Ispectrum magazine #11

ISPECTRUMMAGAZINE
Issue 11/January - February 2015
insights into near and after-death experiences
first-hand accounts from medical and scientific experts
Near Death
Experiences
special issue

1
Features
03
Neurological
Explanations for NDE´s
07 Are NDE’S imagined events or
hallucinations?
11 The five phase theory of Near
Death Experiences
15
TO HEAVEN AND BACK:
INTERVIEW WITH
MARY C. NEAL
19 How is “Heaven”?
21 “To Heaven and Back”
23 Can science prove the Afterlife?
27
is there psychological
explanation for nde
29 Psychological theories and evi-
dences for the NDE
37
INTERVIEW WITH
DR. EBEN ALEXANDER:THE
SKEPTIC NEUROSURGEON
WHO WENT TO HEAVEN AND
CAME BACK
40 NDEs in the laboratory
42 “Proof of Heaven”
45
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR
LIFE AFTER DEATH
52 Research into NDE
57 Past-life regression therapy
58 Evidence of reincarnation
15
45 37
27
CONTENTS
03

2
Mado Martinez
Editorial Director
Editorial Director
Mado Martinez,
madomartinez@ispectrummagazine.com
Art Director
Rayna Petrova
raynapetrova@ispectrummagazine.com
Contributing Editors
Matt Loveday
mattloveday@ispectrummagazine.com
Jennifer James
Ravinder Dhindsa
Contributing Writers
Ellie Pownall
Rob Hutchinson
Elaine Vieira
Images
Cover : ©Piku
www.commons.wikimeadia.org ,
www.morguefile.com ,
www.freeimages.com
editorial
Ispectrum
magazine
Dear Readers
This month we have a special issue, and
it is special because it is monographic.
We have compiled all the articles pub-
lished in previous numbers about near-
death experiences and we have added
new ones, as we have noticed that this
topic is one of the most debated.
Is there a life beyond death? How can
we define a near-death experience? As
an hallucination? As proof of an after-
life? In this number you will find inter-
views with two doctors who survived
near-death experiences; Eben Alexander,
Neurosurgeon, and Mary C. Neal, ortho-
pedic surgeon, authors of bestselling
books Proof of Heaven and Heaven and
Back.
You will also find in this special dossier,
different approaches to the phenomenon.
Through the variety of points of view we
may gain a better insight into the matter.
Enjoy the reading, share your thoughts
and comments with us, and follow us in
Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter. www.ispectrummagazine.com
Follow Us
admin@ispectrummagazine.com
+44 7938 707 164 (UK)
Published Bimonthly ISSN 2053-1869

by
ellie pownall
3
ave you ever had a moment
close to death? Perhaps your
heart stopped beating or you
were momentarily paused in
between living and dying? Medical
staff talk of bringing people back from
the dead, restarting hearts. Clinically
dead patients recollect strange phe-
nomena that cannot be explained,
sights, sounds and tastes that have
no rationality. Socially we describe
these as Near Death experiences
(NDE’S), and it is one of life’s great
questions that remains unanswered
“What is the source of these occur-
rences?”
H
website
www.ispectrummagazine.com
Neurological
Explanations for NDE´s

Some scientists argue we suf-
fer a near death experience due
to our brain malfunctioning, and
the neurological explanation of our
‘near miss’ causing our minds to be
tricked into a fractional moment,
in which we believe we are dead.
These events are usually brought to
the attention after an individual has
been pronounced clinically dead or
has been very close to death. With
recent developments in cardiac
resuscitation techniques, the num-
ber of reported NDEs has rapidly
increased. Indeed, the accounts of
near-death and out-of-body experi-
ences can be found in the recount-
ed stories and written literature
of about 95 percent of the world’s
cultures (Shelis 1978). The media
has become increasingly interested
with near death experiences after
Raymond Moody’s 1975 published
the book, ‘life after life’1
and the
international association for near-
death studies in 1981 was founded.
4

5
The dramatic recol-
lections of a variety of
patients has fascinated
the public, and fuelled
a variety of profes-
sional debates. These
experiences have been
reported in the press
for example “Then, sud-
denly, the pain lifted
and I was fading, float-
ing above my body.”
“Though I could still
hear the voices of the
nurses, everything
was quiet, gentle and
a beautiful pinky white
colour” and “it was a
dream-like scene where
I found myself float-
ing high above Earth,
looking down from
outer space”. There is
a desire for people to
understand what hap-
pens when the physical
body dies and this fun-
damental question of
life underpins religious
beliefs, personal views
and scientific doctrine.
Hollywood has, through
film and television,
used the question of
the afterlife and near
death experiences to
entertain the public, to
encourage debate, self-
reflection and enable
the screen writer the
opportunity to voice
both their personal and
societal opinion.
Dr Melvin Morse
describes in his video
‘Near death experiences
and what they mean to
our spirituality impov-
erished society’2
a near
death experience is “by
no means due to lack
of oxygen to the brain”
and “not what we com-
monly call hallucina-
tions”. He also outlines
the idea that the pres-
ence of light is essential
in a near death expe-
rience, arguably the
cause of patients recall-
ing “I saw a bright white
light”3
.Morse suggests
Photo credit: www.aboutmodafinil.com

6
that you do not have to
have a hypoxic (oxygen
starved) brain and be
close to death to have
an NDE for example,
“you could be jogging
or meditating”. Many
scientists disagree with
him, for example Janice
Holden who quotes in
‘The Handbook Of Near
Death Experiences’,
“many NDEs occur
under conditions in
which brain function is
severely compromised4
” suggesting a near-
death state occurs only
when brain function is
damaged, this oppos-
es Dr Morse’s idea of
no brain damage being
needed to have a near
death experience. Many
scientists agree that
near death experiences
are a product of neu-
rological stress to the
brain and the derange-
ment of electrical sig-
nals in the brain imme-
diately following cardi-
ac arrest, however just

how far are near death
experience’s simply a
neurological outcome?
In 2009, Janice Holden
reported that when
examining 93 veridical
perception cases in the
NDE literature, 92%
were completely accu-
rate in recounting the
reality of events, 6%
were with some errors
and only one case was
completely errone-
ous. Yet the question
still remains if NDE’S
are imagined events
or hallucinations? Sam
Parnia’s research into
hospitals in
t h e
7
Are NDE’S imagined
events or hallucinations?

UK concluded that “only
9 per cent had experi-
ences compatible with
NDEs and 2 per cent
exhibited full awareness
compatible with Out
of Body Experience’s
(OBE’s) with explicit
recall of ‘seeing’ and
‘hearing’ events?”5
But
do we believe these see-
ing and hearing events
are hallucinogenic rath-
er than imagined?
Janice Holden answers
these remaining ques-
tions by confirming,
“First, these phenom-
ena are rare and elu-
sive. For example,
for my chapter in The
Handbook, I combed
the professional litera-
ture through 2006 and
could find only a little
over 100 cases. Second,
I have conducted two of
the six studies, and one
of the many challenges
is to find a target of a
nature and in a location
that the NDEr would (a)
be able to perceive, (b)
would notice, and (c)
would remember, and
also have evidence that
the NDEr perceived it
while they were well
past cardiac arrest
but not yet resuscitat-
ed. Until recently, we
believed that our best
hope was in a multi-
hospital study, but Sam
Parnia’s study has so
far not yielded a clear
case. As to whether
these failed attempts
mean that veridical
perception does not
exist: It might. On the
other hand, as illustrat-
ed in my chapter in
The Handbook, sever-
al independently veri-
fied anecdotal accounts
exist, which suggests
that the phenomenon
may simply be rare and
elusive. A very rare
phenomenon that has
not yet been observed
under controlled condi-
tions may be assumed
not to exist--or may be
assumed to exist but be
very difficult to capture.
For now, the question
8

9
must simply remain unanswered.
In the meantime, I believe that the
weight of existing evidence sup-
ports the hypothesis that veridi-
cal perception exists but is dif-
ficult to capture under controlled
conditions.” This conclusion sug-
gests that it is unclear whether
Near Death Experiences are mere-
ly imagined, and it is difficult to
define the boundary between hal-
lucination and reality. Jan Holden
suggests that the conditions are so
rare in which we can see these phe-
nomenon’s that knowledge on the
subject is limited. However, there is
reason to argue that in Near Death
Experiences the hallucinations’ or
imagined events are not veridical
perceptions, and are merely a fig-
ment of our imagination. “This sug-
gests a more spiritual explanation
to the NDE’s.”.
There is also wide debate as to
whether near death experiences
give evidence towards an afterlife,
Jan Holden tells us more on this
subject “Regarding the question of
an afterlife, even if NDEs are tran-
scendent phenomena, from a pure-
ly scientific perspective, they alone
cannot provide definitive proof of,
or information about the nature
of, an afterlife. The reason is that
every NDE has not stayed dead and
has not, therefore, fully entered the
afterlife. The nature of a hypoth-

10
esized afterlife experience might
change drastically once one is phys-
ically irreversibly dead. Research
with irreversibly dead people is
challenging--though perhaps the
most promising is research using
mediums, such as that being con-
ducted at the Wind
bridge Institute.“
Other opinions on
the afterlife can
vary, some people
believe an after-
life is merely a
myth such as Dr
Kevin Williams who
explains the after-
life as a ‘void’ that
is visited brief-
ly in Near Death
Experiences. He
suggests that “the
general consensus
among near-death reports is that
the void is totally devoid of love,
light, and everything. It is a realm
of complete and profound dark-
ness where nothing exists but the
thought patterns of those in it.
It is a perfect place for souls to
examine their own mind, contem-
plate their recent Earth experience,
and decide where they want to go
next.”6
This idea of ‘the void’ and
a middle ground to ‘examine one’s
own mind’ touches on the idea
of spiritual explanations for near
death experiences, proceed fur-
ther into religious ideas of ‘heaven’
and ‘hell’ and deciding ‘where they
want to go next’. Janice Holden
also suggests that “The limits of
NDEs to inform about an afterlife
being acknowledged, I concur with
cardiologist and NDE researcher
Pim van Lommel who has asserted
that a “convergence of evidence”
from research on several phenom-
ena point to the existence, if not
the specific nature, of an afterlife.
These phenomena include NDEs;
nearing-death phenomena such

11
The five phase the-
ory of Near Death
Experiences presented
by Maureen Venselaar
also suggests a neu-
rological occurrence in
a near death
e x p e r i e n c e
is the most
d o m i n a n t
over other
spiritual or
religious hap-
penings. The
theory sug-
gests the five
stages to be;
“Separation
from the
p h y s i c a l
body, a jour-
ney through
a tunnel to
a heavenly
light, being in
the presence
of light [near a border],
the return through a
tunnel to the physi-
cal body and unifica-
tion with the physical
body”7
This suggests
as terminal lucidity
and deathbed visions;
after-death communi-
cation; and medium-
ship”. This suggests a
blurred haze over the
true extent of the exis-
tence of the afterlife.
Whether it be ‘’the void’
suggested by Dr Kevin
Williams or the theo-
ry in recent news that
Professor Robert Lanza
‘claims the theory of
biocentrism [the theo-
ry of everything or life
centre] teaches that
death as we know it is
an illusion created by
our consciousness’. We
must attach the exis-
tence of the afterlife
with Near Death expe-
riences as we pause to
question where exactly
our minds visit, if it is
not simply a hallucina-
tion as previously dis-
cussed.
The five phase theory of Near
Death Experiences

12
the mind comes away
from the body which
would explain the term
“don’t head towards
the light” used in many
media productions. This
theory eliminates the
idea that Near Death
Experiences are merely
imagined events, and
the physicality of this
theory suggest there
is no other way for the
mind to exit the body
whilst being declared
physically dead.
The idea of the neu-
rological explana-
tion for Near Death
Experiences and the
five phrase theory was
further explored by Jan
Holden as she answers
the question of ‘how
far do you person-
ally believe near
death experiences
are merely neurologi-
cal and follow the five
phase theory rather
than due to religious,
super natural or stress
reasons?’ to which
she replied “Although
I try to maintain a dis-
tinction between my
personal beliefs and
my scientific beliefs,
my personal beliefs
are influenced by my
scientific ones, so
here are my scientif-
ic conclusions. First,
regarding explanato-
ry theories of NDEs, I
concur with Greyson,
Kelly, & Kelly’s conclu-
sion in their Handbook
chapter that, so far,
no physiological model
accounts for all fea-
tures of NDEs. For now,
that leaves only the
transcendental model
as accounting for all
features. For me, most
notable among those
features is veridical per-
ception during NDEs--
the subject of my sole-
authored chapter in
The Handbook 8
.
Although occasion-
al cases of veridical
perception might be
explained alternative-
ly through physiologi-
cal processes, not all
can be, which, again,
leaves the transcen-
dental model.
So, regarding my per-
sonal beliefs, I have
come to believe that
NDEs represent tran-
scendental phenom-

13
ena: functioning of
the mind/conscious-
ness/spirit apart from
the physical body.”
This gives evidence
for the transcendental
model of Near Death
Experiences and also a
biological explanation,
similar to examples of
near death experiences
in the media. Scientist
Sam Parnia undertook
a study which found
that forty percent of
cardiac arrest patients
described themselves
as having some kind of
‘awareness’ at the time
they were pronounced
clinically dead 9
. This
gives further evidence
of brain activity dur-
ing near death experi-
ences and suggesting
a coexisting relation-
ship between the neu-
rological cause and the
spiritual happenings
in these Near Death
Experiences.
40% percent of
cardiac arrest patients
described themselves
as having some kind of
‘awareness’ at the time
they were pronounced
clinically dead

14
Experiences. Whether
it be a visit to the spiri-
tual void or a rare and
exclusive phenomenon,
NearDeathExperiences
hold an important spot-
light in social media.
Overall the neurologi-
cal explanations for
NDE’s do cover all of
the ideas presented by
different theories and
individuals, with fur-
ther research it may
become easier to pin
point the exact aeti-
ology of occurrences.
However, is it bet-
ter that some things
remain unknown…….
In conclusion, Near
Death Experiences are
explained in many dif-
ferent ways, doctors
and psychologists such
as Janice Holden, Dr
Kevin Williams and Dr
Melvin Morse all hold
different opinions of
the events that take
place in Near Death
references:
1 Raymond Moody book and information
www.raymondmoody.org
2 Dr Melvin Moore Video
http://youtu.be/PWT7N0uj_7U
3 Near Death Experiences Stories Told
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.
php?storyId=104397005
4 The Handbook for Near Death
Experiences- Edited by Janice Holden, EdD,
Bruce Greyson, MD, and Debbie James,
MSN.
5 Study into consciousness- Sam Parnia
http://www.horizonresearch.org/main_page.
php?cat_id=38
6 Kevin Williams- The Void and Near Death
Experiences
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/
research15.html
7 Five Phrase Theory
http://www.noetic.org/noetic/issue-twenty-
three-june/physics-of-near-death-experienc-
es/
8 The Handbook for Near Death
Experiences- Edited by Janice Holden, EdD,
Bruce Greyson, MD, and Debbie James,
MSN.
9 Sam Parnia Article
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sci-
ence/life-after-death-largestever-study-
provides-evidence-that-out-of-body-and-
neardeath-experiences-may-actually-be-
real-9780195.html

15
TO HEAVEN AND BACK:
INTERVIEW WITH
MARY C. NEAL
o Heaven and Back” is a
book that Dr. Mary C. Neal
had written about her spiri-
tual journey and the near-
death experience she had in 1999,
while kayaking in the Los Rios
region of southern Chile. She wrote
it because more than anything she
wants people to know that God’s
unconditional love for each of us is
intense, complete, and is reflected
in all of Heaven. According to Dr.
Neal, before we return to Heaven,
our real home, we have an incred-
ible opportunity on Earth to face
challenges that will help us learn,
grow and to become more Christ-
like in the fruits of our spirit. Our
time is so short that we need to be
about God’s business every day.
T by
mado martinez
website
www.madomartinez.com

Who is Dr. Mary C. Neal
Dr. Mary Neal is a board-cer-
tified orthopaedic spine sur-
geonwhodrownedwhilekay-
aking on a South American
river. She experienced life
after death. She went to
heaven and back, conversed
with Jesus and experienced
God’s encompassing love.
She was returned to Earth
with some specific instruc-
tions for work she still need-
ed to do. Her life has been
one filled with the miracles
and interventions from God.
Her story gives reason to
live by faith and is a story of
hope.
Dr. Neal was born and raised
in Michigan and graduat-
ed from the University of
Kentucky before attending
the UCLA Medical School.
She completed her ortho-
paedic surgery training at
the University of Southern
California after which she
lived in Sweden, Switzerland,
andLosAngeleswhileunder-
going one a half years of
specialty training in spinal
surgery before becoming
the director of spine surgery
at USC. Five years later, she
left the University for Private
Practice.
Shecurrentlylivesandworks
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming,
where she and her family
enjoy everything the outdoor
world offers, especially all
forms of skiing, bicycling,
boating, and hiking.
Dr. Mary C. Neal
16

M.M. You had a NDE and you
assure that you were a in place
that you clearly identify with
Heaven, with a God and angels.
Is Afterlife a Christian Heaven?
M.N:Near death experiences occur
in all cultures, all faiths, and even
in atheists. In fact, 50% of atheists
encounter Jesus in their NDE. Mine
was a Christian experience, but I
will never pretend to know what
someone else’s dying experience
will be like. What I do know, how-
ever, is that God loves each one of
us intensely and eternally, regard-
less of who we are, or the circum-
stances of our birth.
M.M. Before you had your NDE,
did you believe in the Afterlife
or were you sceptic?
M.N. Before my NDE, I would have
said that I believed in God and I
hoped that there was “something
more” after death, but I was defi-
nitely sceptical about reports of
near-death experiences. I am a
very realistic sort of thinker and am
always sceptical of people’s moti-
vations and hidden agendas when
they make claims such as these.
M.M. What does it feel like -
dying?
M.N. I had always thought drown-
ing would be a terrible way to die,
but for me, it was painless, with-
out fear, and peaceful. I never had
a sense of panic or air hunger. I
never felt pain, even as my legs
were breaking. I felt wonderful.
17

19
M.M. How is “Heaven”? What
did you see there?
M.N. I do not have the language to
adequately describe what heaven
is like. It is as though I am trying
to describe a 3-dimensional world,
using 2-dimensional language. That
said, it was filled with beauty and
colour that was of an intensity far
greater than anything we experi-
ence on Earth. I could “see” all
of the colours of the rainbow and
more, all at the same time. It was
as though I could see, feel, experi-
ence, and understand the essence
of the colours and aromas. The
aroma of the flowers was equally
magnified and intense, and every-
thing was exploding with a joyful,
complete, pervasive, all-encom-
passing love of God. I believe that
God sends His most gentle mes-
sengers to collect us at the time
of our death and speaks to us in
ways we will both understand and
appreciate. For example, everyone
who experiences a NDE describes
great beauty, but the details of that
beauty vary from person to person,
just as they do on Earth. I respond
to colour, flowers, aromas, etc., so
that is the beauty that I describe in
my NDE. Other people may respond
more to music or animals, so that is

20
what they describe. We all describe
the palpable and all-encompassing
love of God.
M.M. I have interviewed many
people who had suffered a NDEs
and many of them assure that
they came back to life with
special powers or knowledge
(visions or information about
the future). It happened to you
too, right?
M.N. I came back with knowledge
of several things that were going to
happen, such as the future death of
my oldest son, and with expecta-
tions as to how I would respond to
these events.

21
M.M. Your book is a personal
story full of love. Why did you
decide to share such a personal
thing?
M.N. Indeed, this book is very per-
sonal and not something I would
have chosen to do under normal
circumstances. My husband and
I have always been very private
people, I knew nothing about writ-
ing, and I have never felt comfort-
able speaking in public. When I
was sent back to Earth, however,
I was given a mandate to share
my experiences with other people
and, in giving of myself in this way,
help others transform their hope
or faith, in the promises of God, to
an absolute trust in their truth. The
writing of my book “To Heaven and
Back” was in obedience to what
God expected of me. It continues
to be a very personal story and it
is often painful to share, but it is
simultaneously a great privilege for
me to help other people make this
transformation.
M.M. You and Dr. Eben
Alexander have in common
NDEs that has made you to be
sure that there is an Afterlife.
M.N. Our experiences were similar,
yet different in the details. We are
both people of science and would
never have expected that this sort
Dr. Eben Alexander

22
of experience would happen to us
and both experiences speak to the
reality of life after death. I think
that readers will find “To Heaven
and Back” is not just a story about
someone else’s experiences, but
that it contains many stories with
which the reader can identify. “To
Heaven and Back” shows readers
how they can also experience the
transformative nature of NDEs into
each person’s life and inspires oth-
ers to embrace this transformation
in their own life.
M.M. As a doctor and surgeon,
do you have any scientific the-
ory about NDEs?
M.N. I spent many months review-
ing the details of my accident,
reviewing my medical records, lis-
tening to those who were at the
scene and in the emergency room,
and researching the dying process.
I thoughtfully considered whether
my experience could have just been
a dream or hallucination, a result
of anoxia, or the chemical effect
of a dying brain in which there is
a sudden and large release of neu-
rotransmitters. I read the literature
on NDEs. After all the data was col-
lected and analysed, I came to the
conclusion that my experience was
beyond the boundaries of medicine
and of science.

23
M.M. Are you looking forward
to your future death?
M.N. I have no fear of death and
look forward to the day when my
time is over. I would not accelerate
my death as I know that I have, just
as every person has, more work to
do here on Earth. One of the over-
whelming feelings I had while I was
in heaven, however, was the sense
that I was “home” and I definitely
look forward to the day when my
work is done and I am able to go
home again.
M.M NDEs it’s a very controver-
sial topic. Most of the doctors
simply deny them. Do you think
it will arrive one day that sci-
ence can prove the Afterlife or
is it impossible, proving spiri-
tual things with material tools?
What’s your opinion?
M.N. I believe spiritual things are
outside the boundaries of science
and medicine. I think our observa-
tions on death and on NDEs will
continue to become more detailed,
but absolute proof will continue to

24
be lacking. There is power in choos-
ing to believe something without
seeing it. As for evidence, however,
I believe there is plenty. Judicial
systems determine the guilt or
innocence of a criminal based on
one or two accounts of witnesses.
There are hundreds of thousands
of accounts of NDEs. How many is
enough? I don’t think physicians
are different from other people in
the sense that they are threatened
by the concept of life after death
and it is much easier to casually
discount and discard accounts of
NDE. I think this reflects an intel-
lectual arrogance (that if we are
smart enough and skilled enough
we can understand and control
everything), a laziness (it takes
time and effort to collect data),
and mostly a fear (if there really
is a God and there really is life
after death, then we each become
accountable for our choices, our
behaviour, our treatment of others,
and how we spend each moment of
time). Humans try to control what
we do not understand.

25
M.M. Would you say
that you are a differ-
ent person since your
NDE episode? In what
sense?
I would like to think I was
a “good” person before
my NDE, so I hope I have
not outwardly changed
dramatically, but I have
certainly experienced
a profound internal
change. The reality of
God, of life after death,
and of the truth of all of
God’s promises changes
the way I experience
every moment of every
day. I live in a state of
gratitude and prayer –
that is, constantly giv-
ing thanks and listening
for where God is lead-
ing me. I always try
to say “yes” to where
I think I am being led
rather than findings the
many reasons and ways
to say “no”. I accept
not always knowing the
answer to the questions
of “Why…?” trusting that
God has a plan for each
person that is one of
hope and that beauty
comes from all things.
I try to always reflect
God’s love and to see
God’s beauty in other
people. I am still a very
organized person and
plan for the future, but
I hold on to my plans
loosely, knowing that
God may have different
plans for my life.

2741
by
Rob HUTCHINSoN
WEbSITE
WWW.ISPECTRUMMAGAZINE.CoM
is There a psycholoGical
explanaTion for The near
DeaTh experience?
n the last issue of Ispectrum
magazine we had a fas-
cinating interview with Dr Eben
Alexander, a distinguished neuro-
surgeon and sceptic of the near
death experience (NDE). He never
foresaw that, despite writing a
paper discrediting people’s experi-
ence of NDEs, he would one day
become a believer. After bacteria
attacked his brain and put him in
a coma for seven days he had his
own NDE in a heavenly realm, and
he awoke from that coma a changed
man, a believer.
I I have always had an interest in
NDEs and despite never experi-
encing one myself I am a strong
believer in them. However, as a
psychologist I couldn’t help but
delve into the past research and
see if there was anything verging
on a purely psychological explana-
tion for the NDE. Many scientists
point to neurobiological evidence,
such as a lack of oxygen in the
brain as the reason for NDEs, and
other corroborating evidence also
points to neurobiological factors.
In fact, oxygen starvation causing
Photo credit: bp girl (devianart.com)

2842
hallucinations is the most popular
explanation for the NDE and does
have various merits. Although neu-
roscience and psychology overlap
I am more interested in focusing
purely on the psychological aspect
as so far this has been largely
ignored in favour of neuroscience.
It is possible that the NDE fulfils a
psychological need, or could even
be a psychological defence mecha-
nism. In terms of the reports of the
NDE itself it is likely that the recol-
lections are subject to psychologi-
cal interpretation, so an exploration
of psychological mechanisms could
shed light on the NDE reports and
lead to a better understanding of
the NDE itself. Could a psychologi-
cal model explain the NDE? And if
there is no psychological evidence,
where would a psychological theory
for the NDE start and what would it
need to prove?

2943
PSYCHOlOGICAl THEORIES
AND EvIDENCES
One of the earliest
psychological theo-
ries for the NDE was
put forward by Grof
and Halifax in 1977.
They were looking for
a psychological expla-
nation as to why NDE
reports are so univer-
sal. Their birth - mem-
ory - activation model
postulated that a close
shave with death trig-
gered repressed mem-
ories of the process of
birth. After all, every-
one is born in gener-
ally the same way, so
that would explain why
there is such consisten-
cy in NDE reports. The
peace and transcen-
dent feelings alongside
the advancing through
a tunnel is in fact a
subjective recountance
of being born and trav-
elling through the birth
canal, with the peace
and light at the end
representing the feeling
of being born into the
world. However, there
are obviously major
issues with this, not
least that being born
is a pain-
ful experi-
ence for the
baby. Also,
the infant
does not
have the
capacity to
remember
this experi-
ence so it
is highly unlikely that
it can remain buried
and be activated by
the moment of death.
No empirical evidence
supports this theory,
and scientific evidence
strongly indicates that
infants simply do not
have the mental pro-
Photo : ©Piku

3044
fulfil a psychologi-
cal need. However
unlikely this may
seem, it could be
possible to explain
the NDE in this way.
The theory of crisis
intervention sup-
poses that patho-
logical states can
lead to an oppor-
tunity for positive
growth. This oppor-
tunity for growth in
crisis involves the
person entering a
state of disequilib-
rium due to great
periods of stress. In
this period the ego
is overwhelmed and
the person becomes
more susceptible to
positive and correc-
tive influences. It is
possible that the per-
son has a regression to
a very primitive level
and this return to basic
functioning leads them
to view their experi-
ences (real or imag-
ined) in a sense of
childlike awe and bliss.
In essence, they are
regressing to a prever-
bal stage of develop-
ment where they had
an imbedded trust in
the ‘realness’ of their
experiences and feel-
ings of bliss associated
with a time when, as
a child, all their needs
were readily met. This
could explain why peo-
ple report feeling so
at ease and in awe of
their experiences with-
in the NDE. But could
this regression indicate
that the NDE served
a psychological need?
Greyson (1981) tried
to explain why posi-
tive personality trans-
formations sometimes
occurred in those who
had attempted sui-
cide and experienced
an NDE. He concluded
that it was possible the
NDE reduced the per-
son’s suicidal intentions
in the future by using
psychological mecha-
nisms. Some of these
psychological mecha-
nisms he used for these
explanations included
cesses necessary to
remember their expe-
riences of birth.
Many psychologi-
cal theories have
shown that our reac-
tions, experiences and
desires are working to

3145
that the NDE represents the death
of the ego, providing a substitute for
the death of the person, and the life
review helps to resolve old conflicts
and move on with life.
Could facing death cause a regres-
sion in the mind of the individual to a
developmental stage of life, thereby
allowing psychological mechanisms
to kick in , manifesting as the NDE?
There is no hard evidence for this
and this idea relies a lot on factors
that cannot be tested easily. Also,
does this happen just to survivors or
to everyone at death? If this regres-
sion occurred in everyone it would
be pointless as the huge majority
of people who are dying do in fact
die, so the psychological
mechanism would serve
no purpose. And, if it
occurred just to those who
went on to live, how could
these mechanisms possi-
bly know if the person was
going to live or die? On
the positive side, it would
explain the consistency of
the NDE reports, as well
as it’s paranormal aspects
and why it can have ben-
eficial effects on the indi-
vidual.
The most promising psychological
theories all seem to focus on why
people have such a universal expe-
rience. There are some academics,
such as Grosso, who have pointed to
the similarities between the universal
experience of those who experience
the NDE with that of patients who
suffer Delirium Tremens. This disease
is caused by withdrawal from alcohol
or sedative - hypnotic drugs, such
as barbiturates. The symptoms of
Delirium tremens include, amongst
others, palpitations, convulsions and
auditory and visual hallucinations.
These hallucinations involve distor-
tions of the environment and tactile
sensations such as animals crawling

46
on the skin. The interesting
part in relation to the NDE is
that there is a common ele-
ment reported in these hal-
lucinations, be it walls mor-
phing or visions of rats for
example, and that this ele-
ment is reported across cul-
tures, age groups and personalities.
It seems that the common hallucina-
tory experience is universal in the
same way as the NDE. we
know Delirium Tremens
is caused by withdrawal
from a drink or drug
that is usually preva-
lent in the body sys-
tem, and it is charac-
terized by high blood
pressure and pulse,
increased
breathing rate and sometimes sei-
zures. All these physiological chang-
es are rapidly affecting the
system, just like the body
may go through sharp
changes just before,
or during, a person’s
NDE. In the case of
Delirium Tremens
these changes
cause hallucinations
that are similar in
most sufferers, so why
does it seem so strange
to suggest that the simi-
lar experiences reported in the NDE
could be caused by the physiological
changes that they are experiencing?
Many people assume that the NDE
is such a special experience because
of the common elements reported,
but Delirium Tremens shows that it
is not unique for people who suffer
drastic changes in the physiological
components of the body to experi-
ence common elements in visions or
hallucinations.
The most promising psychologi-
cal theories all seem to focus on
why people have such a universal
experience.
32

3347
So far the evidence for
a psychological expla-
nation for the NDE is
looking pretty thin on
the ground. The theo-
ries or ideas are there
but nothing has been
shown to be solid
enough to be rigor-
ously tested to provide
hard evidence. A key
factor in all psychologi-
cal theories is having
a workable model that
can be tested, so what
would a model for the
NDE have to account
for and how could it be
put to the test? If we
assume that the NDE
does have some sort
of psychological func-
tion then a working
model would be able
to explain it.
A psychological model
would have to account
for three things in rela-
tion to the NDE; the
consistency of reports
and the universality of
those who report them,
the psychological rea-
son behind it and the
physiological process-
es in the brain that
occur during the pro-
cess. At the moment
it is extremely difficult
to construct any kind
of model in relation to
the NDE as the psy-
chological theories are
just not robust enough
to form the basis of
a model. looking back

3448
At this moment there
seems not be a strong
psychological explana-
tion for the NDE. There
are some loose theo-
ries that are difficult to
prove but could serve
as a starting point for
further analysis if a
more in depth investi-
gative method can be
found. However, inter-
esting points are raised
in terms of explaining
the consistency of NDE
reports. As for pro-
ducing a psychological
model, the criteria it
would have to explain
are clear, but as yet
no-one has been able
to put forward anything
substantial in terms of
ticking all the boxes and
providing valid results.
points but still remains
elusive in terms of pro-
viding anything that
could lead to concrete
results.
on Grof and Halifax’s
birth - memory activa-
tion model it is almost
impossible to test, and
in terms of a model
based on the regression
theory it has more valid
At this moment there seems not be
a strong psychological explanation
for the NDE

35
Physiological evidence
on the other hand
remains the most solid
scientific explanation
for the NDE. However,
Dr Kenneth Ring, who
has committed sub-
stantial time and efforts
into researching the
NDE, feels that with
the consistency of the
NDE reports and the
fact that these reports
are across cultures, age
groups and different
backgrounds, cover-
ing such a large spec-
trum, that it is hard to
explain by just using
the processes of the
brain. How can it be so
consistent across peo-
ple from all continents?
After all, scientists
are still struggling to
explain the conscious-
ness, itself a key part
of the NDE. If scien-
tists cannot unravel the
intricacies of this piv-
otal factor of the NDE,
how can they hope to
explain the NDE itself?
This gives added impor-
tance to a psychologi-
cal approach, which, if
a testable theory could
be developed, would at
least focus more on the
mind than the biology
of the brain and may
lead investigations into
a different, more pro-
ductive, direction.
49

37
by
Mado Martinez
website
F rom a skeptic to a believer. What
makes an atheist neurosurgeon who
didn’t believe in Near-Death Experiences
(NDEs), change his mind to the point of
affirming that Heaven is real?
For many years, Dr. Eben Alexander
thought that everything finished when you
die. Near-Death Experiences? What were
they? Surely a result of a lack of oxygen
in the brain but nothing else, and he was
so sure about it that he even manifested
it. But today Dr. Eben Alexander is a dif-
ferent man. Now he truly thinks, he truly
knows that there is life beyond death.
What happened? Well, it’s easy. Dr.
Alexander almost died. His brain was
attacked by a bacteria that kept him in a
coma for seven days and turned off his
synapses. While his physical body was in
the bed of a hospital surrounded by his
family, this neurosurgeon was in another
place; a Heaven where he learnt important
lessons…
Do you want to know which ones?
INTERVIEW WITH
DR. EBEN ALEXANDER
THE SKEPTIC NEUROSURGEON
WHO WENT TO HEAVEN AND
CAME BACK

38
E.A.
As a surgeon, I was
used to believing in what
I could see, feel, and
measure. At the time,
NDEs and conscious-
ness independent of the
brain seemed like wish-
ful thinking to me, and
I never really looked for
proof of what happens
after death. But after
my experience, when
I started really looking
for scientific papers—
not necessarily papers
that had made it into the
news, but papers and
research with rigorous
M.M. You are a famous neurosurgeon that in the past, didn’t believe in
NDEs. You even wrote papers against any remote possibility of life after
death. What was your theory in this period of your past?
science behind them—I
found a wealth of infor-
mation that revealed a
firm grounding in sci-
ence and belief in NDEs
are not mutually exclu-
sive.

39
E.A.
Consciousness might
be defined as aware-
ness of things outside
oneself. So while phi-
losophers have been
debating more precise
definitions for millen-
nia, and the finer points
are quite complicated,
the core of the thing is
easy; if you’re reading
this, if you’re aware of
this newspaper, you’re
conscious.
The tougher question,
and one that I have
learned a lot about
since my experience, is
whether consciousness
is essentially mechani-
cal—that is, arising sole-
ly from physical pro-
cesses in the brain—or
holistic, in that it tran-
scends the brain. As
a neurosurgeon, I was
used to a one-to-one
correlation between the
physical brain and how
the mind appeared to
work. For example, if
I had a patient with a
tumor that affected a
part of the brain asso-
ciated with language,
he would have trou-
ble communicating. But
I’ve since learned that
it’s a lot more compli-
cated than that.
M.M. So today you defend NDEs as real experiences, more real than the
reality in which we live. Can you affirm that consciousness exists?
M.M. Do you affirm it from the personal point of view or from a scientific
point of view?
While the science
has been emerging
throughout the last
few decades, I refused
to seriously consider
it until my own per-
sonal experience. Since
then, I have learned a
lot, and based on my
experience, a wealth
of anecdotal evidence,
and emerging research
in medicine and
physics, I have come
to accept the hypoth-
esis that consciousness
exists beyond the phys-
ical brain.
Е.A.

40
M.M. Is it possible to experiment with NDEs in a laboratory?
M.M. Can Science explain everything, or does it need to open up to other
disciplines of knowledge to explain the
mysteries of life, physics and the universe?
Absolutely. However,
as a doctor, I hold the
Hippocratic oath—do no
harm—in the highest
regard. Doctors and sci-
entists cannot in good
conscience perform
experiments that could
harm their patients.
Our lives are infinite-
ly precious, and while
research in this area
interests me, the health
and well being of other
people far outweighs
anything we might learn
using that method. I’m
in contact with teams of
researchers all over the
world doing some very
exciting research in this
area, and all of them
have found creative
ways to learn about
consciousness—from
neuroscience to theo-
retical physics—without
risking patients health
in any way.
Е.A.
Е.A.
Ultimately, science is
the study of the observ-
able universe. I think
science can explain
everything—if we can
find ways to observe
a broader range of the
universe.
Just a few hundred years
ago, illness seemed
like a curse, and the
mentally ill were
assumed to be pos-
sessed. Now we have
the right vocabulary
and conceptual frame-
work to talk about
viruses and bacteria,
and the right tools,
like microscopes, to
observe and measure
them. But the differ-
ences between “magic”
and theory and proven
fact aren’t always clear

41
M.M. When a person says that she/he has had an NDE, a scientist doesn’t
believe her/him. When people like Louis Hay, Gregg Braden, etc, say that
they have cured themselves from a cancer with positive thinking, what do
you - a doctor - have to say?
As a doctor, I’ve seen
people recover who
every medical test
indicated should have
died. And I’ve seen
people deteriorate who
should have responded
to treatment. We just
don’t know everything
about how the human
body heals itself.
Some studies show
that show people in a
coma do better when
they hear positive talk
at their bedside from
doctors and loved
ones—even people who
“shouldn’t” be able to
hear or process audio.
Clearly, we still have a
lot to learn about how
the brain works, and
how we interact with
our environment when
the brain is severely
injured.
We know that modern
treatment for cancer,
including chemothera-
py and radiation ther-
apy, works better than
anything else. But it
doesn’t work in every
case, and there’s often
no clear reason why it
works for one person
and doesn’t for another.
I would never advise a
patient to forgo chemo
in favor of meditation
or other mental efforts,
but I don’t dismiss the
power of positive think-
ing.
Е.A.
until much later. And
while we’ve learned a
lot, we’re nowhere near
100%. Witch hunts
continue even today
in countries like Papua
New Guinea, where a
woman was burned
alive in 2013. It would
be incredibly arrogant
of us to assume that we
have discovered every
way to see the world
and every tool to mea-
sure it. Scientists are at
their best when they are
open to all possibilities,
and arrive at a study
without assumptions or
preconceptions.
from neuroscience to
theoretical physics—
without risking patients
health in any way.

42
M.M. During your experience you met other beings, and you knew about
other worlds, other universes, other existences. Do these experiences
prove that “aliens” exist?
M.M. In “Proof of Heaven” we find the testimonial of a person that is a neu-
rosurgeon; but it is not a scientific book. Are you only interested in ‘spread-
ing the word’ or have you thought about conducting scientific research in
order to publish papers and books for the scientific community?
I believe that there are
more things in heav-
en and earth than are
dreamt of in most peo-
ples’ philosophies. We
know now that there
are other planets capa-
ble of sustaining life.
Statistically speaking,
it seems likely that at
least some of those that
can, do. Humanity is a
miraculous thing, but
I am not so egotistical
or naive as to think we
have a monopoly on
consciousness.
I wanted Proof of
Heaven to be acces-
sible to people without
a medical background.
While there are lots
of studies about near-
death experiences,
research jargon can be
daunting for many peo-
ple.
Right now, I’m focused
on continuing to share
my story and help-
ing people understand
how what I learned can
change their lives for
the better. While I don’t
feel a calling to do labo-
ratory work with NDEs,
I do continue to follow
current research about
consciousness and
NDEs, and support the
researchers doing that
work. There is some
really exciting research
out there right now, and
I feel very blessed to be
here at a time when we
Е.A.
Е.A.

43
A beautiful, incredible
dream world… Except it
wasn’t a dream. Though
I didn’t know where I
was or even what I was,
I was absolutely sure of
one thing: this place I’d
suddenly found myself
in was completely real.
[A girl] Without using
any words, she spoke
to me. The message
went through me like
a wind, and I instantly
understood that it was
true. I knew so in the
same way that I knew
that the world around us
was real […] The mes-
sage had three parts,
and if I had to trans-
are constantly learning
new things about who
we are, where we are,
where we’re going, and
what it all means.
WHO IS DR.Eben
ALEXANDER?
Eben Alexander
is an American neu-
rosurgeon and the
author of the best-sell-
ing Proof of Heaven:
A Neurosurgeon’s
Journey into the
Afterlife, in which he
describes his 2008
near death experi-
ence and asserts that
Science will determine
that Heaven really does
exist.
If you want to know
more about him, check
out
http://www.ebenalex-
ander.com/
PROOF OF HEAVEN: THE
EXCERPTS

44
late them into earthly
language, I’d say they
ran something like this:
“You are loved and
cherished, dearly, for-
ever. You have nothing
to fear. There is nothing
you can do wrong”.
Through the Orb, Om
told me that there is
not one universe but
many –in fact, more
than I could conceive-
but that love lay at the
center of them all. Evil
was present in all the
other universes as well,
but only in the tini-
est trace amounts. Evil
was necessary because
without it free will was
impossible, and with-
out free will could be
no growth –no forward
movement, no chance
for us to become what
God longed for us to be.

45
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR
LIFE AFTER DEATH
mado martinez and Elaine Vieira
ince time immemorial,
human beings have won-
dered if there is
something beyond life.
Many cultures, religions and sys-
tems of knowledge have been
based on the belief that the dead
are raised up into another world,
going to paradise or reincarnating.
But what if science could show evi-
dence that there is life after death?
In the last few decades, many
scientists and medical researchers
from universities and institutions
around the world have been revo-
lutionising the paradigm, provid-
ing evidence that consciousness
indeed survives physical death.
S
New scientific methods and
technologies are being used to research
the age-old question of whether life
exists after death.
Rigorous studies of mediumship,near-
death experiences and past-life memo-
ries suggest that consciousness
indeed survives
website
by

46
MEDIUMSHIP IN THE
LABORATORY
Mediums claim that they can some-
how feel the spirits of deceased
people.
According to spiritist terminology,
these spirits are called “discarnate”.
The famous Brazilian medium Chico
Xavier, who died in 2002, wrote
more than 400 books by 600 spiri-
tual authors but never took credit
for being the author of any of them.
Heavily influenced by the works of
19th-century French spiritist Allan
Kardec, Xavier professed that his
hand was guided by spirits who dic-
tated to him.
An estimated 50 million copies of
his books have been sold, and all
the profits from these sales have
been channelled into charity work.
In 1981 and 1982, Xavier was nomi-
nated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Furthermore, he attended to, free of
charge, around 60 people per day
in his modest home in the city of
Uberaba. Apart from books, Xavier
wrote letters from deceased peopleAllan Kardec

47
whose family members
were visiting him.
In 1991, Chico Xavier’s
mediumship was investi-
gated by Dr Paulo Rossi.
His study confirmed that
93.3 per cent of the peo-
ple who visited Xavier
had
not known him before-
hand. Information from
the letters received
through Xavier contained
so many details about
the deceased and their
families as to
make fraud impossible.
Around 62.2 per cent of
the messages showed
more
than six relevant facts
each, and 71.1 per cent
had detailed information
about the deceased
people which was sub-
sequently confirmed by
their families.
Dr Rossi concluded that
the information revealed
by Chico Xavier actually
came from the spirits of
dead people and was not
the result of any kind of
fraud.
In 2004, Alexander
Moreira de Almeida
gained his PhD degree
from the University of
São Paulo, Brazil, with
his research focus on
mediumship experi-
ences.
He studied 115 spiritist
mediums with the aim
of building their
sociodemographic pro-
files and checking their
mental health.
His study was based
solely on spiritist medi-
ums who follow the doc-
trine founded by Allan
Kardec, because they
only use their medium-
ship free of charge to
help the spirits.
It is important to men-
tion that Moreira de
Almeida and his team
chose these mediums
because the spirit-
ism founded by Allan
Kardec is well
known worldwide for its
seriousness in study-
ing the relationship
between the spirit world
and human nature.
Chico Xavier

48
The researchers con-
cluded that the majority
of the mediums devel-
oped their mediumship
during childhood and
that they also showed a
high socio-educational
level. In addition, they
found only a very low
level of psychiatric dis-
orders among the medi-
ums. Thus, the medi-
ums who have so often
been labelled as “crazy”
turn out to be people
with few psychological
problems and a high
level of education.
During 2001–2008,
ProfessorGarySchwartz
and colleagues from the
University of Arizona
conducted detailed
research into the
authenticity of medi-
umship.
They investigated the
well-known mediums
George Anderson and
John Edward, and other
mediums such as
Suzane Northrop,
Laurie Campbell and
Anne Gehman.
Their studies confirmed
that all of the mediums
were very precise,
and their degree of suc-
cess was very high
compared to probabil-
ity. Factors such
as fraud, error and
coincidence were con-
sidered and eliminated.
At The Windbridge
Institute in Tucson,
Arizona, USA,
from 2008, Dr Julie
Beischel has been con-

49
ducting fascinating research with
mediums to demonstrate that there
is life after death.
Basically, she uses three methods
to study the phenomenon of medi-
umship: proof-focused research,
involving tests to verify whether the
mediums are giving accurate infor-
mation; process-focused research,
which studies the experience of the
mediums during their spiritual com-
munications; and applied research,
which examines how the information
can benefit society in general.
The mediums studied by Dr Beischel
have given accurate information
about deceased people which was
subsequently verified. Dr
Beischel’s results confirm the hypoth-
esis that the spirit survives death.
We emailed Dr Julie Beischel in
August 2011 to ask more about the
scientific method which she applies
in these investigations. She said that
she uses strict controls to investigate
the phenomenon of mediumship
through a scientific program that
contains a great amount of data:
“At The Windbridge Institute, we are
primarily interested in mediumship,
ITC [instrumental transcommunica-
tion] and haunting-related occur-
rences.
We use the scientific method and
strict controls to investigate these
phenomena, and the mediumship
research program involves the larg-
est amount of robust
data.
Through our unique quintuple-blind-
ed readings with Windbridge certi-

50
fied research mediums (WCRMs)
,we can demonstrate a phenom-
enon called ‘anomalous informa-
tion reception’ (AIR), which involves
mediums reporting accurate and
specific information about the
deceased loved ones (termed ‘dis-
carnates’) of living people (termed
‘sitters’) without any prior
knowledge about the discarnates or
sitters, in the absence of any
feedback and without using
deceptive means.
Based on
the inten-
sive test-
ing pro-
c e d u r e
we use to
screen
p r o -
s p e c t i v e
W C R M s
and the sub-
sequent studies
in which they participate, we can
confidently state that certain medi-
ums are capable of AIR.”
In addition, Dr Beischel said: “This
research paradigm is ideal in that
the phenomenon is easily replicable
and occurs on demand.
We do not need to try to catch
spontaneous events or experiences
as they occur; we can bring the
mediumship phenomenon into the
laboratory and study it under con-
trolled conditions and on a schedule
that is convenient for all of the par-
ticipants.”
…the mediums have higher
brain activity and increased
blood flow in the region of
the pineal gland compared
to the control group.

51
In her study of mediumship, Dr.
Beischel is very strict and accurate,
applying a quintuple-blind scientific
method, i.e., involving five elements.
Compare this with the double-blind
study, a very well known scientific
method that is used in experiments
with the aim of avoiding bias in the
results induced by two elements: the
placebo effect and the researcher. It
is called “double blind” because the
subjects in the study do not know
to which experimental group they
belong.
In a tripleblind study, a third ele-
ment is included with the aim of
avoiding even more bias. For
instance, the third element could
be a statistician who interprets the
data without knowing the type of
experiment that was performed, or
a scientist who works on the pro-
ject but does not know the experi-
mental group.
Dr Beischel’s research demon-
strates that the anomalous infor-
mation reception phenomenon is
indeed authentic.
THE PINEAL GLAND AND
MEDIUMSHIP
Neuroscientist Dr. Sérgio Felipe de
Oliveira from São
Paulo University, Brazil, investigates
the relationship
between the pineal gland and medi-
umship. In performing his research,
he uses techniques such as X-ray
diffraction,
computed tomography and magnet-
ic resonance imaging. Comparing
the “brain sand” (calcified struc-
tures in the brain) of mediums and
non mediums,he showed that medi-
ums have a higher amount of brain
sand in the pineal gland than do
non mediums.
In addition, he demonstrated that,
during spirit communication, the
mediums have higher brain
activity and increased blood flow in
the region of the pineal gland com-
pared to the control group.
Dr. Felipe de Oliveira hypothesises
that the pineal gland is the sensorial
organ of mediumship. For instance,
the gland would be like a mobile
phone that captures the electro-
magnetic waves coming from the
spirit world.

52
Once the waves reach the pineal
gland, they bounce off the brain
sand, sequestering the electro-
magnetic field and transmitting
the information to the cerebral
cortex for the interpretation of the
message.
In October 2010 in Valencia,
Spain, I (Martínez) conducted an
interview with Dr. Sérgio Felipe de
Oliveira, who showed images from
his magnetic resonance experi-
ments and pointed out these dif-
ferences in the level of brain sand
in the pineal gland that are related
to extrasensory abilities.
RESEARCH INTO NEAR-
DEATH EXPERIENCE
At King’s College London there is
a revolution going on in the world
of thanatology, the scientific study
of death.
The researcher, Peter Fenwick,
MD, is performing detailed
experiments on the phenomenon
that takes place between
the24and48hoursbeforeandafter
death and also at the moment of
death. He concentrates on visions
from people who were lying in bed
and spoke with deceased family
Dr Sérgio Felipe de Oliveira

53
Moody, Jr., MD, wrote
his book Life After Life
(1975) and Elisabeth
Kübler-Ross, MD
(the now-deceased
eminent researcher
who received a
score of honorary doc-
torates from universi-
ties around the world)
compiled hundreds of
stunning testimonies
and wrote some of the
most powerful books
concerning
NDEs, scientists have
become very attract-
ed to this phenom-
enon.
members who came
to receive them. He
also investigates coin-
cidences involving
deceased people who
contacted someone
just to tell them that
he/she has died. In
addition, he studies
family members who
saw shadows around
the bed of the ceased
and observed that the
room became a lot of
brighter at the time of
the person’s death.
These occurrences
happen in a very high
percentage of cases, he
concludes. Dr. Fenwick
also insists that the
soul is different from
the brain.
The term near-death
experience
(NDE) refers to a broad
range of experiences
associated
with impending death.
These can encom-
pass multiple possible
sensations including:
detachment from the
body; feelings of levi-
tation, extreme fear,
total serenity, securi-
ty, warmth or abso-
lute dissolution; and
the presence of light.
These phenomena are
usually reported after
an individual has been
pronounced clinically
dead and then comes
back to life. These
experiences suggest
the existence of life
after death. Since psy-
chologist Raymond
Dr Peter Fenwick

54
Dr Kenneth Ring, then
based at the University
of Connecticut, and
Sharon Cooper, then a
PhD candidate from the
University of New York,
performed a two-year
study of near-death
experiences in the blind,
with amazing results.
These were published in
their book
Mindsight (1999), which
provided strong evi-
dence from 31 blind
people who describe the
experience of seeing for
the first time in their
lives, giving details of
medical procedures on
the operating table, for
instance.
Jeffrey Long, MD, an
oncologist, directs the
Near Death Experience
Research Foundation
(http://www.nderf.org),
which has collected
more than
2,500 case studies
worldwide of people who
have had near-death
experiences.
Because Dr. Long applies
the scientific method in
his research, we decid-
ed to contact him to
find out more about
his work. In our e-mail
interview with him in
August 2011, he
stated: “My area of
expertise is in near-
death experiences.
NDEs provide, in my
opinion, the strongest
scientific evidence of life
after death.”
In his book Evidence of
the Afterlife: The
Science of Near-Death
Experiences (2010),
Dr. Long gives a sum-
mary of the nine
lines of evidence that
point to the
reality of NDEs and their
consistent message of
an afterlife:
1.
C r y s t a l
Clear Consciousness
The level of conscious-
ness andalertness dur-
ing near-death
experiences is usually
evengreater than that
experienced in everyday
life, even though NDEs
generally occur when a
person is unconscious
or clinically dead.
This high level of con-
sciousness while physi-
cally unconscious is
medically inexplicable.
Additionally, the ele-
ments in NDEs gener-
ally follow the same
consistent and logical
order in all age groups
and around the world,
which refutes the pos-
sibility that NDEs have
any relation to dreams
or hallucinations.

55
Realistic Out-of-Body
Experiences
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are
one of the most common elements
of NDEs. What “NDErs” see and
hear of earthly events in the out-of-
body state is almost always realistic.
When the NDEr or others later seek
to verify what was observed or heard
during the NDE, the OBE observa-
tions are almost always confirmed
as completely accurate.
Even if the OBE observations during
the NDE included events far from
the physical body and far from any
possible sensory awareness of the
NDEr, the OBE observations are still
almost always confirmed as com-
pletely accurate. This fact alone
rules out the possibility that near-
death experiences are related to any
known brain functioning or sensory
awareness.
This also refutes the possibility that
NDEs are unrealistic fragments of
memory from the brain.
Heightened Senses
Not only are heightened
senses reported by most
who have experienced NDEs,
but normal or supernormal vision
has occurred in those
with significantly impaired vision and
even legal blindness. Several people
who have been totally blind
since birth have reported highly
visual near-death experiences.
This is medically inexplicable.
Consciousness During
Anaesthesia
Many NDEs occur while
under general anaesthesia—at a
time when any conscious experience
should be impossible. While some
sceptics claim that these NDEs may
be the result of too little anaesthe-
sia, this ignores the fact that some
NDEs result from anaesthesia over-
dose.
Additionally, the description of an
NDE differs greatly from that of
one who experiences “anaesthetic
awareness”. The content of NDEs
that occur under general anaesthe-
sia is essentially indistinguishable
from NDEs that did not occur under
general anaesthesia.
This is further strong evidence that
NDEs are occurring completely inde-
pendently from the functioning of
the physical brain.
3.
2.
4.

56
Perfect Playbacks
Life reviews in near-death experi-
ences include real events that pre-
viously took place in the lives of
those having the experience, even
if the events were forgotten or hap-
pened before they were old enough
to remember.
Family Reunions
During an NDE, the people
encountered are virtually always
deceased and are usually relatives
of the person having the experience;
sometimes they are even relatives
who died before the NDEr was born.
Were the NDE only a product of
memory fragments, it would almost
certainly include far more living peo-
ple, including those with whom the
NDEr had interacted more recently.
Children’s Experiences
The near-death experiences
of children, including very young
children who are too young to have
developed concepts of death, reli-
gion or near-death experiences, are
essentially identical to those of older
children and adults.
This refutes the possibility that the
content of NDEs is produced by pre-
existing beliefs or cultural condition-
ing.
Worldwide
Consistency
Near-death experiences
appear remarkably consistent around
the world and across many different
religions and cultures. NDEs from
non-western countries are incredibly
similar to those that occur in people
in western countries.
Aftereffects
It is common for people
to experience major life
changes after having near-death
experiences.
These aftereffects are often power-
ful, lasting and lifeenhancing,
and the changes generally follow a
consistent pattern. As the NDErs
themselves almost
always believe, near-death experi-
ences are, in a word,
real.
6.
5.
7.
8.
9.

57
PAST-LIFE REGRESSION
THERAPY
The research on past-life regres-
sion consists of practices and evi-
dence based approaches. The
results come from questionnaires
completed before and after the
therapy with a large number of
individuals with a specific type of
problem, including a control group
to demonstrate their effectiveness
(the double-blind scientific meth-
od).
Between 1985 and 1992, Dr. Hazel
Denning (now deceased), founder
of the International Association for
Regression Research and
Therapies (http://www.iarrt.org),
studied the results of eight regres-
sion therapists with about 1,000
patients. The results were mea-
sured immediately after the ther-
apy, with follow-ups six months,
one year, two years and five years
afterwards.
From the 450 patients who could
be traced after five years, 24 per
cent reported that their symp-
toms had completely disappeared,
23 per cent reported a significant
improvement, 17 per cent reported
an improvement, and 36 per cent
reported no improvement. Overall,
this makes a positive balance of
64 per cent.
In 2006, Ron van der Maesen obtained
his PhD in the research area of past-
life therapy from Utrecht University in
the Netherlands. His doctoral thesis
was based on different studies with
people who underwent treatment with
past-life therapy. The studies includ-
ed one in Suriname, one with the
Dutch Association of Reincarnation

58
Therapists and anoth-
er with patients with
Tourette syndrome. The
studies showed that
the pastlife treatments
had statistically signifi-
cant beneficial results
in patients compared
with the controls (with
no health problems).
The level of satisfac-
tion among the patients
who had improvements
with past-life therapy
was very high.
Psychologist Dr. Helen
Wambach, who carried
out past-life research
from the mid-1960s
until her death in 1985,
conducted a 10-year
survey of past-life rec-
ollection and reincar-
nation. She performed
her main study with
26 regression thera-
pists who had worked
with a total of 17,350
patients. Among those,
63 per cent reported an
improvement in physi-
cal symptoms whereas
40 per cent reported an
improvement in their
interpersonal relation-
ships. Dr. Wambach had
very specific questions
about the time periods
in which people lived
other lives, the types
of clothes and shoes
they wore, the kinds of
utensils and money they
used, the style of house
they lived in, and so on.
She concluded that the
results were very accu-
rate, and that fantasy
and genetic memory
could not account for the
patterns that emerged
from the results. With
the exception of reports
from 11 subjects, all
descriptions of cloth-
ing, footwear, utensils,
housing and so on were
consistent with histori-
cal records.
EVIDENCE OF
REINCARNATION
Psychotherapist Brian Weiss,
MD, is Chairman Emeritus of
Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai
Medical Center in Miami. One
day he found that one of his
patients started to recall pastlife
traumas in recurring nightmares
and began to give astonishing
details about Weiss’s family and
his dead son. Although at the
beginning he was very sceptical,
Attorney Victor Zammit
has gathered evidence for
the existence of life after
death that he thinks is strong
enough to be accepted in
any court of law.

59
he decided to do some in-depth
research. He has since published
several books where he describes
his investigations of past lives.
In Many Lives, Many Masters
(1988), Dr Weiss explains the real-
ity of reincarnation
and the spirit world from the psychi-
atric perspective. Ian Stevenson,
MD, who died in 2007, was one of
the most well known researchers to
have provided strong evidence for
the reality of reincarnation. From
1957, at the University of Virginia,
he headed the Department of
Psychiatry and later the Division
of Perceptual Studies until his
2002 retirement. He did not use
the method of hypnosis to verify
whether a person had a recollec-
tion of a previous life; instead, he
studied thousands of cases in chil-
dren in the USA, England, Thailand,
Burma, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada,
India and other countries who had
spontaneous memories about their
previous lives.
First, he verified all the informa-
tion from a child about their pre-
vious life. Next, he identified the
deceased person whom that child
claimed to be in their previous
life. Later, he verified the facts of
the past life of the deceased per-
son that coincided with the memo-
ries of the child. He also compared
and verified body marks and birth
defects with wounds and scars of
thedeceased, all of them confirmed by
medical records.
A good example of a birthmark
case involved Ravi Shankar. This child
remembered being decapitated in
his previous childhood by a family
member who was hoping for a patri-
mony from the child’s father. Ravi
Shankar had a birthmark around his
neck. When Dr Stevenson investigat-
ed this case, he was able to confirm
that the child whom Shankar told him
about from his past life had in fact
been decapitated.
Dr Ian Stevenson

60
It was Jim Tucker, MD, who took
over Dr Stevenson’s
research. At the University of
Virginia, Dr Tucker is currently
Medical Director of the Child and
Family Psychiatry Clinic as well as
Associate Professor of
Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral
Sciences.
His book Life Before Life: A Scientific
Investigation of Children’s Memories
of Previous Lives (2005) summaris-
es the 40 years of investigation of
reincarnation which Dr Stevenson
performed during his career.
In August 2011, we conducted an
email interview with Dr Tucker about
the scientific evidence for life after
death. He responded:
“As to your questions, the most
important evidence for life
after death, other than neardeath
experiences, includes controlled
mediumship studies, carefully stud-
ied reports of apparitions, and veri-
fied claims
by children of past-life memories.
The most important evidence of
reincarnation is this last phenom-
enon: children’s reports of past-life
memories.
Ian Stevenson spent 40 years study-
ing such cases, documenting them
as carefully as he could. Most of
his cases came from cultures with a
belief in reincarnation.
I’ve been focusing on western
cases, and I’m finding that
the phenomenon is essentially the
same here as it is in Asia. At this
point, we certainly don’t have as
many really strong cases here as
Ian found in Asia, but we do have
some interesting ones.”
THE SCIENCE OF THE
AFTERLIFE
Australian lawyer turned full-time
researcher/writer
Victor Zammit has investigated the
afterlife from the judicial point of
view. He thinks that the evidence
he has gathered for the existence
of life after death is strong enough
to be accepted in any court of law
(http://www.victorzammit.com).
In his book A Lawyer Presents the
Case for the Afterlife (2006, 4th
ed.), Zammit showed 23 different
areas that demonstrate the
existence of life after death. He
has put out a challenge
to scientists to provide evidence
that there is no life after death,
promising to pay $1,000,000 if
they do.

61
Thepioneeringresearch
of Dr Raymond Moody
and Dr Elisabeth Kübler-
Ross has contributed to
the development of this
discipline.
Now there are numer-
ous studies being con-
ducted in the area of
spirituality and life after
death, utilising the lat-
est technologies and
scientific methods.
Over the years, sig-
nificant research has
been carried out by
such luminaries as Dr
Erlendur Haraldsson of
IcelandUniversity,past-
life therapist Dr Morris
Netherton, psycholo-
gist Dr Peter Ramster,
psychotherapist Andy
Tomlinson, cardiologist
Pim van Lommel, MD,
and many others.
Is the quest progressing
towards a final answer?
Probably never: the
more answers unveiled,
the more questions
revealed. Professor Lisa
Randall is a theoreti-
cal physicist at Harvard
University, a leading
expert on particle phys-
ics and cosmology, and
a member of the sci-
entific staff at CERN.
She theorises that our
universe exists within a
universe of many high-
er and unseen dimen-
sions, and that the
laws of nature may be
very different in differ-
ent regions of this so-
called multverse. Then,
if this is so, the larg-
er hidden dimensions
in which our universe
exists may influence our
own three-dimensional
space-time world and
its laws of nature. But
what is consciousness,
one of the most
vibrant areas of study in
sciencetoday?According
to Professor
Randall (Discover, 29
July 2006):
“Neuroscience is excit-
ing. Understanding how
thoughts work, how
connections are made,
how the memory works,
how we process infor-
mation, how informa-
tion is stored—it’s all
fascinating.
Experimentally, though,
we’re still rather limited
in what we can do. I
don’t even know what
consciousness is. I’d
like someone to define
consciousness.”
Right. So if we want to
know more about the
possibility of the surviv-
al of consciousness after
death, maybe we need
more accurate studies
Professor Lisa Randall

62
which consider
consciousness itself.
In the meantime, some
scientists are finding
impressive evidence to
suggest that there is
life after
death, or at least sur-
vival of consciousness,
although they don’t
know yet how it works.
This is the reason why
the key is in the brilliant
confession of Professor
Lisa Randall, one of the
most influential scien-
tists in the world: “I
don’t even know what
consciousness is. I’d
like someone to define
consciousness.”
Yes, sometimes sci-
ence works like that;
for example,
astronomers and astro-
physicists can identify
a relationship between
the activity cycles of
the Sun and
the weather on Earth,
so they assume that
this relationship exists
although they don’t
know how it works.
Yet, as Professor Sami
Solanki, of the Max
Planck Institute for
Solar System Research
in Germany, has
stated (http://tinyurl.
com/77taz9c) :“The
correlation between
solar cycles and terres-
trial weather has not
been demonstrated.”
Then why do they study
this “correlation” if it
has not been demon-
strated that it really
exists? The answer
is simple: it is because
they have observed
evidence which sug-
gests that it may be
that way…
Well, it seems
that we are in
a very simi-
lar situation
with stud-
ies about
the afterlife.
S c i e n t i s t s
h a v e
observed evi-
dence which
suggests that
there may be life
after death, but they
don’t know what the
process is or what con-
sciousness is, and they
can’t say that life after
death can be real in
case it really is real!
In the meantime, some
scientists are finding
impressive evidence to
suggest that there is life
after death, or at least
survival of consciousness…

63
www . ispectrummagazine . c o m
“One of the near-death experience truths is that each
person integrates their near-death experience into their
own pre-existing belief system.”
- jody long
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