Near Death Experiences (NDE)

Presented by Jennifer Kwok Jennifer Tom Luong Phan

What is the near death experience?

Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include:

What is the near death experience?

Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body

What is the near death experience?

Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body Following a bright light

What is the near death experience?

Occurs when a person enters clinical death and usually has a profound personal experience which can include: A sensation of leaving the body Following a bright light Encounter with a higher being (God, Buddha, Aliens, etc.)

Background Information

What is clinical death then?

Background Information

What is clinical death then? Clinical death: no cardiac output, no respiration, fixed dilated pupils

Background Information

What is clinical death then? Clinical death: no cardiac output, no respiration, fixed dilated pupils Focus of our research evidence are centered on cardiac arrest patients because they all exhibit clinical death

Background Information

Raymond Moody (1975)

Wrote Life After Life

First compilation of NDE survivor stories

Coined the term near death experience

Background Information

Why care about NDE?

NDE have been recorded through history and in many different cultures.

Description of Ers experience in Platos Republic resemble modern NDEs.

Best chance to study death because these patients return from dying

Theorized Causes

Disturbance of brain chemistry (Parnia 2001)

alpha-endopsychosin, hypoxia, NDMA, etc.

Theorized Causes

Disturbance of brain chemistry (Parnia 2001)

alpha-endopsychosin, hypoxia, NDMA, etc.

Psychological response to perceived threat of death (Parnia 2001)

Wish fulfillment in response to perceived threat of death

Theorized Causes

REM intrusion (Nelson 2006)

When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness

Theorized Causes

REM intrusion (Nelson 2006)

When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness Usually occurs before sleep or just after wakefulness

Theorized Causes

REM intrusion (Nelson 2006)

When things normally experienced during sleep carry over into wakefulness Usually occurs before sleep or just after wakefulness Occurs in times of extreme stress in which one may be in REM sleep and partially awake at the same time

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

REM centers in the brainstem

Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

REM centers in the brainstem

Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes An NDE that seems to last many minutes might occur in the few seconds right before or right after the cortex blanks out

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

REM centers in the brainstem

Higher brain areas in the cortex quickly blank out during hypoxia, the brainstem (since its more primitive) remains active for several minutes An NDE that seems to last many minutes might occur in the few seconds right before or right after the cortex blanks out NDE may also be very brief but be perceived as prolong because REM compresses time

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

Vagus nerve: A cranial nerve that connects the brainstem to the heart and lungs REM intrusion and the vagus nerve (Fox 2006)

In times of extreme stress (heart attacks or near drowning) blood pressure or blood oxygen levels quickly drop, or levels of carbon dioxide in the blood quickly rise. This stimulates the vague nerve Since the REM centers are in the brainstem, this causes the REM centers to snap on without warning

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

Evidence for vagus nerve in REM intrusion (Fox 2006)

Animal studies

When electrically stimulating the vagus nerve in various animal preparations, stimulation enhances REM and causes atonia Stimulating the vagus nerve in cats pushes them into REM sleep within 45 seconds Epilepsy patients whose condition is treated with implants stimulate their vagus nerve also slip more quickly into REM during daytime naps

Human studies

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

Temporal-parietal junction (Fox 2006)

Known to cause out-of-body sensations when it malfunctions

Since it is located at the end of a tree of blood vessels, if blood pressure drops, perfusion in this area is first to go Thus if blood pressure drops when one is fainting, this explains why they may experience NDE-like symptoms

Theorized Causes: REM Int. Cont

Could be possible that NDE enhances subsequent REM intrusion

SUPPORTED by: people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder subsequently have more frequent REM intrusion

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

REM intrusion during wakefulness is a normal occurrence but infrequently recognized (Nelson 2005)

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

REM intrusion during wakefulness is a normal occurrence but infrequently recognized (Nelson 2005) Underlies other clinical conditions such as narcolepsy

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Common feature of narcolepsy

Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Common feature of narcolepsy

Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Narcoleptics REM systems can activate leading to out of body experiences

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Common feature of narcolepsy

Neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable bouts of sleep that can cause elaborate hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Narcoleptics REM systems can activate leading to out of body experiences Combination of dreaming and wakefulness causes people with narcolepsy to recall their hallucinations vividly

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Another form of REM intrusion is sleep paralysis

Awaken with part of brain still in REM sleep so body feel paralyzed Result: terrified that youre unable to move, visual/auditory hallucinations, and pressure on the chest

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Nelson: surveyed of REM intrusion: 55 people who had NDE from a variety of situations and 55 controls matched for age and gender

Found that around 60% of NDE group reported having experiencing some kind of symptoms of REM intrusion, either before or after their NDE, compared with just 24 % of the control REM intrusions in NDE group were more elaborate (not just sleep paralysis but also hallucinations

Evidence: REM intrusion and NDE

Nelson: surveyed of REM intrusion: 55 people who had NDE from a variety of situations and 55 controls matched for age and gender

Not conclusive but good preliminary correlational experience Not conclusive because possible that REM intrusion makes you more susceptible to NDE; also suggests that you do not need to have a near-death experience to have NDE

Why NDE is an ASC

NDE is a deviation from the normal waking state

Experience clinical death Experience another reality Large population can experience NDE

Prevalence of REM intrusion 10% cardiac arrest patients develop memories consistent with NDE
What about the other 90%? Still experience but dont remember?

References
Bosveld, Jane. "Soul Search: Can Science Ever Decipher the Secrets of the Human Soul?" Discover magazine, June 2007. Fox, Douglas. "Light at the End of the Tunnel." New Scientist. Retrieved from the web, http://www.newscientist.com, 2008 March 3. Nelson, Kevin R., MD et al (2006). Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience? Neurology, 66:1003-1009.

Parnia, Sam et al (2001). A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features and aetiology of near death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors. Resuscitation, 48:149-156.
Parnia, Sam and Peter Fenwick (2002). Near death experiences in cardiac arrest: visions of a dying brain or visions of a new science of consciousness. Resuscitation, 52:5-11. Wallace, Benjamin and Leslie E. Fisher. Consciousness and Behavior, Fourth Edition. Waveland Press Inc., Prospect Heights, pp. 218-220.