Near-death experience (NDE)

Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are phenomena described by thousands of people around the world from various backgrounds. It does not matter whether the person is religious or completely skeptical about the belief in a spiritual world where consciousness exists after the departure from the material body. People who have been in extreme situations, such as cardiac arrest during a serious accident or surgery, often describe experiences like leaving the body, feeling deep peace, seeing their body and the surrounding situation, as well as encounters with unknown beings, with whom they communicate telepathically.

In recent years, interest in NDEs has increased among both researchers and the general public, leading to more advanced studies on this phenomenon.

CURRENT STATE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

Research on NDEs is conducted in an interdisciplinary context, including neurobiology, psychology, philosophy, and theology.

1. Similarity of Experiences:
   NDEs reported by people from different cultures, religions, and independent of socioeconomic status or education level suggest that there are no specific life conditions that determine this experience. However, certain elements, such as interpretation, are dependent on cultural context.

2. Borderline Phenomena:
   Some descriptions of NDEs include elements that are difficult to explain, such as precise details about events occurring in the environment of an unconscious person (e.g., a description of the resuscitation process). These events add to the particular interest of scientists investigating the possibility of consciousness existing independently of the body.

3. Relation to Brain Functioning:
   Most scientists interpret NDEs as a result of neurobiological processes occurring in situations of biological stress, such as hypoxia, excessive release of neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, endorphins), or disturbances in activity in the cerebral cortex and limbic system.

CHALLENGES IN ACCEPTING NDEs AS EVIDENCE OF INDEPENDENT CONSCIOUSNESS

Although scientific research has provided interesting data, the phenomenon still raises controversy. More systematic studies are needed in which people who experience NDEs can provide detailed information that can be verified by external observers.

It is necessary to study in more detail the neurological mechanisms that generate these experiences and whether there are situations in which consciousness may indeed exist outside the brain’s activity. Key to advancing scientific understanding of this phenomenon is the collection of a large amount of data from different sources that can be independently replicated by other research teams. To push the boundaries of scientific understanding of this phenomenon, more advanced research and precise experiments are necessary to better understand the nature of consciousness.

Studying NDEs is not only a fascinating scientific challenge but also opens deeper questions regarding the nature of human life, death, and consciousness.

Some World-Famous Scientists Studying NDEs:

1. Dr. Raymond Moody

   • Who is he? A philosopher, physician, and psychologist, author of Life After Life (1975), which popularized the term NDE.

   • Research: He conducted interviews with hundreds of people who experienced NDEs, analyzing common elements such as the tunnel, light, encounters with spiritual beings, and life reviews.

   • Workplace: Previously conducted research in the United States, now works as an independent researcher.

2. Dr. Bruce Greyson

   • Who is he? A professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia.

   • Research: Developed the Greyson NDE Scale, a standardized tool for assessing the intensity of NDEs. He focuses on the neurobiological and psychological aspects of near-death experiences and their impact on people’s lives.

   • Workplace: Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia.

3. Dr. Sam Parnia

   • Who is he? An anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist, director of the Resuscitation Research Program at New York University (NYU Langone Health).

   • Research: Led the AWARE (Awareness during Resuscitation) project, studying the awareness of patients in clinical death, including perception tests (hidden images in hospital rooms).

   • Workplace: New York, USA.

4. Dr. Pim van Lommel

   • Who is he? A cardiologist from the Netherlands who published groundbreaking research on NDEs in the medical journal The Lancet.

   • Research: Conducted studies on patients who survived cardiac arrest, documenting their experiences and analyzing possible medical explanations.

   • Workplace: Netherlands, now works as an independent researcher and author of the book Consciousness Beyond Life.

5. Dr. Kenneth Ring

   • Who is he? A psychologist and retired professor at the University of Connecticut.

   • Research: Co-founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS). He studied the impact of NDEs on the lives and value systems of those who experienced them.

   • Workplace: USA, research activities in the 1980s and 1990s.

6. Dr. Jeffrey Long

   • Who is he? An oncologist and founder of the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF).

   • Research: Analyzed thousands of NDE reports collected in the NDERF database, focusing on the similarities between reports from different cultures and religions.

   • Workplace: Louisiana, USA.

7. Dr. Peter Fenwick

   • Who is he? A neuropsychiatrist and consciousness researcher affiliated with King’s College London.

   • Research: Investigates the connection between NDEs and dying, studying the neurological processes that occur during death.

   • Workplace: United Kingdom, King’s College London.

8. Dr. Eben Alexander

   • Who is he? A neurosurgeon who personally experienced an NDE and described it in the book Proof of Heaven.

   • Research: Promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding consciousness and its possible relationship with NDEs.

   • Workplace: Works as an independent researcher and popularizer of consciousness studies.

Research Centers Studying NDEs:

• Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia – A leading center for consciousness and NDE research.

• NYU Langone Health – Conducts clinical research on consciousness in critical situations.

• NDERF (Near-Death Experience Research Foundation) – A global database for NDEs.