Near death experiences

I heard an interview on NPR - several years ago - in which person reported that NDEs have three common elements, typically - a light, some barrier to getting to the light, and the sense of being aware of the body but not in it.

I remembered when I was once seriously ill as a child I had this experience. I floated in and out of my body for several nights - I could pull myself back in and then float back out, like a helium balloon. While out of my body, I did not see things that I could not see while in my body, I only saw them from a different angle.

I also had the ‘vision’, but it was NOT the tunnel and white light - different barrier, different light. I hadn’t heard of NDEs at the time.

Seeing a black light and your living enemies telling you to go away to a lame proximity?

If you haven’t seen that, I can suggest a bar for you.

Go back to my first point: the CNS disconnecting from the PNS, and disregard the tropes white lights and white bison or whatever, or the lyriccs to "Comfortably Numb.

here’s the crux of the issue: do you live in your body, or are you your body?

[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:19, topic:609591”]

Think how different the world would be if everybody understood confirmation bias.
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Are you quite sure it isn’t your bias that’s being confirmed?

I think Valteron is talking about a Cornell University NDE researcher (Sam Parnia) who is conducting a study aimed at verifying near-death experiences, by placing objects high up in the operating room out of sight of (near) dying patients, who would later be quizzed about their experience and what they could see up there.* I anticipate from comments made to date, that if there is no corroborative evidence, NDE believers will find explanations as to why Parnia didn’t do it right, and if some people identify the objects, there will be questions from skeptics about who might have tipped them off either accidentally or on purpose. I doubt the issue will be settled on the basis of that one study.

Yes. There is also reason to think that the hundreds of thousands/millions of people who report religious visions/revelations (or alien abductions) are not basing their conclusions on reality.

*I wonder what stuff they’re placing up on the high shelves - crucifixes, wax fruit, baseball gloves, busts of Karl Rove…

There are stories of people who died and saw hell, if you care to look for them.

Oh, we’ve seen them.

You don’t have to.

That’s what I meant. and I don’t care to look for them :frowning: - I want everyone to go into the Great Beyond, not hell. (but if I did “die” and “come back” after seeing hell, I would change my evil ways pronto!)

In the last few days, I’ve heard several different people say that, but never have before. Do you think it means anything?
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I can’t say you win the thread, because it’s still alive and kicking, and the competition around here is pretty good. But I’d say you’re in the lead at the first turn. :slight_smile:

Why don’t you go ahead and provide a cite, since it’s your claim.

The Great Beyond IMHO is not necessarily heaven or hell.

Gee, that’s deep. You forgot to add there might not be a “Great Beyond” at all.

NM

The subject of hellish NDEs is covered pretty thoroughly in the literature and is common knowledge. Perhaps you should do a little research on the subject before you presume to comment on it.

Here is my comment: I am tired of posters that make claims, then say “You look for the cites.”

Whoa. So you’re saying that most people really do understand how confirmation bias works, but I’m only noticing the ones that don’t? That’s mind-blowing, dude. :cool:

I am proud of the fact that I am not biased either for or against confirmation.

You have made it plain that you are only marginally familiar with the subject. Even a superficial acquaintance with the literature would have included the fact that there are hellish NDEs.

It is not the responsibility of your opponent to educate you on the subject being debated, and it is entirely reasonable to expect you to have at least some basic knowledge of the subject before you go into the debate. It is as though you presumed to discuss economics when you’ve never even heard of the law of supply and demand, and you expect your opponent to give you cites for it.

You should not expect others to do your homework for you.

[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:57, topic:609591”]

Whoa. So you’re saying that most people really do understand how confirmation bias works, but I’m only noticing the ones that don’t? That’s mind-blowing, dude. :cool:
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No, I’m saying that you seem to think that you have somehow magically escaped the influence of confirmation bias.