A blinding light, angels, all life flashing before your eyes… When we talk about or about someone who’s had a “near-death experience” (or returning from the dead), we often encounter things like these. But what exactly is death? What might a near-death experience actually look like?
Scientifically, the concept of “near-death experience” has no clear definition. For example, if you ask a neuroscientist or intensive care doctor what a near-death experience is or what it means, you might get quite different answers.
That’s why scientists from many different disciplines have released a new consensus statement that addresses what exactly death is and the “return from death”. The article, published in the registry of the New York Academy of Sciences, is the first peer-reviewed review of the scientific study of death.
This proclamation comes at a crucial time, as “death” in the 21st century is not perceived in the same way as death a hundred years ago.
Anders Sandberg, a research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, wrote in 2016 that “death irreversibly depends on technology,” and continued: “For a long time, respiratory and Lack of pulse was considered the hallmark of death until resuscitation methods were developed. Today, drowning victims with extreme hypothermia, lack of oxygen, no pulse and breath for several hours can be brought back to life (with luck and some serious medical intervention). Not even having a heart isn’t death if you’re at the transplant surgeon’s desk.”
Sandberg isn’t involved in the new paper, but he makes the point clear: Modern medicine has completely changed the way we think about death. This is how we learned how little we knew about this most universal part of life.
But what exactly is death?
“Cardiovascular arrest is not a heart attack,” says Sam Parnia, director of Intensive Care and Resuscitation Research at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and lead author of the new paper. “Instead, it’s a disease that causes a person to die.” or represents the final stage of the event. The advent of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) showed us that death is not an absolute condition, but rather a potentially reversible process in some people even after it has begun.”
In fact, the evidence suggests that neither physiological nor cognitive processes are “death”.
What is noteworthy is that “near-death” experiences, recorded hundreds of millions of times from cultures around the world, consistently have the same themes and Seeing narratives around the world, near-death experiences first involve feeling as though you have been separated from your body and having a heightened sense of consciousness and recognition of death. Next, a voice that follows a meaningful and purposeful analysis of your actions, intentions, and thoughts towards others throughout your life. It includes feeling at home, and then feeling like you’re in a place that feels like “home,” before finally returning to the real world (and possibly, very relieved paramedics).
Modern science already gives us an idea of some of this experience: Electroencephalography studies, for example, have shown the emergence of gamma activity and electrical spikes associated with death – a phenomenon often associated with heightened awareness. This may be responsible for the “recognition of states and death”. With future research, Parnia and colleagues hope that one day we may know the answer for sure. “There are very few studies that objectively and scientifically investigate what happens when we die,” said Parnia. “Our paper offers compelling insights into how consciousness exists in humans and could pave the way for further research.”
Parnia finally said, “What makes the scientific study of death possible is that when the heart stops, minutes after oxygen deprivation, brain cells are not irreversibly damaged. Instead, they die within hours. and allows him to examine mental events objectively.”
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