Metaphysics & Psychology

Burst of brain activity after death could be 'soul' leaving the body

By T.K. Randall
February 22, 2025 ·  137 comments

Do we have a soul ? Image Credit: Pixabay / FalcoZen Do we each possess a 'soul' that persists after we die or is consciousness produced entirely within the physical brain ? It's a question that scientists, psychologists and philosophers have been attempting to definitively answer for centuries and a conundrum that we seem to be no closer to solving.

That said, Dr Stuart Hameroff - a professor of anesthesiology and psychology at the University of Arizona - believes that he may be closer than most to finding an answer.

Back in 2009, researchers at George Washington University placed small sensors in the brains of patients deemed to be clinically dead just before their life-support machines were turned off.

Surprisingly, they recorded unexpected brain activity - sometimes lasting up to 90 seconds - occurring after the patient had died.

Dr Hameroff now believes that this could be evidence of a 'soul' leaving the body upon death.The research also suggests that consciousness may be the last thing that goes when we die.

"As the brain reaches a critical level of hypoxia, the [action potential, an electrical signal that shoots down a neuron] is lost by large numbers of neurons, and this loss of electrical potential causes a cascade of electrical act," the study researchers wrote.

"We offer this as a potential explanation for the clarity in which many patients have 'out-of-body experiences' when successfully revived from a near-death event.".

But is this really evidence of a 'soul' leaving the body or simply the activity of a dying brain ?

We may never know for sure.

Source: Metro.co.uk | Comments (137)

Tags: Brain, Soul