Hello everyone!
Welcome back to the second instalment of The Parapsychology Files! This week we will be discussing the parapsychology behind near death experiences, why we find them so interesting and why they occur.
Near death experiences (NDE's) are of popular interest in both parapsychology and everyday life. Every now and again a news story flashes up on Facebook or Twitter about someone being revived from a heart attack and reporting a light at the end of the tunnel. There have been many stories of this light at the end of the tunnel and seeing dead family members, I've even seen people report that in the last seven minutes of life your brain replays a sort of video of your life story (hence the phrase 'I saw my life flash before my eyes', something I've said many a time stumbling over drunk).
The interest behind NDE's is complex but also very simple. The simple explanation: people fear death because we don't know what is going to happen. Human's tend to fear the unknown and death is a massive unknown, we know it's going to happen but we don't know when, how or what will happen afterwards. It's why many find comfort in following a religion as there is a pretty clear picture of what the afterlife looks like. NDE's provide a snapshot of what may happen as we ascend (or descend, looking at you Karen) in to the afterlife. Some may see it as a comfort to think that we see lost loved ones as we pass, but not all experiences are positive. Some people have experiences frightening NDE's as if they are entering the bad place downstairs or all black, just nothingness. What makes this so complex is when you dig into the explanations behind NDE's.
There are many biological theories behind NDE's, one of these surrounds hallucinations due to lack of oxygen/excessive carbon dioxide. Research has shown that oxygen deprivation can lead to hallucinations which may even explain the often reported feeling of euphoria [1]. This lack of oxygen theory has been used to explain the white light at the end of the tunnel experience as CO2 levels can affect vision [2], this also explains seeing dead relatives as lack of oxygen can cause hallucinations [2]. Another theory is that of hyperconsciousness which stipulates that excessive activity in the brain can lead to NDE's [1]. When you are dying, the brain stops working 2-20 seconds after the heart stops because although the heart has stopped beating there is still some electrical function in the brain [3]. There are many many biological theories behind why NDE's occur and it would be impossible to list them all here so I recommend digging deeper into the different theories as there is a lot out there!
The fatal (no pun intended) flaw in justifying NDE's is the fact that there is no scientific way to test NDE's apart from testing brain activity during the dying process, but even then you can't ask someone who is dead to tell you what they can see. NDE's only provide a snapshot into the dying process, it is not the full story of what happens once you're dead and gone. Plus, it is subjective, research has to rely on personal accounts which raises the question of fabrication or over-exaggeration. Research in this area is not so clear cut.
I really recommend looking further into this area of parapsychology as it is truly fascinating. There are many stories out there so take a look. Do you think NDE's are the real deal? Sound off in the comments below and tell us what you think about NDE's.
Sources
[1]https://www.learning-mind.com/theories-near-death-experiences/
[2]https://listverse.com/2015/04/14/10-scientific-explanations-for-near-death-experiences/
[3]https://www.healthline.com/health-news/we-may-still-be-conscious-after-we-die#1
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