1	Near Death Experiences As Presented By Lauren Sadler-Davis Morgan Rains Alison Borin Shawn Loader
2	Near Death Experiences A near death experience is “the perception reported by a person who nearly died or who was clinically dead and revived.” Approximately 8 million Americans claim to have had a near death experience.
3	Common Characteristics The sensation of floating out of one’s body, and an out of body experience. Passing through a dark hole, tunnel or narrow passageway. Encountering a brilliant light. Meeting deceased relatives, religious figures or strangers. Often a message is given. Seeing a panoramic review of the life just lived. Reluctance to return, and disappointment at being revived.
4	Types of NDEs There are two types of near death experiences: Pleasurable near death experiences Distressing near death experiences
5	Pleasurable NDE Four phases of pleasurable NDE Disassociation: The NDEer no longer feels associated with their body, and feel completely peaceful. Naturalistic: Seeing their body and it’s surrounding from outside of their bodies. Supernatural: NDEers are in an environment and meet beings that they do not deem to be natural Return: The NDEer chooses whether or not to return to their bodies.
6	Distressing NDEs Four types: Powerlessness: Same phases as pleasurable NDEs but with a feeling of powerlessness. Nothingness: The NDEer experiences feelings that they did not exist. Torment: The NDEer was in an unpleasant environment. Worthlessness: The NDEer feels negatively judged by a higher power.
7	Children’s NDE Children have also claimed to have NDEs Their experiences are similar to those of adults. Children's NDEs tend to have fewer features, are less complex and often include a deceased pet or unknown relative.
8	NDEs and Watches One unusual claim of those who experience NDEs is that they are unable to wear watches because they mysteriously stop working. It is also reported that these watches work normally when not being worn.
9	Causes (In Theory…) Physiological changes in the brain, ie brain cells dying as a result of cerebral anoxia Release of endorphins, NMDA receptor blockade Psychological reaction to approaching death, or combination of this and others Transition/Transformation of thoughts, memories, emotions functioning on conscious level separate from unconscious body
10	By The Numbers Based on a 1998 study by Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) 344 cardiac arrest patients observed 62 patients (18%) reported some recollection of the time of clinical death Of these patients 41 (12%) had a core experience with a score of 6 or higher (measure of intensity) 21 (6%) had a superficial NDE.
11	By The Numbers In the core group 23 patients (7%) reported a deep or very deep experience with a score of 10 or higher. 282 patients (82%) had no recollection of the period of cardiac arrest.
12	Findings of Study No correlation found between religiosity, fear of/apprehension to death, duration or complication of condition, or origin of condition More likely to happen with patients over 60, if you’ve had multiple CPR sessions during your stay, or previous NDE experience Strong NDE experiences had a greater chance of death within 30 days following experience than non NDE experiences. (same peril)
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14	http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4898726.stm
15	Implications/Conditions From a BBC news article published April 11, 2006 Reported symptoms of bright light or observing their body in a theatre of operations common to REM (rapid eye movement) dream state Less clearly separated boundaries between sleeping and waking
16	More… REM intrusions REM state of sleep during periods of wakefulness Being unable to move when you wake up, sudden muscle weakness, hearing sounds during start/end of sleep that others do not hear “Our dreams can appear incredibly real- after all they are our reality when they are happening.”
17	In Popularized Culture Flatliners Movie (B- on Yahoo Movies) Medical school students artificially stop the hearts of their peers to examine possibilities and experiences of NDE’s This actually happens, less for exploratory purposes, but for inserting types of pacemakers.
18	In the Research Community There have been relatively informal studies that place objects, numbers or figures in such a position that only people having an OBE could see it. Of particular interest were cardiac arrest patients who were revived None reported seeing those items Statistically this is not surprising
19	Why’s This Group? Consider that of cardiac arrest patients, only about 20% are revived Of that, you have to find a group that also has an OBE in addition to their NDE, which is rare (about 2.5% maybe) Then there is the question of what you will be noticing if you float above your own body, probably not numbers or objects. Vanity in death? Simple intrigue
20	Additional Science Stimulating NDE’s Identify portion of brain and trigger symptoms in line with descriptions of NDE’s If this brings into question the reality of it, a similar electrical stimulation can bring about the feeling of maternal love, or any feeling for that matter. Not limited to NDE’s
21	NDE Stories Hospice worker shares experience with NDE Patient talking to his brother, when no one was in the room Silver being reached out for patients hand and pulled his soul from his body http://www.dannion.com/ Sarah’s NDE Sarah was rear ended while riding her bicycle by a truck at ~50mph. She remembers nothing of her physical life for a period of days, but has a vivid recollection of her journey through a sort of hell Long hallway/tunnel with doors to various scenes Some were positive, some decidedly negative, but occupants of each felt they belonged there.
22	Impacts on Survivors
23	Coping with Trauma Major events such as life-threatening traumas lead to life changes. Many studies suggest that NDErs go through change above and beyond what would be expected following a life-threatening trauma.
24	Studying the Effects of NDEs The most valid studies compare NDErs with non-NDErs. Self-reports and significant others’ reports are both used to confirm what changes have occurred. Interviews offer subjective data. Surveys provide more objective data. Longitudinal studies show change over time.
25	Groth-Marnat & Summers (1998) 53 NDErs, 27 non-NDErs Both self-report and significant others’ report Life Change Questionnaire 42-item survey on 7-point Likert scale Found significantly greater change among NDErs
26	Life Changes Following NDEs Increased concern for others Reduced anxiety Strengthened belief in afterlife Increased transcendental experience Reduced interest in material possessions Enhanced awareness of paranormal phenomena Reduced fear of death Clearer self-identity Increased motivation to gain knowledge Higher self-esteem Increased concern for spiritual matters Increased inner religious feeling Search for purpose
27	Life Change Data from Ring (1980) Change % NDErs reporting % Non-NDErs reporting Increased appreciation Of life 37% 29% Renewed sense of Purpose 24% 12% Stronger person 20% 8% More loving, caring 24% 20% Source: Ring, K. (1980). Life at Death: A Scientific Investigation of the Near-Death Experience. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan.
28	Conception of Death Data from Ring (1980) Conception % NDErs % Non-NDErs Something beyond 35% 15% New beginning 29% 15% Peace, beauty, bliss 37% 8% Reincarnation 24% 4% No idea/Not ascertained 16% 44% Source: Ring, K. (1980). Life at Death: A Scientific Investigation of the Near-Death Experience. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan.
29	Explaining the Impact of NDEs Paranormal, spiritual, and religious explanations are prevalent. “The NDE is essentially a spiritual experience that serves as a catalyst for spiritual awakening and development. Moreover, the spiritual development that unfolds following the NDE tends to take a particular form. Finally, as a by-product of this spiritual development, NDErs tend to manifest a variety of psychic abilities afterward that are an inherent part of their transformation.” - Ring(1984) From this perspective, the paranormal NDE endows the NDEr with expanded spiritual capacity.
30	Explaining the Impact of NDEs Alternatively, skeptics’ neurophysiological hypothesis also suffices in explaining long-term changes. Chemicals released in the brain when trauma occurs may have enduring effects. Harvard psychologists promoted the use of LSD in the 1960s because of supposedly long-lasting spiritual awareness and other “mind-expanding” changes in users. The impact of the NDE may be similar. Just as drugs have varying effects on different individuals, some people may be predisposed to have an NDE and later life changes in the case of a life-threatening event. Brain/Behavior interaction: neurophysiological changes may produce behaviors that further reinforce changes in the brain, eventually hardwiring characteristics.
31	Reconstructing and Interpreting Death The individual’s interpretation of the NDE must either fit into their already existing conception death or alter that conception. Most people hold some religious beliefs, which play a role in the interpretation of the NDE, and this cognitive construction of the event reaffirms and magnifies those beliefs. Much as religion and belief in the afterlife appease death fears, the positive conception of death as a result of the NDE is reinforcing to the survivor. Terror theory: The close encounter with death intensifies NDErs’ values and motivates them to find meaning in life. The impact might be greater for NDErs versus non-NDErs because NDErs were conscious or more aware of what was going on at the time of the trauma, a factor which may have elicited the NDE.
32	A Sociological Perspective What are the implications of our fascination with near death experiences?
33	"Reflects our anxiety towards death" Reflects our anxiety towards death Reminder of our own mortality Gives life more meaning 28,500,000 (Google search)
34	"New medical advances" New medical advances, create new purgatory? Universality of NDE Reflect our own philosophical and religious background Lead to new life missions…artificially create?
35	""" "I immediately went to a different place. I was on a staircase, and the staircase went as high up into the sky as you can imagine and the sky was the most incredible color of blue that does not exist in this life. It's not on any color palette. I've tried to find it after this experience. It doesn't exist." Foster said she had company during her journey. "There were dogs and cats going up and down the staircase, and they were very gleeful. And you could just tell they were so intensely happy. … I was in this place of incredible peace. There wasn't any pain. It was serene. It was the perfect moment," she said. Foster believes she saw a glimpse of heaven. British psychologist Dr. Susan Blackmore spent decades searching for a scientific explanation for the near-death experience. She developed a theory that these experiences can be explained as the product of a dying brain. "We know that when the oxygen levels fall in the brain, the inhibitory systems start to fail first and you get massive overactivity in the brain. It's kind of going wild in there. I think there is a true transformation but not because you've been to heaven," she said. Many scientists and doctors believe that the near-death experience is simply the function of a dying brain, but Foster — and thousands of others who have had similar experiences — believe otherwise. "I know what I experienced, and no scientist can deny the near-death experience. There is no proof that it doesn't exist. It exists, and I was there," she said.
36	Near Death and brushes with the afterlife in the media Reveals our social fascination and insecurities concerning the afterlife With so many facts and answers from science and technology, death becomes the only and ultimate unknown
37	From movies to pop songs, heaven has a huge hold on the popular imagination. Why do you think that is? First of all, I think we're all concerned about life on earth and if this is all there is. And because heaven has always been this wondrous, mystical place. Before we had airplanes and astronauts, we really thought that there was an actual place beyond the clouds, somewhere over the rainbow. There was an actual place, and we could go above the clouds and find it.there.
38	"The stories of people who..." The stories of people who claimed to have had near-death experiences were fascinating. “Yes, and these are very sensible people. These are very normal, not necessarily very spiritual people. And yet their experience was such that the near-death experience transformed their lives. Now, you can tell them that scientifically, something happens to the brain that creates a hallucinatory experience, which is how [near-death experiences are] explained by many scientists. They will say, "Yes, but I saw it, I felt it." They believe that they did experience something real, and nothing can persuade them that they didn't.” –Barbara Walters
39	"Did you believe their stories" Did you believe their stories? “I certainly would like to. I think if you can believe that there is a heaven, it graces your life. If you can believe that when you die, you go to a better place, it certainly makes life more comfortable on earth. Especially if you experience tragedies, and everyone does--deaths, pain, humiliation, whatever. If you believe that you have a near-death experience and you come back, and you can tell it to your children, that's wonderful. I think that these people have a very special grace.”
40	Bibliography http://iands.org http://www.mindspring.com/~scott/nde/watches.html http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060410/images/060410-2.jpg http://www.nderf.org http://z.about.com/d/healing/1/5/z/p/gc_nde.jpg http://www.coasttocoastam.com Groth-Marnat, G. & Summers, R. (1998). Altered beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors following near-death experiences. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 38(3), pp. 110-25. Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Smith, R.E. (2004). Introduction to Personality. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ring, K. (1984). Heading toward Omega: In Search of the Meaning of the Near-Death Experience. New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc. Ring, K. (1980). Life at Death: A Scientific Investigation of the Near-Death Experience. New York: Coward, McCann & Georghegan. Shermer, M. (1997). Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co. Von Lommel, P., van Wees, R., Meyers, V., & Elfferich, I. (2001). Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: A prospective study in the Netherlands. The Lancet, 358(12), pp. 2039-45.