Feb 19, 2024 01:36 AM
https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/the...experience
EXCERPT: . . . While not every near-death experience results in some form of vision or ultimately unique experience, they are extremely common, often fitting into a positive or negative experience.
“When people started studying near-death experiences, the focus was almost entirely on the more typical experience which is more positive. But as time went on, people became more aware of the negative ones too,” Prof Chris French, a psychologist of paranormal beliefs told BBC Science Focus on the Instant Genius podcast.
“In terms of what is happening, it’s a very rich hallucinatory experience but it feels incredibly real. It feels just as real as anything else that you have ever experienced.”
That isn’t such a problem for those with a positive experience, but when it is negative, people often come away with an increased fear of death, and can even experience life-long trauma. What's even scarier about this: it is believed that roughly 1 in 5 five near-death experiences fall into this negative camp.
Chris breaks these negative experiences down into three categories:
Common examples include a person feeling themselves float out of their own body, seeing their life flash before their eyes and of course, the light forming at the end of the tunnel that they have to walk towards.
With a more positive experience, people tend to report sensations alongside them. Feeling lighter, more free and even total serenity. For some, the joy they feel can make these visions (which could be quite scary) more comforting. These experiences are associated with a higher appreciation for life, and, despite almost dying, a positive feeling about the entire experience.
So what exactly causes near-death experiences? Are they visions from god? An actual glimpse of the afterlife? Unsurprisingly, science can’t say for sure. But researchers like French do have an interesting theory.
“Most neuropsychologists think they;re visions of a dying brain. There’s weird stuff happening in your brain usually in these circumstances, and this is how you experience it,” said French.
“It feels incredibly real and we don’t have a definitive answer to explain it but this is definitely the most logical answer we have.” (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPT: . . . While not every near-death experience results in some form of vision or ultimately unique experience, they are extremely common, often fitting into a positive or negative experience.
“When people started studying near-death experiences, the focus was almost entirely on the more typical experience which is more positive. But as time went on, people became more aware of the negative ones too,” Prof Chris French, a psychologist of paranormal beliefs told BBC Science Focus on the Instant Genius podcast.
“In terms of what is happening, it’s a very rich hallucinatory experience but it feels incredibly real. It feels just as real as anything else that you have ever experienced.”
That isn’t such a problem for those with a positive experience, but when it is negative, people often come away with an increased fear of death, and can even experience life-long trauma. What's even scarier about this: it is believed that roughly 1 in 5 five near-death experiences fall into this negative camp.
Chris breaks these negative experiences down into three categories:
- The first is something that most consider a positive experience. An awe-inspiring moment, maybe seeing their memories flood back, they just don't see it in a positive way.
- The second category he describes as a ‘Hieronymus Bosch’ painting of hell. This is, in other words, a complete nightmare view of death, with humans being tortured and a painful afterlife.
- Finally, something somehow even more ominous, nothing. A number of reports paint the picture of an empty void, spending the rest of your eternity floating around aimlessly.
Common examples include a person feeling themselves float out of their own body, seeing their life flash before their eyes and of course, the light forming at the end of the tunnel that they have to walk towards.
With a more positive experience, people tend to report sensations alongside them. Feeling lighter, more free and even total serenity. For some, the joy they feel can make these visions (which could be quite scary) more comforting. These experiences are associated with a higher appreciation for life, and, despite almost dying, a positive feeling about the entire experience.
So what exactly causes near-death experiences? Are they visions from god? An actual glimpse of the afterlife? Unsurprisingly, science can’t say for sure. But researchers like French do have an interesting theory.
“Most neuropsychologists think they;re visions of a dying brain. There’s weird stuff happening in your brain usually in these circumstances, and this is how you experience it,” said French.
“It feels incredibly real and we don’t have a definitive answer to explain it but this is definitely the most logical answer we have.” (MORE - missing details)
