Awareness Can Live on After Death

[taniwha]

"...Death is a depressingly inevitable consequence of life, but now scientists believe they may have found some light at the end of the tunnel.

The largest ever medical study into near-death and out-of-body experiences has discovered that some awareness may continue even after the brain has shut down completely.

It is a controversial subject which has, until recently, been treated with widespread scepticism.

But scientists at the University of Southampton have spent four years examining more than 2,000 people who suffered cardiac arrests at 15 hospitals in the UK, US and Austria.

And they found that nearly 40 per cent of people who survived described some kind of ‘awareness’ during the time when they were clinically dead before their hearts were restarted..."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11144442/First-hint-of-life-after-death-in-biggest-ever-scientific-study.html

[+DieChecker]

From OP link:

“We know the brain can’t function when the heart has stopped beating,” said Dr Sam Parnia, a former research fellow at Southampton University, now at the State University of New York, who led the study.

Wasn't there a article/story here on UM just a month or so ago, where another study said that this wasn't so? That electrical impulses in the brain might go on for minutes after the heart stopped.

“These experiences warrant further investigation. “

Agree!

[Bendy Demon]

Wasn't there a article/story here on UM just a month or so ago, where another study said that this wasn't so? That electrical impulses in the brain might go on for minutes after the heart stopped.

Electrical impulses does not imply awareness. I would think the impulses would simply be like a unconscious reaction, like a convulsion or something.

Even the brains of "brain dead" people still send out impulses to the body and continuing certain bodily functions.

[danielost]

Electrical impulses does not imply awareness. I would think the impulses would simply be like a unconscious reaction, like a convulsion or something.

Even the brains of "brain dead" people still send out impulses to the body and continuing certain bodily functions.

chicken with its head cut off.

[ineffectiveArtist]

Dying is like when you go to sleep and don't dream. That black void. That's what I experienced after drowning, at least.

[Crabby Kitten]

Our thoughts are not confined to the brain itself.

[Occult1]

Very interesting study by competent researchers. Probably the biggest of it's kind, collecting data of more than 2,000 persons. It's becoming very hard (at least for me) to claim that there is 'nothing' extraordinary going on here behind some of these NDE accounts.

Dying is like when you go to sleep and don't dream. That black void. That's what I experienced after drowning, at least.

That may be because you weren't actually dead but rather uncounscious. I had 2 or 3 surgeries in my life with general anesthesias and all I can remember of those times was a black void for my counscious state was temporarily 'suspended', it is in fact a medically induced coma.

Edited October 8, 2014 by sam_comm

[maximusnow]

The fact is, we will all know the answer to this mystery some day.

[paperdyer]

This all goes along with the out-of-body experiences people claim. I don't see how anyone can tell if they are aware or not if they are dead. It may be the brief moment when you know you are being worked on and when you are brought back, your mind fills in the gaps.

I'll just add this for what it's worth. During my Mother's by-pass surgery many years ago, she was dead for a while. She claimed she saw Jesus telling her he wasn't done with her yet. The doctors still don't know how they got her back and how she is still living at 90. Just putting it out there. I'd like to believe she's right, but as one of the above posters said, we'll all find out sometime.

[Rafterman]

Very interesting study by competent researchers. Probably the biggest of it's kind, collecting data of more than 2,000 persons. It's becoming very hard (at least for me) to claim that there is 'nothing' extraordinary going on here behind some of these NDE accounts.

That may be because you weren't actually dead but rather uncounscious. I had 2 or 3 surgeries in my life with general anesthesias and all I can remember of those times was a black void for my counscious state was temporarily 'suspended', it is in fact a medically induced coma.

Too bad it's bogus and once again another example of the failure of science journalism.

http://web.randi.org/swift/no-this-study-is-not-evidence-for-life-after-death

[Imaginarynumber1]

Too bad it's bogus and once again another example of the failure of science journalism.

http://web.randi.org...ife-after-death

Yeah. There's pretty much nothing worthwhile in that "study".

[Junior Chubb]

Too bad it's bogus and once again another example of the failure of science journalism.

http://web.randi.org...ife-after-death

Don't stir the pot, we have had enough misleading titles already this week.

BTW thanks for the link.

[Calibeliever]

Too bad it's bogus and once again another example of the failure of science journalism.

http://web.randi.org...ife-after-death

Good catch. Shockingly, it looks like this is "paper thin" (sorry, couldn't help myself). It's so unlike the telegraph to sensationalize a story like this, huh?

[Frank Merton]

This all goes along with the out-of-body experiences people claim. I don't see how anyone can tell if they are aware or not if they are dead. It may be the brief moment when you know you are being worked on and when you are brought back, your mind fills in the gaps.

I'll just add this for what it's worth. During my Mother's by-pass surgery many years ago, she was dead for a while. She claimed she saw Jesus telling her he wasn't done with her yet. The doctors still don't know how they got her back and how she is still living at 90. Just putting it out there. I'd like to believe she's right, but as one of the above posters said, we'll all find out sometime.

As a non-Christian I find her story culturally based. That is a good clue -- now if non-Christian Asians were reporting such things it might be more credible.

I wonder what it would be like to be a ghost -- having the desires of a living person but, not having any body, being unable to act on them. Sounds awful. I can see why such ghosts find a womb as quickly as possible to be reborn in.

[Rafterman]

Good catch. Shockingly, it looks like this is "paper thin" (sorry, couldn't help myself). It's so unlike the telegraph to sensationalize a story like this, huh?

To be fair, some of the findings are interesting and worthy of further research, but the sensationalized claims are just silly.

[Tira]

[media=]

[/media] Edited October 8, 2014 by Tira

[Occult1]

Too bad it's bogus and once again another example of the failure of science journalism.

http://web.randi.org...ife-after-death

What do you mean it's 'bogus'? The study suggest that life (awareness) can continue after death for the brain may be able to function even if a patient is clinically dead. It does not 'prove' that there is an afterlife, or an heaven but that life (awareness) can possibly continue even after a clinical death. Dr Sam Perner does not interpret the results on a metaphysical basis. On that I can agree with Sharon Hill's analysis. But to me, this is quite extraordinary in itself and may have far greater implications, it certainly warrant further studies.

While the title of the Telegraph article may be ''show-off'' and so a bit exagerated ( but that's journalism, readers often decide if they will read the article or not based on the title and obviously Sarah Knapton understand that: she made full use of it) I am not under the impression that the article is 'false' nor does it change anything to the facts reported. 2,060 patients across the UK, US and Australia have been studied which makes it the most extensive research on NDE that I am aware of to this date.

''The largest ever medical study into near-death and out-of-body experiences has discovered that some awareness may continue even after the brain has shut down completely.''

Source: http://www.telegraph...ific-study.html

Besides the ''show-off'' title, there is nothing wrong with the article.

Edited October 8, 2014 by sam_comm

[Calibeliever]

To be fair, some of the findings are interesting and worthy of further research, but the sensationalized claims are just silly.

Absolutely agree and I support anyone who will put the time and effort into these studies. We've had anecdotes of NDEs for years and Dr. Parnia and his team are actually trying to quantify them. I'm all for that.

My sarcasm was directed at the Telegraph and others who write these awesome headlines. As far as the science goes, even finding nothing is still a finding.

[paperdyer]

As a non-Christian I find her story culturally based. That is a good clue -- now if non-Christian Asians were reporting such things it might be more credible.

I wonder what it would be like to be a ghost -- having the desires of a living person but, not having any body, being unable to act on them. Sounds awful. I can see why such ghosts find a womb as quickly as possible to be reborn in.

I never said I believed her other than she thought this happened. But it did make her feel better. Edited October 8, 2014 by paperdyer

[spud the mackem]

Death...the final frontier. Everything known to Humans eventually dies, from Stars to single cells, its how you get there is what counts, and no one has ever come back (except Jesus, so the Christian faith tells us), so if there is life after Death it must be such a fantastic awareness that no one wants to come back, or such a horrendous place that you can't escape from it, whichever one we all have to face it, so do it as bravely as you can.

[Frank Merton]

Things die but other things are born and go on.

[Occult1]

Death...the final frontier. Everything known to Humans eventually dies, from Stars to single cells, its how you get there is what counts, and no one has ever come back (except Jesus, so the Christian faith tells us), so if there is life after Death it must be such a fantastic awareness that no one wants to come back, or such a horrendous place that you can't escape from it, whichever one we all have to face it, so do it as bravely as you can.

There is the belief in Reincarnation, which propose a sort of 'coming back'. Psychatrist Dr Ian Stevenson made a quite a lot of research on this subject, and came up with very strange findings as presented in his book: Twenty cases suggestive of Reincarnation (1980)

Edited October 8, 2014 by sam_comm

[jarjarbinks]

just came back from work, never heard of this news for all day. i mean, just read the title, it's the greatest news in 1000years.

[spud the mackem]

There is the belief in Reincarnation, which propose a sort of 'coming back'. Psychatrist Dr Ian Stevenson made a quite a lot of research on this subject, and came up with very strange findings as presented in his book: Twenty cases suggestive of Reincarnation (1980)

Hi Sam, whats the point of being re-incarnated if you can't remember the knowledge you gained in your previous existence,

[Oxo1]

I think the purpose of reincarnation, is that we are all a part of a super consciousness, which is learning about everything that can and will happen in the universe. So each and every living thing on this planet, is going through it's life interacting within this existence. It's like a virtual reality life video game, and all living things are the players. Our real home is beyond this existence, to which we return when we die, and after that we are reincarnated again, to once again continue with the learning process.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Oxo1