The Man Who Thought He Was Dead

The first of a series of five short talks on BBC Radio.
The Man Who Thought He Was Dead
Unfortunately I don't think this is available outside the UK (?).

Still, there is nothing really new here, it has been broadcast previously in 2016.

In this episode, the case in question was that of a man who expressed views which were self-evidently absurd (the patient) discussed by a man who expresses other views which are self-evidently absurd (the Neuropsychologist).

Are they both wrong? Or is one right and the other wrong, (and which is which)? Or both right?

Still, I'm probably going rather too deep here for what appears to me a rather shallow and superficial look at the topics.

On day four (Thursday) the program weighs the views of Peter Fenwick and Chris French. Curiously and inaccurately, the blurb describes them both as being neuroscientists, an unexpected promotion for French.

The first of a series of five short talks on BBC Radio.
The Man Who Thought He Was Dead
Unfortunately I don't think this is available outside the UK (?).

Still, there is nothing really new here, it has been broadcast previously in 2016.

In this episode, the case in question was that of a man who expressed views which were self-evidently absurd (the patient) discussed by a man who expresses other views which are self-evidently absurd (the Neuropsychologist).

Are they both wrong? Or is one right and the other wrong, (and which is which)? Or both right?

Still, I'm probably going rather too deep here for what appears to me a rather shallow and superficial look at the topics.

On day four (Thursday) the program weighs the views of Peter Fenwick and Chris French. Curiously and inaccurately, the blurb describes them both as being neuroscientists, an unexpected promotion for French.

Possibly quite satisfying for the sceptical crowd, Typoz but the story contains little fact (I'm sure you're well aware) and avoids the real problem for neuroscience, NDE's in non functioning brains. The first report is classic autoscopy, a well known condition (apparently) where a perfectly 'life like'  representation of oneself is seen. This has a satisfactory (according to neuroscience) brain based explanation.   

"The thing with out of body experiences is that you can induce them experimentally in the laboratory"

Is that true ? Partially... in a small number of patients with epilepsy and brain tumours. But the 'out of body experiences' reported through stimulation are not of the same quality as those reported from patients who's brains were not working. 

Olaf Blanke 2002 OBE in a woman with epilepsy.

An OBE was induced three times at 3.5 mA. Immediately after the first stimulation, Patient 3 reported: “I see myself lying in bed, from above, but I only see my legs”. She said that she ‘saw’ only her legs and lower trunk. The remaining parts of the room including the table next to the bed and the window, as well as three other people present were also seen from the above visual perspective. An essential part of the experience was the feeling of being separated from her seen body. She said: “I am at the ceiling” and “I am looking down at my legs”. Two further stimulations induced an identical experience. She felt an instantaneous sensation of ‘floating’ near the ceiling and localized herself ∼2 m above the bed. During these trials, Patient 3 was very intrigued and surprised by the induced responses.

Note above the understandable attempt to persuade the reader  (confirmation bias-sometimes we all do it I suppose)....the patient felt a sensation of 'floating' near the ceiling and was very intrigued and surprised etc

Overlay the experience above on an OBE reported during a cardiac arrest, though.

I was at ceiling level in the emergency room, above my head. I could see myself lying down on the bed. A (male) doctor was working the resuscitation machines on my left. There was ringing everywhere. It was quite surreal. A nurse was close to me, adjusting perfusions and other tubes. Another nurse was running back and forth between the doctor and my bed, leaving the room and then coming back, running, all the time The nurse next to me was talking to me, "Stay with us, this isn’t the time to leave". I saw her slapping me. I was fine. I no longer felt pain. I said, "Why do you want me to come back, when it’s not hurting for once." Then I added, "Oh all right," but I really wasn’t happy about it. What could be verified was the number of people in the room and what they were doing and saying.

I don't think that matches at all well. Of course determined sceptics just keep saying it's close enough and ignore the fact that the patient's brain wasn't working which I think is dishonest and not helpful to getting to the truth of what is really going on here.

Lastly, Fenwick's lining with up with Eastern mysticism (dissolving into one mind) I personally believe (might be wrong) is simply a tactic to avoid being labelled as a believer in "spirits" or "ghosts" so that he can retain his scientific legitimacy.

That's not what the patients report, though but the idea of an invisible entity that looks like a human being is so outlandish that it simply cannot be entertained. Which is understandable but in contradiction to the data. (pattern)