Near-Death Experiences
July 29, 2010
Near-Death Experiences
Do you believe in near-death experiences (NDEs)?
Many people have had them, according to research.
Their descriptions of the experience are consistent.
What is an NDE?
The following traits are indicative of NDEs:
1) Sense of being dead
2) Peace & Painlessness
3) Out-of-Body Experience
4) Tunnel Experience (dark – does not have to be a
tunnel, per se)
5) People of Light (meeting you, may be deceased
people you know or people you don't know who feel
like friends)
6) Being of Light (God or not God, God a part of,
can send you back)
7) Life Review (not just a flash)
8) Reluctance to Return
9) Personality Transformation (see below)
A person does not have to have all of these traits
in order to have had an NDE. Most people have one
or two. Those who have all nine are considered to
have had a “full-blown” NDE.
Background
In 1992, a book was published by Dr. Melvin Morse
entitled Transformed by the Light: The Powerful
Effect of Near-Death Experiences on People's Lives.
It was a follow up to his book Closer to the Light:
Learning from the Near-Death Experiences of
Children (1991). It was/is his quest to research and
interview people who have had NDEs. He fully
believes that they happen.
Transformation Study
Dr. Morse conducted what he called the
“Transformations Study”. A total of 350 adults, sex
matched and age matched, were interviewed. They
made sure that all economic, religious, and ethnic
groups were represented. Control groups were
used, but the data given weight was from those
who had had an NDE as a child. Ten years had to
have passed since the NDE to qualify for the study.
The theory was that those who had had this
experience as children were less likely to have
made up the event due to cultural biases.
Participants were referred by physicians and also
responded to requests. Both believers and non-
believers were interviewed. Depending on the
culture, some had positive reactions to the NDE,
while others, such as in a study of African
participants, believe that the experience had
something to do with being “bewitched”.
The study was called “The Transformation Study”
because people who have experienced an NDE are
transformed in some way, such as having their fear
of death decreased, developing psychic abilities or
having a new zest for life as well as a purpose (the
goal didn't have to be major to be important to
them). Some people even have an increase in
intelligence (because of a part of the brain not
before used or tapping into a higher intelligence?
More about the effects of NDEs on the brain below).
Several different tests were used in the study,
ranging from adaptation to life, death anxiety, life
attitude, values, to evaluations of claims of psychic
powers. The questions regarding death anxieties
were subtly hidden so as not to reveal what the
test was all about.
Temporal Lobe of the Brain
In previous research, Dr. Morse believed he had
shown that all of the elements of the NDE come
from the temporal lobe, the area of the brain just
above the ears. The right temporal lobe, along with
the complex brain organ called the hippocampus,
makes humans unique from previous species of
mankind – not the size of our brain. This area is
responsible for complex language, self-
consciousness, long-term planning, day dreams,
and “soulful thought”. People who lose this area
due to surgery or brain damage are, as a famed
neurosurgeon put it, “soulless automatons who act
like zombies.” Researchers have rewired this part
of the brain with interesting results. For example,
Dr. James Kube linked neurotic behavior with
abnormal currents of electricity in the temporal
lobes. He says this behavior is caused by
suppressed memory that has become closed
circuits of neurons. These closed circuits cause
nervous energy that leads to neurosis. Dr. Morse
believes that the electromagnetic energy of the
NDE erases these closed circuits. A tremendous
amount of energy is released during the NDE. It is
generated internally and probably reaches its peak
when the person is bathed in the light. This energy
is funneled through the right temporal lobe which
is altered by the experience. The temporal lobe, in
turn, has a profound effect upon the various
structures of the brain and the electromagnetic
field that surrounds the body. The person who has
an NDE may look the same, but their
electrochemical makeup is very different than what
it used to be. The human body is a machine driven
by energy. When that energy changes, so does the
machine. This electromagnetic theory provides a
solid explanation for telepathic communications
and the seeing of apparitions at the point of death.
These two types of experiences represent nothing
more than a person's ability to sense another
person's electrical field.
In his first book he called this area “the seat of the
soul” because all of the elements of the NDE
except the experience of the mystical light were
either generated or passed through this area. By
finding their location in the brain, he believes they
proved that they were real. They came to realize
that virtually all psychic and mystical experiences
begin in the temporal lobe. Numerous scientific
researchers have documented that every element
of the NDE – the out-of-body experience, traveling
up the tunnel, seeing dead relatives, having a life
review, seeing visions of heaven – can be found to
reside in the right temporal lobe.
The Light
Seeing the light comes at a time when the brain
has little energy of its own. Dr. Morse proposes
that the portion of the NDE that leads to the
positive changes in personality is somehow
contained in the light. Those who experience the
light live very firmly in the now, savoring life as it
happens, making as much of it as they can. They
aren't afraid to live or to die.
My Own Experience
There were dozens of case studies used in the
book that I will not include here. I have my own
evidence as well as knowing someone else who
conveyed in detail her experience. After
questioning her following things I had learned in
this book, I believe her experience was real. Not to
mention she is not the type to make something
like this up.
As for me, I believe for the most part that after
reading this book that I had my own NDE. I will not
go into details here, as they are very personal. It
depends on the day, however. Some days I don't
believe it and other days I do. I can say that while
I have not experienced the transformation in
personality that those who have also claimed to
have seen the light have, I have had some abrupt
changes in thinking that have lead to a more
hopeful outlook on life.
Conclusion
The exploration of NDEs can have wide-reaching
implications for patients, family and friends, and
doctors of the person who experiences the NDE. It
can restore dignity to death and open a line of
communication that allows healing to occur. It can
alleviate the guilt that doctors feel when they do
not find the “right answer” to save someone's life
or when it is impossible to do so. Families and
friends can be comforted knowing their loved one is
not suffering. It can explain death-bed
proclamations and behavior.
More research needs to be done on the subject,
and more case studies evaluated. I am not one to
dismiss anything outright. There are some things
that happen in this world that defy human
comprehension and “logic”. While Dr. Morse's
theories are certainly possible, it is ultimately the
person themselves who can decide whether their
experience was real – and that is more important
than any cumulative research.
July 29, 2010
Near-Death Experiences
Do you believe in near-death experiences (NDEs)?
Many people have had them, according to research.
Their descriptions of the experience are consistent.
What is an NDE?
The following traits are indicative of NDEs:
1) Sense of being dead
2) Peace & Painlessness
3) Out-of-Body Experience
4) Tunnel Experience (dark – does not have to be a
tunnel, per se)
5) People of Light (meeting you, may be deceased
people you know or people you don't know who feel
like friends)
6) Being of Light (God or not God, God a part of,
can send you back)
7) Life Review (not just a flash)
8) Reluctance to Return
9) Personality Transformation (see below)
A person does not have to have all of these traits
in order to have had an NDE. Most people have one
or two. Those who have all nine are considered to
have had a “full-blown” NDE.
Background
In 1992, a book was published by Dr. Melvin Morse
entitled Transformed by the Light: The Powerful
Effect of Near-Death Experiences on People's Lives.
It was a follow up to his book Closer to the Light:
Learning from the Near-Death Experiences of
Children (1991). It was/is his quest to research and
interview people who have had NDEs. He fully
believes that they happen.
Transformation Study
Dr. Morse conducted what he called the
“Transformations Study”. A total of 350 adults, sex
matched and age matched, were interviewed. They
made sure that all economic, religious, and ethnic
groups were represented. Control groups were
used, but the data given weight was from those
who had had an NDE as a child. Ten years had to
have passed since the NDE to qualify for the study.
The theory was that those who had had this
experience as children were less likely to have
made up the event due to cultural biases.
Participants were referred by physicians and also
responded to requests. Both believers and non-
believers were interviewed. Depending on the
culture, some had positive reactions to the NDE,
while others, such as in a study of African
participants, believe that the experience had
something to do with being “bewitched”.
The study was called “The Transformation Study”
because people who have experienced an NDE are
transformed in some way, such as having their fear
of death decreased, developing psychic abilities or
having a new zest for life as well as a purpose (the
goal didn't have to be major to be important to
them). Some people even have an increase in
intelligence (because of a part of the brain not
before used or tapping into a higher intelligence?
More about the effects of NDEs on the brain below).
Several different tests were used in the study,
ranging from adaptation to life, death anxiety, life
attitude, values, to evaluations of claims of psychic
powers. The questions regarding death anxieties
were subtly hidden so as not to reveal what the
test was all about.
Temporal Lobe of the Brain
In previous research, Dr. Morse believed he had
shown that all of the elements of the NDE come
from the temporal lobe, the area of the brain just
above the ears. The right temporal lobe, along with
the complex brain organ called the hippocampus,
makes humans unique from previous species of
mankind – not the size of our brain. This area is
responsible for complex language, self-
consciousness, long-term planning, day dreams,
and “soulful thought”. People who lose this area
due to surgery or brain damage are, as a famed
neurosurgeon put it, “soulless automatons who act
like zombies.” Researchers have rewired this part
of the brain with interesting results. For example,
Dr. James Kube linked neurotic behavior with
abnormal currents of electricity in the temporal
lobes. He says this behavior is caused by
suppressed memory that has become closed
circuits of neurons. These closed circuits cause
nervous energy that leads to neurosis. Dr. Morse
believes that the electromagnetic energy of the
NDE erases these closed circuits. A tremendous
amount of energy is released during the NDE. It is
generated internally and probably reaches its peak
when the person is bathed in the light. This energy
is funneled through the right temporal lobe which
is altered by the experience. The temporal lobe, in
turn, has a profound effect upon the various
structures of the brain and the electromagnetic
field that surrounds the body. The person who has
an NDE may look the same, but their
electrochemical makeup is very different than what
it used to be. The human body is a machine driven
by energy. When that energy changes, so does the
machine. This electromagnetic theory provides a
solid explanation for telepathic communications
and the seeing of apparitions at the point of death.
These two types of experiences represent nothing
more than a person's ability to sense another
person's electrical field.
In his first book he called this area “the seat of the
soul” because all of the elements of the NDE
except the experience of the mystical light were
either generated or passed through this area. By
finding their location in the brain, he believes they
proved that they were real. They came to realize
that virtually all psychic and mystical experiences
begin in the temporal lobe. Numerous scientific
researchers have documented that every element
of the NDE – the out-of-body experience, traveling
up the tunnel, seeing dead relatives, having a life
review, seeing visions of heaven – can be found to
reside in the right temporal lobe.
The Light
Seeing the light comes at a time when the brain
has little energy of its own. Dr. Morse proposes
that the portion of the NDE that leads to the
positive changes in personality is somehow
contained in the light. Those who experience the
light live very firmly in the now, savoring life as it
happens, making as much of it as they can. They
aren't afraid to live or to die.
My Own Experience
There were dozens of case studies used in the
book that I will not include here. I have my own
evidence as well as knowing someone else who
conveyed in detail her experience. After
questioning her following things I had learned in
this book, I believe her experience was real. Not to
mention she is not the type to make something
like this up.
As for me, I believe for the most part that after
reading this book that I had my own NDE. I will not
go into details here, as they are very personal. It
depends on the day, however. Some days I don't
believe it and other days I do. I can say that while
I have not experienced the transformation in
personality that those who have also claimed to
have seen the light have, I have had some abrupt
changes in thinking that have lead to a more
hopeful outlook on life.
Conclusion
The exploration of NDEs can have wide-reaching
implications for patients, family and friends, and
doctors of the person who experiences the NDE. It
can restore dignity to death and open a line of
communication that allows healing to occur. It can
alleviate the guilt that doctors feel when they do
not find the “right answer” to save someone's life
or when it is impossible to do so. Families and
friends can be comforted knowing their loved one is
not suffering. It can explain death-bed
proclamations and behavior.
More research needs to be done on the subject,
and more case studies evaluated. I am not one to
dismiss anything outright. There are some things
that happen in this world that defy human
comprehension and “logic”. While Dr. Morse's
theories are certainly possible, it is ultimately the
person themselves who can decide whether their
experience was real – and that is more important
than any cumulative research.
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