185 replies to this topic

[Zeta Reticulum]

Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon

A prominent scientist who had previously dismissed the possibility of the afterlife says he has reconsidered his belief after experiencing an out of body experience which has convinced him that heaven exists.

Dr Eben Alexander, a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, fell into a coma for seven days in 2008 after contracting meningitis. During his illness Dr Alexander says that the part of his brain which controls human thought and emotion "shut down" and that he then experienced "something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death."

Source: http://www.telegraph...in-surgeon.html

Edited by Saru, 10 October 2012 - 03:55 PM.
Reduced length of quoted text, added source link

[Alienated Being]

Consciousness after death simply is not possible.

[SUPERSquatch]

You act as if being skeptical is a bad thing. It should be the default for every story, theory or idea told to you. Besides, it is likely that NDEs are neurological and chemical phenomena occurring in the brain, and thus the result of purely physiological and neurobiological mechanisms. The imagery in the experiences also varies within cultures.

Edited by Taylor Reints, 10 October 2012 - 12:19 AM.

[Alienated Being]

Taylor Reints, on 10 October 2012 - 12:00 AM, said:

You act as if being skeptical is a bad thing. It should be the default for every story, theory or idea told to you. Besides, it is likely that NDEs as neurological and chemical phenomena occurring in the brain, and thus the result of purely physiological and neurobiological mechanisms. The imagery in the experiences also varies within cultures.

Also, it is my belief that some of what he has said is taken out of context, and/or distorted to make for a good story. It was the same thing with Einstein. So many people twisted and distorted what he said that nobody really knows what he really said, and what he meant by what he said.

[Hasina]

My dad had a near death experience when he was a young man. He said the same thing, it was very life like. He's never really given me an answer on whether he believed it to be real or not but I've heard him say things about other near death experiences, how it's probably neurological goings on in the brain.

Edited by Hasina, 10 October 2012 - 12:05 AM.

[DKO]

The reason most people are sceptical is because they are not as gullible as a lot of people. Sceptics don't just believe everything they hear, they think about it rationally. This 'challenge' you have here can't really be proven true or false. There may be points to it that can be challenged from both sides but never proven either way.

[Biff Wellington]

This all sounds so very scientific.

[Jeremiah65]

Do some searching for Dr. Michael Persinger.  He's done some pretty interesting studies.

There is another Doctor...which I cannot recall his name...that did some studies into NDE's.  He compared anecdotal experiences with clinical data and found some pretty interesting info as well.  His studies suggested that there is "experience" after the synaptic activity has ceased.  Which clinically speaking...should be impossible, yet in multiple circumstances, it is what apparently happened.

If you really want to twist your noodle...read some of the work by a psychologist/psychiatrist named Dr. Stanislov Grof.  He was a Professor at John Hopkins Medical University a few decades ago.

Another brain twister is (also a Professor of psychiatry and psychology - Georgetown and Stanford) Dr. Karl Pribram.

And then there is always Dr. Carl Jung.

The brain and human perception is a pretty fascinating thing.

Edited by Jeremiah65, 10 October 2012 - 12:26 AM.

[unit]

i 'died' on an operating table

i could hear the nurses and doctors freaking out and a strong male presence who i thought was my dad was holding my hand through all this..

no bright light experience, no tunnel.. nothing flash..

i came to, to hear a female nurse "ok, we got him"

noone was holding my hand then..

..you either believe in this **** or you don't.

meanwhile... enjoy your "life" (hint hint)


[edit]
i was a real piece of **** for most of my life... why would someone come to keep me safe while i was dying? i don't deserve that? it makes me almost cry just remembering it...?

Edited by unit, 10 October 2012 - 12:49 AM.

[Alienated Being]

Jeremiah65, on 10 October 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Do some searching for Dr. Michael Persinger.  He's done some pretty interesting studies.

There is another Doctor...which I cannot recall his name...that did some studies into NDE's.  He compared anecdotal experiences with clinical data and found some pretty interesting info as well.  His studies suggested that there is "experience" after the synaptic activity has ceased.  Which clinically speaking...should be impossible, yet in multiple circumstances, it is what apparently happened.

If you really want to twist your noodle...read some of the work by a psychologist/psychiatrist named Dr. Stanislov Grof.  He was a Professor at John Hopkins Medical University a few decades ago.

Another brain twister is (also a Professor of psychiatry and psychology - Georgetown and Stanford) Dr. Karl Pribram.

And then there is always Dr. Carl Jung.

The brain and human perception is a pretty fascinating thing.

I will have plenty to research in my free time. Thank-you for the recommendations.

[tipotep]

I will quote Kerry Packer after his NDE ....

Doctor - Kerry are you ok ?

Kerry - Yeah , but I have good news and bad news .

Doctor - what news ?

Kerry - The good news is that there is no hell .

Doctor - And the bad news ?

Kerry - There's no heaven either .


TiP.

[Alienated Being]

unit, on 10 October 2012 - 12:47 AM, said:

i 'died' on an operating table

i could hear the nurses and doctors freaking out and a strong male presence who i thought was my dad was holding my hand through all this..

no bright light experience, no tunnel.. nothing flash..

i came to, to hear a female nurse "ok, we got him"

noone was holding my hand then..

..you either believe in this **** or you don't.

meanwhile... enjoy your "life" (hint hint)


[edit]
i was a real piece of **** for most of my life... why would someone come to keep me safe while i was dying? i don't deserve that? it makes me almost cry just remembering it...?

You were hallucinating. It is that simple. As real as it may have seemed, it was still very much a hallucination. Nothing more, nothing less.

[SUPERSquatch]

Alienated Being, on 10 October 2012 - 12:53 AM, said:

You were hallucinating. It is that simple. As real as it may have seemed, it was still very much a hallucination. Nothing more, nothing less.

What I find interesting; however, is that if you die on the operating table, so has your brain. It would be impossible to hallucinate, as your brain would be completely dysfunctional. I couldn't understand how neurobiological mechanisms could be at work while your brain is dead.

[Seeker79]

Alienated Being, on 09 October 2012 - 11:59 PM, said:

Consciousness after death simply is not possible.

So impossible.. Even after stories like this. Ok. I understand blind faith... Really i do... I used to be a christian.

[Seeker79]

Alienated Being, on 10 October 2012 - 12:53 AM, said:

You were hallucinating. It is that simple. As real as it may have seemed, it was still very much a hallucination. Nothing more, nothing less.

Proof?....... Hmmmm I'm starting to understand you my friend..,,. ;(