An Inside Look at Near-Death Experiences

Near-death experiences are a topic of growing interest and popularity, especially on the heels of popular movies and books that recount out-of-body experiences and other sensations that people experience during life-threatening situations. Of particular interest are two books written by doctors about near-death experiences.

For instance, in "Proof of Heaven," Dr. Eben Alexander recounts what he experienced while in a week-long coma brought on by meningitis. Meanwhile, in "To Heaven and Back," Mary C. Neal discusses her near-death experience while submerged in a river after a kayaking accident. Both books spent a considerable amount of time on theNew York TimesBestseller List demonstrating that this is a topic that has not only captivated the interest of the country but demands additional research by the medical community.

After his near-death experience, Dr. Alexander studied his own medical charts and came to the conclusion that he was in such a deep coma that his brain was completely shut down. He believes the only way to explain what he experienced is to accept that his soul detached from his body and journeyed to another world.

What Is a Near-Death Experience?

From bright lights and warmth to a detachment from the body,flashbacks, and encounters with angels and other beings, these are things that people who have had near-death experiences recount experiencing. What's more, people who have had these experiences report that their experience was not dreamlike nor was it ahallucination, but instead more real than real life itself.

While these near-death experiences are widely-recognized phenomena, there are plenty of people who question the validity of near-death experiences. To critics, the stories about near-death experiences, or out-of-body experiences as they are sometimes called, ranks right up there with stories about psychic powers, poltergeists, alien abductions, and other tales.

Popular Theories

大脑都很复杂和细腻。例如，如果甚至少量氧气降低，大脑几乎立即反应。结果，许多科学家建议近死经历是大脑的物理变化的结果，如缺氧，当时发生强调大脑or dying.

Loss of Oxygen

They theorize that these experiences are brought on by a loss of oxygen, troubles with anesthesia, and the body's neurochemical responses totrauma. But people who say they have had a near-death experience say these explanations are inadequate and do not explain or even come close to acknowledging what they experienced.

显然，近死经历是有趣的，以及科学的情趣。此外，在医疗技能和技术的进步方面，医生现在能够更频繁地从死亡边缘带来人员。因此，近死经历的叙述似乎是合理的。

幸存下来

For instance, there are reports of people making a full recovery after spending hours with no breath or pulse, buried in snow, or submerged in very cold water. In fact, surgeons even create these conditions intentionally. Not only will they chill a patient's body or stop their heart to perform a dangerous operation, but they also have started trying these techniques on severely-injured trauma patients. They keep them between life and death until their wounds are adequately repaired.

Anesthesia Awareness

Consequently, people often have a story to tell about their experience. Many times, doctors often attribute these out-of-body experiences to "anesthesia awareness," which they say impacts about one patient per 1,000 patients. Anesthesia awareness occurs when patients are under anesthesia but can still hear snatches of conversation or hear music playing in the operating room.

研究所说的是什么

The first written accounts of near-death experiences date back to at least the Middle Ages, while some researchers insist they can even be traced to ancient times. In fact, the medical journalResuscitationpublished a brief account of the oldest known medical description of a near-death experience written by an 18th-century French military doctor. However, most modern research into near-death experiences is said to have started in 1975.

Researchers at the University of Southampton

Although very few objective studies about near-death experiences exist, there are several that have provided some initial insight into these experiences. For instance, researchers from the University of Southampton conducted a four-year international study on more than 2,000 cardiac-arrest patients. Their results and initial conclusions were published inResuscitation.

在研究期间，被称为已知（复苏期间的意识），研究人员研究了与心脏骤停相关的广泛意识和心理经历。2,060名患者参加该研究，330次幸存，140人能够完成对事件记忆的结构化访谈。

Awareness vs. Memories

What the researchers discovered is that nearly 40 percent of these individuals described some awareness of the time prior to resuscitation, or when their hearts stopped beating. The majority of these patients did not have any specificmemories然而，事实。这表明，许多人在心脏骤停期间确实有心理活动，但经常在恢复后失去他们对该活动的回忆。根据医生进行研究，这可能是由于脑损伤或镇静剂的药物。

例如，ketamine, a drug often used for sedation and general anesthesia has been known to make people feel a strong sense of detachment from their bodies as well as a sense of peace or joy. In fact, the state of他们使用氯胺酮而经历的宁静is often very similar to near-death experiences.

Interestingly, the study also found that 46 percent of people experienced recollections in relation to death that were not compatible with how people describe near-death experiences. In fact, some reported being fearful or feeling like they were being dragged through deep water. Only 9 percent of people had experiences that were similar to near-death experiences and 2 percent had an out-of-body experience including hearing and seeing events.

病人的经验

在一个患者的情况下，有consciousnessand awareness that seemed to occur during a three-minute period when there was no heartbeat. The researchers found this discovery paradoxical because the brain typically stops functioning within 20 to 30 seconds after the heart stops and doesn't seem to resume again until the heart has been restarted. So, the fact that there might have been some brain activity suggests that something is taking place.

总体而言,研究人员都无法否认这一点near-death experiences occur with absolute certainty. Likewise, there was such a small group that reported having experiences that they were unable to determine the reality or the meaning of the patients' experiences.

最后，他们建议未来的研究应该专注于心脏骤停，这是生物学上死亡而不是医科州，有时被称为“近死”。

乔治华盛顿大学研究

Meanwhile, another study examined the brain activity of seven critically ill patients removed from life support. Using an EEG to record neural electrical activity, researchers found a spike in neural activity at or near the time of death even though just prior to the spike there was a loss of blood pressure and a drop in brain activity.

According to the researchers, these spikes occur at a time when we most would expect the brain to die because of a lack of blood flow. Soon after the brain activity stopped, the patients were pronounced dead.

研究人员推测，随着血液流量减慢和氧气耗尽，电池不再能够保持其充电。接下来会发生什么是穿过大脑涟漪的级联活动。如果这些“癫痫发作”发生在一个人的大脑的记忆区域，这可以解释人们在复苏时报告的生动记忆。

A Word From Verywell

多年来，近死和身体经历的故事迷住了全国各地的人。事实上，人们喜欢听到别人见证了什么，同时如此接近死亡的边缘。然而，近死亡经历仍然是如此既不明朗也不可以解释。显然，需要额外的真正研究，周围近死经验的现象和身体异体。在此之前，许多人只是为了知道这些经历是生命本身的一部分。