Near-Death-Like Experiences without Life-Threatening Conditions or Brain Disorders

I thought twice about posting this here, it may not belong only in the NDE subforum; it could be placed at some broader level perhaps.

A paper from 2012, entitled
Near-Death-Like Experiences without Life-Threatening Conditions or Brain Disorders: A Hypothesis from a Case Report
authors: Enrico Facco and Christian Agrillo
Available as a pdf.

Quote:

Some features of NDEs have occasionally been observed in people who are not in life-threatening conditions, in whom there can be no expectations about the hereafter or neurotransmitter disorders involved.

As far as we know, there have been few reports of profound NDE-like experiences in people who were not in life-threatening conditions, but their repeated occurrence would challenge both the neurobiological and the psychological hypotheses advanced to explain the pathophysiology of NDEs.

Case Report
The subject was an electrotechnician who came under our observation because he was trying to understand the meaning of a strange experience he had had a few years earlier, when he was divorcing from his wife.

(see the linked article to read the description of the experience.)


For myself, I think this area has been somewhat neglected, it doesn't have the drama of life-and-death experiences (in the physical sense) but it is that which actually makes it important. Unless we include these experiences in our view when trying to explain such phenomena as NDEs, we may waste much time exploring blind alleys such as chemical or certain other hypotheses which can be eliminated when we take the broader view, thus removing some irrelevant distractions about which much noise is often made.

I thought twice about posting this here, it may not belong only in the NDE subforum; it could be placed at some broader level perhaps.

A paper from 2012, entitled
Near-Death-Like Experiences without Life-Threatening Conditions or Brain Disorders: A Hypothesis from a Case Report
authors: Enrico Facco and Christian Agrillo
Available as a pdf.

Quote:



(see the linked article to read the description of the experience.)


For myself, I think this area has been somewhat neglected, it doesn't have the drama of life-and-death experiences (in the physical sense) but it is that which actually makes it important. Unless we include these experiences in our view when trying to explain such phenomena as NDEs, we may waste much time exploring blind alleys such as chemical or certain other hypotheses which can be eliminated when we take the broader view, thus removing some irrelevant distractions about which much noise is often made.

I have sometimes wondered if perhaps NDEs are just a particular type of Out Of Body experience. I can’t see why, if NDEs are what they appear to be, the mechanism cannot be triggered by other means.

I have sometimes wondered if perhaps NDEs are just a particular type of Out Of Body experience. I can’t see why, if NDEs are what they appear to be, the mechanism cannot be triggered by other means.

Well, NDEs often include an out-of-body experience as one part of what happens, but there are other aspects which would seem outside the scope. I used to study in a practical, first-hand way, how to achieve the OOBE state, but my experiences didn't particularly replicate typical NDE phenomena such as bright lights, spiritual beings and so on.

When one adds into the picture certain shared experiences among those present at the death of someone, there may be visions or perceptions among the witnesses but not necessarily any OOBE - though some do.

Hi Typoz,

I hope all is well with you! 

Thanks for this post.....I found it immediately thought-provoking, and after logging off a flurry of thoughts came to mind. I hope you don't mind me sharing them here even if I wander off a bit.....I thought it didn't warrant creating a new thread!

Yes, I think after a certain point, once one has accepted the obvious fact that these experiences do occur, and that there also clusters around them a variety phenomena of seemingly verdical confirmation of something beyond the understanding or explicatory powers of our current scientific models of reality (synchronicity, telepathy, pre/retro-cognition, knowledge of facts that could not be known by "normal" means etc), , that the seemingly intellectual need for objective neural & physiological markers of the "genuineness" or "reality" of an "NDE" type experience seems more and more arbitrary, and even philosophically untenable. It can easily be seen as form of pseudo-materialism itself, dressed up in the garb of "spiritual" interests.

What I mean is, that these "NDE" experiences (as accepted by those who associate neuro-physiological markers with "true" "NDEs") are allegedly revealing to us the true "spiritual" nature of our being and reality itself. They are suggesting that our true "self" is NOT our physical body. If this is the case, are we not STILL "spiritual beings" regardless of what our neuro-physicological measurements may be? And AS "spiritual beings", are we not constantly and immediately in the midst of a "spiritual experience", regardles of the health of our physical body?

To imply that we cannot genuine "spiritual" experiences if we have a healthy physical brain & body is a somewhat incoherent form of pseudo-materialism, imo. There is a duality here created by the intellectual, linear & rational human mind that may not be reflected in glorious reality itself.


Based on my personal knowledge & experiences, I am strongly inclined to believe that the the vast range of phenomena that can be labelled "spiritual", which includes so-called "NDEs" (with of course scientific proof of "death"!), are all based along and within a spectrum of consciousness that we all are all potentially able to "access" (for we ARE it!) at any time and through a variety of means both natural & technological (such as meditation, sacred medicines, trauma etc). Ahh, but if only it was as easy as that! 

Speaking of which, I think I've read 3 1/2 books in 2018 specifically about NDEs - without wanting to start another thread (again, hope that's okay Typoz!?), brief reviews below;

The Self Does Not Die - I believe several of the authors have posted on this forum and/or Skeptiko? Great book with lots of great examples of NDEs with veridical components! Further to my comments above, though, if you've already fully accepted that these experiences with veridical components occur (and they do, as well as in a whole other variety of "paranormal" or "mystical" contexts, not all or even many scientifically "near-death"), and you instead wish to understand the implications or meaning of these experiences within a larger philosophical or comparative-experience context, this book is limited in that regard. Nonetheless, that isn't the specific interest or intention of the authors, and in providing lots of great examples of NDEs with veridical components, this is a fantastic book!

Heading Towards Omega by Kenneth Ring - excellent book. Gives really great insight into the growth of the modern NDE narrative & it's cultural setting, the NDE "scene" back in the 70s & 80s, and more importantly lots of great examples and insights into what these experiences are telling us, and what that might mean. Most notable and impressive for me, is that Kenneth Ring associates & compares the NDE experience with "kundalini awakenings", back in the 70s and 80s. That is why I'm doing a mini book-review here, because Kenneth has made the connection between the NDE and "kundalini experience", he is inferring that we CAN have these NDE experiences without being physically dead! Through my own experiences and learning I have come to a similar understanding, albeit a few decades later!

Dancing Past the Dark, Distressing NDEs by Nancy Evans-Bush - WOW! Over the past 3 decades, I've read a lot of books specifically about or related to NDEs. This may well possibly be the best of the lot. I cannot recommend it enough. I feel it is almost a meta-book about NDEs, taking the whole current pop-narrative around NDEs to the next level of interpretation. 

And the 1/2 book? Well, it's not a book specifically about NDEs, and I can't recall if I finished it before or after Dec 2018, so I'll go with 1/2 a book - The Secret Body by Jeffrey Kripal. Brilliant book. Whilst not neccessarily about NDEs per se, I think it's actually saying something fundamentally important about their meaning & how we interpret them. IIRC, there is a last chapter or section that is specifically about NDEs, but it's not a major or significant part of the book. Nonetheless, that section I think is an extremely important call to improve our narratives.

Cheers & apologies for any typos, Typoz, the spell-check on the PC has stopped working across all forums & blogs 

And the 1/2 book? Well, it's not a book specifically about NDEs, and I can't recall if I finished it before or after Dec 2018, so I'll go with 1/2 a book - The Secret Body by Jeffrey Kripal. Brilliant book. Whilst not neccessarily about NDEs per se, I think it's actually saying something fundamentally important about their meaning & how we interpret them. IIRC, there is a last chapter or section that is specifically about NDEs, but it's not a major or significant part of the book. Nonetheless, that section I think is an extremely important call to improve our narratives.

Whoops, sorry - this is a mistake on my part.

The book I'm actually referring to in which Kripal has a section on NDEs.....IS in a book specifically about NDEs!!:

Changed in a Flash by Elizabeth Krohn & Jeffrey Kripal

https://www.amazon.com/Changed-Flash-Nea...B079D8T8BY

I read this immediately after I read "Secret Body" (yes, I am now a fan-boy of Kripal  ) and mixed up the two.

Cheers!