Resources for Near Death Experiences and other non-brain consciousness cases
1. Lommel paper: Source (see full text for free here => Mentions Pam case reported by Sabom) (cardiac arrests)
After the publication of Lommel’s research in The Lancet for NDEs, no other research on NDEs has been published on that journal (dogmatism leads to censorship) [see here]
Why cardiac arrest cases lead to zero brain activity:
- The data from humans is largely limited to those obtained during defibrillation threshold testing at defibrillator implantation or individual case reports from patients, who were connected to an EEG during their cardiac arrest. Concurrent EEGmonitoring during a cardiac arrest has shown an initial slowing of the EEG waves which then progress to an isoelectric (flat) line within approximately 10–20 s and remain flat during the cardiac arrest until the resumption of cardiac output in patients after early defibrillation [31]. In cases of prolonged cardiac arrest EEG activity may not return for many hours after cardiac output has been returned [source PDF]
- In order to safeguard the accepted axioms, odd comments have sometimes also been reported. For instance, in order to justify the occurrence of NDEs, Bardy (2002) questioned whether in cardiac arrest with flat EEG brain electrical activity is really silent; however, it is well known that this is not the case (Parnia and Fenwick, 2002). […]In short, loss of consciousness can occur with preserved EEG activity, while, in the case of a flat EEG, neither cortical activity nor binding can occur; [source] [Near-death experiences between science and prejudice by Enrico Facco and Christian Agrillo (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)]
- How do we know that patients who went through cardiac arrest had zero (flat) EEG? Because they have not been resuscitated within 20 sec (source) See also here.
2. Pam case reported by Sabom in in “Sabom MB. Light and death: one doctors fascinating account of near-death experiences. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998: 37-52”) (zero EEG) (see also 1 and 2)
3. Jan Kerkhoffs case: In his book Droomulucht in coma (Dream Flight in Coma) (Melick 1994), Jan Kerkhoffs tells us about his conscious experience after neurologists declared him brain dead following complications during brain surgery. Only because his family refused organ donation was he able to write about his experience because, much to everybody’s surprise, he regained consciousness after three weeks in a coma. [Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience by Pim van Lommel] (zero EEG) (1)
4. Dr. Eben Alexander case (brain destroyed by E. Coli verified by CT scans) ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , Wikipedia Article )
5. Fred Schoonmaker research: Some near-death experiences have been reported during the absence of brain waves. Eminent cardiologist Fred Schoonmaker announced the results of his 18-year study of 1,400 near-death experiences, including those of about 55 persons whose experiences took place while flat EEG readings were recorded. (Some of this information was received from a personal interview with Fred Schoonmaker, June 1, 1982) (Audette, 1979) [Audette, J. (1979). Denver cardiologist discloses findings after 18 years of near-death research. Anabiosis [East Peoria] 1(1), 1-2] (zero EEG – περιπτώσεις με μηδέν εγκεφαλογράφημα) [1 , 2, 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 (Schoonmaker did not publish his studies even though he reported them to colleagues ), 7, 8, 9, 10]
6. Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death, Chris Carter
7. Born-blind people seeing in Near Death Experiences! [book]
9. Journal of near death studies.html
10. Wikipedia article on Near-death experiences
11. Near Death Experiences conferences
13. The Survivalist Interpretation of Recent Studies into the NDE by Titus Rivas
14. Horizon Research Foundation (Various publications available online in PDF format)
15. AWARE study
16. Near-Death Experience Skeptics Running Out of Excuses (cardiac arrest case – patient revived with defibrillator after 3 attempts)
17. John Lorber cases: People with “virtually no brain” have a normal conscious life! (Roger Lewin “Is Your Brain Really Necessary?” Science 210 December 1980, page 1232) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Additional similar cases: 1.
In those one has to add the cases of people with half-brain missing who are still able to live a normal life! (source)
18. Other NDEs reported in public media: See here. (people speaking about heaven) See also the case of a boy (John Smith) surviving after 55 mins without any sign of life, after his mother starts praying (source, source, source).
19. The first recorded NDE: See here.
20. Ancient Greek reports an NDE: Source
21. How we can have consciousness even after minutes of heart failure: 1, 2, 3, 4
Studies, university courses on NDE
- Horizon Research (AWARE study)
- University of Philosophical Research (Los Angeles, CA)
- Massey University
- University of Virginia: See here (old links: 1, 2)
Books
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