Posted on 03/07/2007 5:05:33 PM PST by LibWhacker
kinda like seeing Helen Thomas pictures.
Nah..they're wrong..it's space aliens.
Don't buy it. If you read the accounts of people who have claimed to have near death experiences, they read as accounts of things that the amygdala inadequate to be the mediator for. If one was to account for them with neuronal activity, you'd have to resort to significant activity in the cerebral cortext to get there.
In the end, this article amounts to nothing more than one professor's belief - which, by the way, contradicts what we know about neuroscience.
Don't believe out of body experiences that involve feelings of going to the light or seeing angels could be fear or terror
"In the end, this article amounts to nothing more than one professor's belief - which, by the way, contradicts what we know about neuroscience."
It doesn't contradict neuroscience, rather it shows how limited our knowledge is of the brain / mind connection.
I have a friend, (I don't think she would mind me telling her story) who will remain anonymous, who claims she died. She did see Christ, who told her to "hold on to life" and He sent her back. While she was with Him, she noticed a gate with a door. The door was only open a little bit, she could have never passed through.
She came back and is now a Eucharistic Minister to the homebound. She is a wonderful and holy woman.
bttt
I experience sleep paralysis from time to time. Never had an OBE or an NDE. Mine is the more mundane version as described in the article. It happens when I'm coming awake, but equidistant from both sleep and consciousness. I hear mumbling or laughter or some such thing, often feel like I'm being pulled or sucked down a vortex, all accompanied by an immense feeling of terror that causes me to scream myself awake. The first time it happened, I was pretty scared afterward. Now, I sort of know what to expect, and know that it's natural, so depending on how conscious I am, it's more of an annoyance than anything. Sort of like, "okay, let's get this overwith." Happens very rarely, thankfully.
When I was a young man I smoked pot and tried other illicit drugs. I actually OD'd on PCP/speed and was hospitilized for several days before recovering consciousness. I believe I all but died (maybe did die) in this incident. I remember entering heaven. I had on an oversized robe (it didn't fit yet because I wasn't ready for it)and was hooping and hollering that I had actually made it to heaven. People I knew told me I had to go back, it wasn't my time yet. I didn't want to leave, I didn't think I would ever make it back. An unknown young woman told me I had to go back. She got through to me and I said OK. It still took a couple of years before I gave my life completely to Christ. I have come to believe the unknown young woman was my daughter who was born years later and is now a lovely Christian young woman. I know this sounds kookish but I don't think all of this was some biomechanical response to oxygen deprivation/chemical halluicintion, etc. I think it was the mercy of the Living God.
This is just something I once read and cannot vouch for other than saying that. But if it is so, then there are death experiences no matter what this person in this study says.
Wow - that's wild stuff. I never heard of this. Do you know what percentage of the population experiences it?
No clue. Haven't really looked into it.
I have had long periods of time where I have suffered from sleep paralysis. It is indisious and very frightening.
You may be right, but then you have to wonder just how many NDEs, if any, are what they purport to be, and how many are just our brains giving out. I've heard that folks in Southeast Asia interact with their deities when they experience an NDE.
Stopped reading right there. That's bull.
A long-long time ago --- I used to pitch softball and during one game, I had a hard-hit line drive right back at my face. I caught the ball with no problem and even doubled the guy off first who had broken for second when the batter swung. I didn't think anything of it at the time.
But that night, this was only a few weeks after I got married, I had a 'flashback dream', where that ball was coming right at my face and I reacted by thrashing my "glove hand" and ended up smacking my sleeping wife right in the face. We both woke up and my bride wondered what the hell hit her and as I tried to explain, --- well, it just made it worse. ;~))
Yes, you can move during dreams.
I used to also get frequent out of body experiences when I was a young kid. Always happened when I was wide awake and not near death by any means. Never was scared by them and even looked forward to them. But I haven't had one now in about 40 years.
Dallas59, if I have a nightmare tonight, I'll have to blame you for posting Helen Thomas's photo. It makes me nervous.
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