How NOT to introduce people to NDE and consciousness survival research

[Laird]

They reference the Heaven Is For Real fraudulent NDE story

Why do you refer to it as fraudulent? I don't think I've heard that claim before. Searching online for it doesn't seem to turn it up, let alone proof of it, either.

[Laird]

Unless you mean the similarly-titled book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, which does seem to have been retracted by its author?

Why do you refer to it as fraudulent? I don't think I've heard that claim before. Searching online for it doesn't seem to turn it up, let alone proof of it, either.

I recall reading that there were holes in the experiencer's story or something. They did mention another supposed NDEr who came out later as a teen and admitted he faked his NDE. Maybe I'm conflating the two or this channel is. 

Either way, I despise this scummy tactic of trying to make NDEs as a whole out to be not credible because a minority of claimants faked them.

[Laird]

They did mention another supposed NDEr who came out later as a teen and admitted he faked his NDE. Maybe I'm conflating the two or this channel is.

Yep, could be.

Alex Malarkey and Colton Burpo's stories both appeared around the same time in 2010-11 (I think). Leaving aside the question of whether they are authentic or not, it does appear to be true that Alex Malarkey retracted his story. 

It's interesting that the usual suspects in the media had a field day with this retraction (a nice big kick in the balls for the proponents of NDE's), even though they never believed him (or young Burpo) in the first place. And of course, it was sufficient for them to cast aspersions on other NDE's. 

Personally, I think there's a fair chance he did have an NDE, even though I didn't care for the way it was presented. Having looked into it (some years back) it appears that his devout Christian mother never liked it from the beginning, as it contradicted her beliefs etc etc. Some Christian denominations also think NDE's are the work of the devil and it was his father who was the driving force behind it (they divorced) But it looks like (to me) it was Malarkey's mother who may have pressurised him to withdraw it. 

Having said that, we can't know. But I certainly don't think the media over there deserve any credit.

Just found that this Infographics channel have also released a very confusing and very frustrating video on 'what happens to your brain' when you're dying that almost completely contradicts their previous videos. At the 3:00 minute mark, they start talking about NDEs.

They then, rather stupidly, claim that 'doctors say this (may) be a result of lack of oxygen to the brain'. This false statement is then followed by another one, claiming that 'many people who report NDEs are often deeply religious'. If they're implying this was before the experience, then again, that is false. They reference the Heaven Is For Real fraudulent NDE story, as well as an account I've not heard of before, about some guy slipping into a coma after being shot an experiencing a hellish NDE. 

At, 6:08, they claim that there was a study from 2018 reporting that there was brain activity detected for up to 10 minutes after 4 terminally ill patients had their life support turned off and they were declared dead. One of their EEGs still showed activity akin to a deep sleep, and there was no pulse and unresponsive pupils. They later try to argue that there's a 'theory' claiming that serotonin (not DMT surprisingly) was found increasing in dying rats or something, and the euphoric expressions of those dying may be evidence of this in humans and explains why they lose their fear of death? There's plenty of holes in that 'theory' needless to say, mainly that to my knowledge increased serotonin doesn't cause deathbed visions.

The bizarre thing is that they then reference what sounds like the AWARE study again at the 8:00 minute mark and veridical reports following cardiac arrest. But they try to claim this could suggest it's the brain 'outliving the body', showing a blatant misunderstanding of cardiac arrest and the conditions during the first AWARE study.

Finally, they go into yet another 'deathbed' account at the 9:00 minute mark that I have not heard of before, that of Velma Thomas. She was a 59-year-old pronounced brain dead after succumbing to a heart attack. But 17 hours later, just as they were about to take her off life support, she apparently started moving but didn't report anything while 'dead'. They then use this to conclude that the brain 'is actually quite active' at the moment of death unless they have had a brain injury and NDEs are probably caused by hallucinations from hypoxia blah blah blah...If anybody has anything more to add about this Velma Thomas I'm all ears.

This video is baffling to me considering how much this contradicts their previous videos on NDEs and 'evidence for the afterlife'. Did they just read the cynical, negative comments on those and decided to do a complete 180 and spout speculations and misinformation as a consensus in order to appease them?

There a few facts in there but the majority is just a mixture of hearsay, misconceptions and absolute rubbish. I don't know why they do it, Omni but I suspect they probably enjoy it and we can't stop them, which is more to the point. Best to ignore it like I have...oh no, I haven't, have I