Friday, November 6, 2009

Riding the Paranormal Highway: NDEs



This is a continuation of my studies right now on what commonalities paranormal events have and perhaps try to discern where and how these things manifest. Today, we'll discuss NDEs.

NDEs, or near-death experiences, are most often associated with lack of pulse and breathing, pronouncement of death, and then reviving of the patient back to having vital signs again. During that period of time when the patient is “down,” some of these people have visions that are extremely real to them, in fact, quite life-changing. They believe it is an introduction to heaven (and in some cases hell). Attributes such as a dark tunnel, a bright light, other beings including deceased relatives, review of one’s life, and a bright warm light that is very tempting to go towards; all are common descriptions.

I talked about psychic skills in my last two posts on psychometry. Some of the key factors I believe included; genetics, emotional intuitiveness, blank mind, and synesthesia.

Let's talk about NDEs today and look for common attributes and see if we can begin along the way to make correlations between different forms of the paranormal and see if these tie together to form a paranormal highway and ultimately to see if we can find out what that highway is constructed of (what kind of asphalt holds the whole thing together).

There are a few issues I have with scientists who dismiss the experience of NDEs by the patient as malfunctioning and random firing of synapses in the brain during lack of oxygen and hypercapnea (high carbon dioxide levels). The fact is, the patient really should be in a coma-like state at this time. Should there be random firings or seizure-like electrical activity in the temporal lobes, certainly that would not account for very clear, lucid, story-like, and detailed imagery reported by patients. These are very dream-like encounters and we know from our sleep time just what dreams are like. It makes me wonder if dreams are nothing more than our souls experiencing some out of body time that is much needed each day.

As we looked for commonalities and factors in psychometry abilities, let’s look at NDEs. These are reported by people across the board; no particular religious preference, belief system, education level, or any genetic predisposition. So, the “who” is totally random. The how is during the lack of electrical activity in the body. There is both imagery, the sense of being out of the body, and a complete relief from being within the vessel of the body, as well as an overall feeling of peace and absolute love. So, this is both sensory, spiritual, physical, and mental.

In looking for correlations, there are a few interesting things I’ve noted. The use of psychometry involves a complete emptying of the mind. NDEs involve a completely blank mind. Is it at all possible that by emptying the “noise” in the brain, we can bring in the spiritual or paranormal realm to travel upon? NDEs feel and out of body experience, the reading of objects involves reaching outside one’s body to gather information from “outside.” Is this the moment of the soul traveling? Sifting through space and time? It would appear that genetics and emotional intuitiveness are not required here as they were in psychometry.

Now, we’re left to focus on blank minds and OBEs (out of body experiences) as common factors. The mystery continues. For now, I’d very much like you to read this. It is the most extraordinary NDE account ever and has never been disclaimed by those who have studied it. In fact, it has changed the course of many doctor’s practices in trauma situations, as this is a very powerful story.

7 comments:

  1. Perhaps the reason people who are unconscious don't remember having an OBE is because the soul never makes the jump out...possibly because the brain isn't dead, but just at ease. It's not under any sort of trauma.

    There's an old Jewish tradition that states the soul stays near the body for three days after death. This is actually why the people didn't think Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead - they thought because Lazarus had been dead longer than three days, Jesus wouldn't be able to restore his soul into his body. From what I've heard, some Jews (not sure if any of them still do it) would remain around a grave until after the third day passed just in case the body somehow returned to life. They thought that death was more a gradual process, instead of something that occurred at one particular instant.

    This also reminds me of something I heard about not to long ago that is referred to as the 'silver cord'. Supposedly the silver cord is what links the soul to the physical body. I think some people who have experienced astral projection claim to have seen a silver cord linking their astral body to their physical body. I don't know how true that is, but if it is true, then perhaps a person isn't totally dead until that silver cord is cut. It's sort of like spiritual umbilical cord. You cut the umbilical cord when you are born into this world, theoretically, I guess you could say the 'silver cord' gets cut when you move on to the next world. Another thing to consider about the silver cord is a friend I used to have that was psychic said she felt her 'feelings' in her chest and could feel the presence of spirits in her chest (not that the spirits were in her chest, but she felt a feeling in her chest that spirits were around). I think some other psychic feel things in their chest area too. I think that goes along with the old sayings about going 'with your heart' or doing what 'your heart tells you'.

    And hey...with all that in mind, maybe we've been going about this all wrong...perhaps the 'soul mind' isn't even in the brain? Maybe it resides in the chest? This might have something to do with why people don't typically experience OBEs when their unconscious. Maybe you're more likely to experience an NDE/OBE during a cardiac arrest or chest trauma?

    Who knows...we can only speculate.

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  2. The self awareness of the brain and its ability to take chemical reactions and create actual sensory recall for us in the form of memories, interpretation, communication, is really amazing. Think about it, you have a thought and you can look off into space and recall an event. It's not being played before you, yet you "see" it. That sight is very much what a psychic experiences. People ask me "what's it like to have a psychic vision?" Well, it's honestly best described as a memory. I'm having a memory. It has all the same sensory and visceral feelings as a memory. It's not like "Ghost Whisperer" where I'm talking to people who look quite dimensional. It's having something in your mind in the form of memory recall. The mind is what really amazes me. We have a computer that can store sensory input and emotions for memories and yet our mind puts it into meaning and self awareness. I shiver when I think about how cool that is. Is the mind the soul? Is it located outside the body? Well, I know psychic readings come from outside and I never feel as if it's my brain getting information, but that I tapped into sensory information my brain can register and my mind can interpret. The seat of the soul? I do believe is tied to that silver cord as you were talking about. The first time I heard of that, I thought it was remarkable because many people who have astrally projected or had out of body experiences had a moment of snapping out of their body and then snapping back in as if pulled. So, we're essentially tethered. Perhaps the Jews are right. When my mother was dying, she was in a coma-like state for about 5 days before we decided to take her off life support. The first two days, she was there. I could feel she was still inside herself. By the third day, I knew she wasn't there. That feeling grew more and more until the fifth day when I said, "She's not here anymore" and my four siblings all agreed they had felt it too. Perhaps those who get to decide can hover, those who truly don't have a vessel to go back to are cut quickly. My father had an NDE and his experience reassured him very much when he died a few days later quite peacefully and with great acceptance. I'm relieved there is such a mechanism. Even if its a humanly evolved mechanism, just knowing the crossover will be not fought by embraced, pretty awesome! I like knocking around these ideas of just where and how the paranormal world fuels itself.

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  3. Weird DejaVu. Was just now at Running Cause I Can't Fly and reading an article on NDE's. Then I come over here and yours is on NDE's too. The real weird thing is that you're both using the same picture. Just a little weird. :)

    I've had many, many, many obe's over the years so I know they're possible and don't question them whatsoever. I'm only guessing that an obe is similar to that of an NDE except that you're body is still asleep in bed and the body isn't being traumatized for whatever reason.

    My first obe was at age 5. I was hovering over my house above our street. It's a long story about what happened but I believe I posted it in the Ghost Hunter "ghost stories" website. If I can find it I'll throw it in here.

    Jeff: I haven't heard of the term "silver cord" but I have heard many use the term "teather".

    People who claim to astral travel during an obe, mention that they were connected to a teather.

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  4. Eileen;
    That's too weird--I'll have to check that article out, but when you google for images of NDEs, that's one of the first pictures they show, so I'm not surprised. I usually use more unusual search words to get something obscure, but I wanted to portray the process. I've had OBEs before, sometimes without wishing to. People often report having them in the moments between alpha state and theta state when you're falling asleep. It's the familiar "body jerk" you have that snaps you awake as if you're falling. Since I've had many OBEs in my sleep, I wonder if perhaps once we enter that state, we actually do depart our bodies. I've never believed dreams are just in our heads. In fact, I had a theory I was working on when I started my blog a year ago and it involved the concept that ghosts are really our "spirits" in dream state traveling the world. What we see and hear are glimpses of dream "bodies." Hmm.... I should write a short story about that concept. Hee hee

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  5. fascinating stuff, love it. will go and read that account you have linked.

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  6. This isn't about NDEs or OBEs but on a similar note, it'll be a worthy show on life after death.

    Dr. Stephen Rorke on The Paracast - Nov 1

    Of all those radio shows I post in my blogs, this is really the only one I ever listen to consistently.

    More on Dr. Rorke

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  7. Thanks so much! I will definitely check that out.

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