals and sometimes even domestic animals, which show evidence of death or attack other than by dogs, foxes etc
* Images-photographs, films and videos e.g. that filmed by Garry and Kerry Blount near Mudgee
* Prints in the ground e.g. John Patterson's from Ninety Mile beach in Victoria.
What do the authors conclude?
"The absence of physical evidence in many cases (but not all, as we have seen above) leaves plenty of room to argue that perhaps these cats are just figments or phantoms of the imagination..." (p.301.)
""We've even heard researchers discuss a paranormal element to big cat sightings , to account for the speed, stealth and uncatchable nature of these animals-but we can tell you that flesh and blood cats possess all of these attributes." (P.301.)
The 2005 Gippsland, Victoria shooting by Kurt Engel, of an animal which DNA testing revealed to be a large domestic style feral cat, which was 1.85m long "...threw up an altogether more frightening...scenario: Australian feral cats are busily super sizing..." (p.302.)
"That said, assessing the evidence from Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, we still believe exotic cats have also carved a niche for themselves in the Australian ecosystem. Our belief has been supported by the discovery of government paperwork on a scat and hair analysis on the Winchelsea cat hairs that came back as a possible melanistic leopard." (p.303.)
Where do they come from?
"The zoo/circus angle is perhaps the most credible of all potential origins. " (p.303.)
"And what of the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo Carnifex - could it still be roam the Australian bush? We're not 100% certain, but a distant marsupial relative might account for the profusion of 'Queensland Tiger' sightings." (P.304.)
Oddities:
Given my interest in the UFO phenomenon, with its conspiracy theories, alleged Government interference and the frailties of researchers, it was curious to see the same things were operating in the field of big cat research. For example;
Evidence disappears - David Pepper-Edwards was "the former senior specialist keeper of exotic cats at Toronga Zoo...sadly just before his retirement and shortly after a 'big cat' meeting of several representatives from various departments, the box containing some of the best documentary evidence to date went missing from his workplace." (pp43-44.) Similar things happened to vet Peter Brighton (p.171) and researcher Wally Davies (p.172.)
Suppressed reports- Dr Johannes Bauer, "...a wildlife ecologist from Charles Sturt University, who was engaged by the Department of Primary Industry in 1994 to look into sightings in the Hawkesbury area---After evaluating the evidence he concluded, "Difficult as it seems to accept the most likely explanation of the evidence of the presence of a large feline predator in the area."
His report to the Department was not publicly released and it was only after application was made under the Freedom of Information Act that the report surfaced." (p.44.)
Experts erring- "During this time the group also conducted a 'blind test' of several experts by sending leopold hair and scat...sure enough, after dispatching hair samples taken from a melanistic leopold...the results came back Felis Catus! The scat came back 'dog.' (p.34.)
Overall comments:
This work follows on from the 1981work "Savage Shadow: the search for the Australian cougar" by journalist David O'Reilly, published by Creative research. Perth, WA. ISBN 0908469136; and "Out of the Shadows" by Paul Cropper and Tony Healy, published in 1994 by Ironbank/Pan Macmillan. Sydney. ISBN 978-0-33027-4999.
It is an excellent overview of the state of 'Australian big cat' research as at 2010. There are excellent footnotes of sources on many pages, and a good index. The book might have benefited from a bibliography, but that is only a minor point.
All in all, a great book for your bookshelf.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Kevin Nelson's latest NDE research
Hi all,
Kevin Nelson is a neurologist at the University of Kentucky. A book by Nelson has just been published in the USA by Dutton, reports an article in the 25 December 2010/1 January 2011 edition of the "New Scientist" magazine (pp 80-81.) It is titled "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain."
Nelson suggests that there are three states of consciousness, these being "awake"; "non-REM sleep" and "REM sleep." These three distinct states can blend at times.
Regarding NDEs he says "What I have discovered is that the switch in the brain stem that regulates these three states functions differently in people who have NDEs. These people are more likely to get stuck between the REM state and waking. So it looks like some people are prone to having these kinds of experiences. Interestingly, it tends to run in families."
On OBEs during NDEs.
"These come about because the temporoparietal region of the brain is turned off, so the brain is no longer able to map the body's position in space. "
"REM consciousness turns the temporoparietal region off, so if you are semi-conscious in a borderland between waking and REM, you can easily have an out-of-body experience."
Lucid dreams
Brainwave measurements show that lucid dreaming is a conscious state between REM and awakening. During REM consciousness, the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex is turned off. As that's the executive rational part of the brain, this explains why dreams are so bizarre. But if the dorso-lateral cortex turns on inside a dream, you become aware you are dreaming."
My comments:
Very interesting material. I look forward to reading the book.
Naturally, one also thinks of the possible relevance to alien abduction accounts. I'll ponder this question for a while.
For more on Nelson's work, click on http://www.skeptiko.com/kevin-nelson-skeptical-of-near-death-experience-accounts/
and http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/01/1584036/university-of-kentucky-neurologist.html
Kevin Nelson is a neurologist at the University of Kentucky. A book by Nelson has just been published in the USA by Dutton, reports an article in the 25 December 2010/1 January 2011 edition of the "New Scientist" magazine (pp 80-81.) It is titled "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain."
Nelson suggests that there are three states of consciousness, these being "awake"; "non-REM sleep" and "REM sleep." These three distinct states can blend at times.
Regarding NDEs he says "What I have discovered is that the switch in the brain stem that regulates these three states functions differently in people who have NDEs. These people are more likely to get stuck between the REM state and waking. So it looks like some people are prone to having these kinds of experiences. Interestingly, it tends to run in families."
On OBEs during NDEs.
"These come about because the temporoparietal region of the brain is turned off, so the brain is no longer able to map the body's position in space. "
"REM consciousness turns the temporoparietal region off, so if you are semi-conscious in a borderland between waking and REM, you can easily have an out-of-body experience."
Lucid dreams
Brainwave measurements show that lucid dreaming is a conscious state between REM and awakening. During REM consciousness, the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex is turned off. As that's the executive rational part of the brain, this explains why dreams are so bizarre. But if the dorso-lateral cortex turns on inside a dream, you become aware you are dreaming."
My comments:
Very interesting material. I look forward to reading the book.
Naturally, one also thinks of the possible relevance to alien abduction accounts. I'll ponder this question for a while.
For more on Nelson's work, click on http://www.skeptiko.com/kevin-nelson-skeptical-of-near-death-experience-accounts/
and http://www.kentucky.com/2011/01/01/1584036/university-of-kentucky-neurologist.html
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Latest NDE scientific research paper
Hi
The first scientific article I came across in my search for the latest thinking on NDEs, is dated 2010 and titled "The effect of carbon dioxide on near-death experiences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: a prospective observational study," by Zalika Klemenc-Katis; Janko Kersnik and Stefek Grmec. This research paper appeared in BioMed Central's Open Access Journal "Critical Care" 2010 14:R56.
Abstract:
"Introduction: Near-death experiences (NDEs) are reported by 11-23% of cardiac arrest survivors. Several theories concerning the mechanisms of NDEs exist-including physical, psychological and transcendental reasons-but so far none of these has satisfactorily explained this phenomenon. In this study, we investigated the effect of partial pressures of 02 and C02 and serum levels of Na and K on the occurrence of NDEs in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the three largest hospitals in Slovenia. Fifty-two consecutive patients (median age 53.1, 42 males) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were included. The presence of NDEs was assessed with a self-administered Greyson's NDE scale. The initial partial pressure of end-tidal CO2, the arterial blood partial pressures of O2 and CO2 and the levels of Na and K in venous blood were analysed and studied. Univariate analyses and multiple regression models were used.
Results: NDEs were reported by 11 (21.9%) of the patients. Patients with higher initial partial pressures of end-tidal CO2 had significantly more NDEs (less than 0.01). Patients with higher arterial blood partial pressures of CO2 had significantly more NDEs (P=0.041). Scores on a NDE scale were positively correlated with partial pressures of CO2(P=0.017) and with serum levels of potassium (P=0.026.) The logistic regression model for the presence of NDEs (P=0.002) explained 46% of the variance and revealed higher partial pressures of CO2 to be an independent predictor of NDEs. The linear progression model for a higher score on the NDE scale (P=0.001) explained 34% of the variance and revealed higher partial pressures of CO2, higher serum levels of K and previous NDEs as independent predictors of the NDE score.
Conclusions: Higher concentrations of CO2 proved significant, and higher serum levels of K might be important in the provoking of NDEs. Since these associations have not been reported before, our study adds novel information to the field of NDEs phenomena."
The full article:
After reading the full article, I have noted the following additional points of interest:
1. "It is still not clear whether NDEs occur before, during or after the period of cardiac arrest...Our findings concerning the association between initial petCO2 and the occurrence of NDEs therefore supports the hypothesis that NDEs occur during the cardiac arrest... on the other hand, the association between higher pCO2 upon admission and the occurrence of NDEs might suggest that NDEs occur after the cardiac arrest..."
2. "...it is known that CO2 changes the acid-base equilibrium in the brain, which can provoke unusual experiences in the form of bright light, visions and out-of-body or even mystical experiences. Some earlier studies have shown that inhaled CO2, used as a psycho therapeutic agent could cause NDE-like experiences. Therefore, we can conclude that CO2 might be one of the major factors for provoking NDEs, regardless of when NDEs occur..."
3. "Previous prospective studies on NDEs reported an 11 to 23% incidence between cardiac arrest survivors, which is consistent with the incidence found in our study...Previous studies have shown that NDEs more often occur in patients younger than 60 years of age..."
My comments:
I find the subject of NDEs as interesting and as challenging, as UFO abduction research. In the instance of an NDE we have a person who recalls a vivid experience; the content op which is often a trip down a "tunnel" to a place where they meet other entities, and then return. In a UFO abduction, a person is removed to an unearthly environment, interacts with other entities and is then returned.
I have interviewed experiencers of both NDEs and UFO abductions (one or the other, although sometimes there has been an incredible account which could be either) and can say that their recollections are both vivid, "real as real", told with appropriate emotion and real events to them.
In the NDE event we can be fairly certain where the experiencer was at the time of the event; that is, their body was physically present here on Earth, often in sight of another person.
In the case of a UFO abduction, most often there is no external witness present to say whether or not the individual was physically removed. There are cases where there are said to be external witnesses, who saw the UFO and abductee "in transit" but theses are few and far between.
In summary:
I feel that much could be learnt by UFO researchers from a study of both NDEs and UFO abductions.
The first scientific article I came across in my search for the latest thinking on NDEs, is dated 2010 and titled "The effect of carbon dioxide on near-death experiences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: a prospective observational study," by Zalika Klemenc-Katis; Janko Kersnik and Stefek Grmec. This research paper appeared in BioMed Central's Open Access Journal "Critical Care" 2010 14:R56.
Abstract:
"Introduction: Near-death experiences (NDEs) are reported by 11-23% of cardiac arrest survivors. Several theories concerning the mechanisms of NDEs exist-including physical, psychological and transcendental reasons-but so far none of these has satisfactorily explained this phenomenon. In this study, we investigated the effect of partial pressures of 02 and C02 and serum levels of Na and K on the occurrence of NDEs in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the three largest hospitals in Slovenia. Fifty-two consecutive patients (median age 53.1, 42 males) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were included. The presence of NDEs was assessed with a self-administered Greyson's NDE scale. The initial partial pressure of end-tidal CO2, the arterial blood partial pressures of O2 and CO2 and the levels of Na and K in venous blood were analysed and studied. Univariate analyses and multiple regression models were used.
Results: NDEs were reported by 11 (21.9%) of the patients. Patients with higher initial partial pressures of end-tidal CO2 had significantly more NDEs (less than 0.01). Patients with higher arterial blood partial pressures of CO2 had significantly more NDEs (P=0.041). Scores on a NDE scale were positively correlated with partial pressures of CO2(P=0.017) and with serum levels of potassium (P=0.026.) The logistic regression model for the presence of NDEs (P=0.002) explained 46% of the variance and revealed higher partial pressures of CO2 to be an independent predictor of NDEs. The linear progression model for a higher score on the NDE scale (P=0.001) explained 34% of the variance and revealed higher partial pressures of CO2, higher serum levels of K and previous NDEs as independent predictors of the NDE score.
Conclusions: Higher concentrations of CO2 proved significant, and higher serum levels of K might be important in the provoking of NDEs. Since these associations have not been reported before, our study adds novel information to the field of NDEs phenomena."
The full article:
After reading the full article, I have noted the following additional points of interest:
1. "It is still not clear whether NDEs occur before, during or after the period of cardiac arrest...Our findings concerning the association between initial petCO2 and the occurrence of NDEs therefore supports the hypothesis that NDEs occur during the cardiac arrest... on the other hand, the association between higher pCO2 upon admission and the occurrence of NDEs might suggest that NDEs occur after the cardiac arrest..."
2. "...it is known that CO2 changes the acid-base equilibrium in the brain, which can provoke unusual experiences in the form of bright light, visions and out-of-body or even mystical experiences. Some earlier studies have shown that inhaled CO2, used as a psycho therapeutic agent could cause NDE-like experiences. Therefore, we can conclude that CO2 might be one of the major factors for provoking NDEs, regardless of when NDEs occur..."
3. "Previous prospective studies on NDEs reported an 11 to 23% incidence between cardiac arrest survivors, which is consistent with the incidence found in our study...Previous studies have shown that NDEs more often occur in patients younger than 60 years of age..."
My comments:
I find the subject of NDEs as interesting and as challenging, as UFO abduction research. In the instance of an NDE we have a person who recalls a vivid experience; the content op which is often a trip down a "tunnel" to a place where they meet other entities, and then return. In a UFO abduction, a person is removed to an unearthly environment, interacts with other entities and is then returned.
I have interviewed experiencers of both NDEs and UFO abductions (one or the other, although sometimes there has been an incredible account which could be either) and can say that their recollections are both vivid, "real as real", told with appropriate emotion and real events to them.
In the NDE event we can be fairly certain where the experiencer was at the time of the event; that is, their body was physically present here on Earth, often in sight of another person.
In the case of a UFO abduction, most often there is no external witness present to say whether or not the individual was physically removed. There are cases where there are said to be external witnesses, who saw the UFO and abductee "in transit" but theses are few and far between.
In summary:
I feel that much could be learnt by UFO researchers from a study of both NDEs and UFO abductions.
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