The first is an excellent radio interview show, originally broadcast on August 24, 2007 with NDE researcher Dr. Sam Parnia about the research into out-of-body experiences and NDEs. The second is IANDS' perspective and links to coverage of two papers published in the journal
Science about how two research teams created an illusion of an out-of-body experience in laboratory settings.
1 – On August 24, 2007, a National Public Radio (NPR) program in
the United States
called OnPoint, broadcast an excellent show titled “What Happens When We
Die.” NDE researcher Dr. Sam Parnia from
Britain
described an ongoing study in English hospitals which might prove that
consciousness can continue even while a patient is clinically dead. A few
NDErs, both a guest on the show and listeners calling in, described how they
were able to clearly observe attempts to resuscitate their bodies from above,
as well as other aspects of their NDEs. This program was one of the most
informative and comprehensive broadcasts about NDEs and the research into the
nature of consciousness.
To listen to the broadcast, go to the NPR website at
http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/
08/20070824_b_main.asp
and click just above the title of the show "What Happens When We Die"
where it says Listen. We urge you to forward this link to your friends and
acquaintances since it represents cutting-edge science in near-death research.
2 – In the August 24, 2007 edition of the well-known
scientific journal Science two teams of researchers claim to have created in a
laboratory setting some aspects of out-of-body experiences (OBEs). This fascinating
research received heavy media attention. Two examples are at:
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/
feeds/hscout/2007/08/23/hscout607615.html
http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2007/
08/out-of-body-experiences-simulated
You might want to keep a few things in mind when reading these articles. Both of these studies used
computer based virtual reality technology to create the illusion of perceiving
one's own body from another perspective. The investigators created this
illusion by tricking the body’s sensory system. As the lead researcher of one
of the studies, Dr. Olaf Blanke, a neurologist at the Ecole Federal Polytechnic
of Lausanne, stated "I think we've got some aspects of an out-of-body
experience, but not the entire thing. We can, in a sense, trick people."
People who actually have had an OBE often claim to have
seen their real body, and sometimes observed other people in the vicinity
engaged in activities that are independently verified. To these experiencers,
these were not illusions but actual events.
A significant percentage of NDEs contain the element of
an out-of-body experience. Multiple anecdotal accounts as well as numerous
research studies have found that what the NDEr sees and/or hears during the OBE
part of an NDE can be accurate, and not an illusion. Many out-of-body
experiences, especially those associated with NDEs when the sensory organs and
the brain are not functioning, remain medically inexplicable.
For more details on the ongoing research into OBEs:
- The Winter, 2006 edition of the Journal of Near-Death
Studies, published by IANDS (Volume 25, Number 2), has an excellent article by
Drs. Janice Holden, Jeffrey Long and Jason MacLurg titled "Out-of-Body
Experiences: All in the Brain?" This paper deals with research conducted
in 2002 that claimed to induce an OBE by electrically stimulating parts of the
brain. Click here to obtain a copy of this issue.
- A DVD of Dr. Janice Holden's presentation at the 2006
IANDS conference at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston titled
"Veridical Perception in NDEs" reviews decades of research into OBEs.
It is one of the best summaries of developments in this field of research. Click here to order the DVD
(IANDS members receive a 33% discount).
