When did the ‘standard’ image of the NDE start? Would they have had that image in the 1920’s for example? The white light, the tunnel, friends on the other side? How old is that concept, anyway? Any guesses?
Thanks,
K.
How about “Life after Life” circa 1975?
Probably around the same time the “standard” image of alien abductions started 
The ‘standard’ alien abduction business started with Betty and Barney (Hill…not Rubble) in 1964. The general NDE theme has been around for awhile. Susan Blackmore is (or was) the NDE guru.
I had an NDE once after a traumatic injury. It was close to the standard one, but it was before I had ever heard of NDEs. When I woke up I didn’t have an artifact, so it’a just another unexplained failure of oxygen.
I worry that the light at the end of the tunnel will be an oncoming train.
Let my hands near bill gates throat, and once his minders have pulled me off, you can ask him
Not an M$ fan
I remember and article in Christianity Today (about five years ago) where the author stated that medieval people saw a bridge in their NDE the symbolism being that bridges were maintained by the kindness of the local laird, townspeople, or monastary so one had to have faith to traverse. Until the modern era the dying often reported seeing the pearly gates, beautiful gardens etc. It was common because the dying were not heavily medicated as they are now. Another speculation was that we enter the world traveling down a long dark tunnel, are helped out by people in white and brought out into the bright lights of the delivery room. The author speculated that as our brain is dying the image is recalled. I personally hope the tunnel into the bright light is what really happens and that my dearly beloveds are waiting for me there bearing good Scotch Whiskey.
My dad had an “NDE”. Right before he died, he saw a “beautiful garden where children were playing”. He said this while he was fading. He then kindof snapped out of it and said he had a couple of days left. He didn’t have any memory of saying this. He died two days later. He was heavily medicated, (cancer) but my dad was a really crusty kinda guy and it doesn’t seem like that would be the kind of thing he would dream about. That made me a believer…Sounds good to me!
Pilots and astonauts sometimes experience a NDE during high-G centrifuge training. As you get close to blackout, the peripheral vision shuts down giving the “dark tunnel, bright light at the end” effect. Actual blackout is accompanied by a large release of endorphins, resulting in feelings of euphoria.
There is growing eveidence of a chemical reason to explain NDE. I watched a science news magazine show on Discovery a couple of days ago, which included an item on this very subject.
It reported that a research team (sorry, no cites - I didn’t expect to be posting this on SDMB) has identified a neurotransmitter chemical which is produced within brain tissue when it is extremely stressed. This neurotransmitter is almost identical in molecular structure to the anaesthetic agent ketamine, which is known to cause hallucinations very similar to those reported in NDE’s.
Presumably, data has been published somewhere about this research.
I know someone who was in a really bad car crash, and they claim that they remember looking down on themself from above.
I was just reading today about “autoscopia,” in a book that was recomended in the synesthesia thread(The man who tasted shapes, by Cytowik), where you see yourself out of body. Weird.
Here are a few links that were recommended to me by my friend who is interested in near death experience research:
Consciousness researcher Dr. Melvin Morse
Conference Paper by Bruce Greyson
The International Association for Near-Death Experiences
Conciousness researcher Dr. Charles Tart
“Life After Life” auther "Raymond Moody
A good summary site
The NDE Research foundation
How to have an NDE while you sleep
The Scientific and Medical Network
And of course, for the opposing view that observable events that cannot be scientifically isolated can also not be scientifically explained (if not the more radical view that such events can not exist), see CSICOP
A friend of mine died last year, and a few days before she died she said she saw angels around her.
“Tunnels” are something that occur to people under a variety of circumstances, i.e. while hallucenating, and one modern theory that goes along with the Discovery channel one is that most “visions” including dreams, trippin’, death, etc. is the result of your brain desperately trying to apply cognitive labels to nonsensical sensory input. In a dream, once it has a basic story, like in a Rorschach test, to apply to a virtual ink plot or other random stimulus it attaches parts of that label if possible. This is why dreams have progressions, but not really “storylines”.
You can believe that these labels are a result of conflict between your ego, superego, id if you want to.
My cite for all of this is a textbook called Psychology by David G. Myers, fifth edition.
fredicus–
If you don’t have something of importance to contribute, then SHOVE IT.
I have to feel like the “standard” NDE description is due to oxygen deprivation–you’ll see pretty much the same thing (i.e., the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’) if you try holding your breath for a long time. This doesn’t really explain other events though, such as seeing angels etc. I kinda feel like there is more than a physical explanation for that.
Fredicus,
I thought it was funny. 
Nope. That’s not humor. This is.
Ich bin ein Holzfäller und fühl mich stark,
Ich schlaf des Nachts und hack am Tag.
Er ist ein Holzfäller und fühlt sich stark,
Er schläft des Nachts und hackt am Tag.
Ich fälle Bäume, ich ess mein Brot,
Ich geh auf das WC,
Am Mittwoch geh ich shopping,
Kau Kekse zum Kaffee.
Er fällt die Bäume, er isst sein Brot,
Er geht auf das WC,
Am Mittwoch geht er shopping,
Kaut Kekse zum Kaffee.
Er ist ein Holzfäller und fühlt sich stark,
Er schläft des Nachts und hackt am Tag.
Ich fälle Bäume und hüpf und spring,
Steck Blumen in die Vas’
Ich schlüpf in Frauenkleider
Und lümmel mich in Bars.
Er fällt Bäume, er hüpft und springt,
Steckt Blumen in die Vas’
Er schlüpft in Frauenkleider
Und lümmelt sich in Bars…?
Er ist ein Holzfäller und fühlt sich stark,
Er schläft des Nachts und hackt am Tag.
Ich fälle Bäume, trag Stöckelschuh
Und Strumpf- und Büstenhalter.
Wär gern ein kleines Mädchen
So wie mein Onkel Walter.
Er fällt die Bäume, trägt Stöckelschuh
Und Strumpf- und Büstenhalter…?
Hopefully by now you have realized that snide and nasty comments belong in the pit, not in this forum.
Also, I’ll comment on what I think is funny, when I feel like doing so - thanks.
As to whatever you posted above, maybe you could translate it for us poor schmucks who speak English.
:rolleyes:
Aenea
According to Babelfish, it says: