Only change is now a lack of wonder/curiosity about death. Apparently this is a fairly frequent response to an NDE by the majority of those who respond to the researchers.
The Paranormal?
- Thread starter TheWhale13
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I don't mean to kick a hornet's nest with this but in reading the effects @sablebrush52 and @warren reported as a result of their paranormal experiences I was struck by the similarity to often reported effects of various psychedelics. Feelings of deep connectedness and love, an overwhelming sense of the significance of an experience, and feelings of transcendence to a realm beyond that in which normal life occurs are all commonly reported. There is even some research (admittedly a small study) showing impressive similarity between near death experience and the effects of DMT.
I'm not trying to belittle the experiences they've mentioned or advocate the use of psychedelics, though it bears mentioning that cultures used them ceremoniously for thousands of years before our relatively recent criminalization. All I'm saying is I find it fascinating to think that many of the lasting impacts of "paranormal" experiences may be achieved pharmacologically. If the effects of phenomenon beyond the normal can be found without even going beyond our own brains, what does that suggest?
I'm not trying to belittle the experiences they've mentioned or advocate the use of psychedelics, though it bears mentioning that cultures used them ceremoniously for thousands of years before our relatively recent criminalization. All I'm saying is I find it fascinating to think that many of the lasting impacts of "paranormal" experiences may be achieved pharmacologically. If the effects of phenomenon beyond the normal can be found without even going beyond our own brains, what does that suggest?
It has been a decade since I read about this, so maybe think of it as something to research rather than ready to go info...
The acid naturally released in the brain when someone is near death and which causes the 'life to flash before their eyes' is essentially the same type of acid as what is used for hallucinogenic reasons.
You might be thinking of DMT, one of the psychedelics I mentioned, but I believe the idea of the brain releasing DMT in the moments before death has been debunked. I'd not heard that about acid/LSD so I'll have to look into it, but I've heard the similar rumor about DMT and have never seen any science to support it. Again, though, I wouldn't be surprised if rumors like these got started because of how strikingly similar the effects of those compounds can be to near death experiences.
It was quite a while ago, so yeah I would not be surprised if it has been moved past, although I will no doubt keep quoting it in conversation ha.
So, I have to ask. When you say the old man is kicking, do you mean old Kane is still kickin, you (sorry) are still kickin, or the old man under the table is still kicking your legs when you sit down? ?
My main interest along these lines has to do with how similar these substances are to serotonin. Now, just because they look alike doesn't *truly* mean squat, but does suggest they *may* be processed by the brain in similar ways. Serotonin is an interesting neurotransmitter as it is and research is ongoing still.
I was holding my mother's hand at the moment of her passing, and saw my Dad's smiling face, who had died 20 years before her. They were reunited in my estimation.
Momentary glimpses of such things are to be cherished in my opinion.
Momentary glimpses of such things are to be cherished in my opinion.
You mean like "vision quest" sort of stuff? Yeah, similar, but with two important differences. No psychedelic drugs involved, never touched them, and it came as a complete surprise.
I mean it wouldn't surprise me if the body reacted in a way similar to psychedelic during these impactful moments? A lot of these chemicals are present in the body at all times?
Guess I should have been more specific! Hahahaha my dog is still kicking! He'll be 16 this year.
The idea of brain function as an explanation assumes that consciousness is generated by and limited to the brain. Much of the info I've gleaned on these subjects over the years, as well as a couple of personal experiences, leads me to believe that neither of those is true...and that the brain essentially just functions to filter and modulate consciousness.
I've had some things happen that are unexplainable to me. I can use common slang, but what they really were, I can't say. I've seen two "ghosts." Both looked like people. One simply wasn't there when I switched from peripheral to direct. The other, witnessed by two friends as well, walked past a lighted window (disused but not abandoned building) and through the adjacent wall. Also, in an abandoned house, someone shouldered past four of us going up as it was going down, but we saw nothing. Then, there was a saga involving another abandoned house that involved several people over a span of about twelve years in several different incidents.
I've seen two unidentified flying objects. As well, one night when spotting satellites with a friend, we had our eyes on one, he pointed out another, and when we looked back, the first one was going the opposite direction.
Last, in high school. there was a guy we all knew who made up "creative stories" about himself, which he insisted were true, Once, after claiming he literally burned down a porta-potty by lighting the plastic, he offered to prove it. A group of people, myself included, went out to a very dark hiking area at night, and tried to go up a trail where, we later discovered, this guy really had done it. We didn't get there. Someone said, "...do you feel that?" and we all bolted. I cannot imagine anything else I'll ever feel will match the sudden sense of 'staring death in the face' that struck us just before someone spoke. I have no idea what to call it beyond pure, unbridled fear and terror. We heard no noises, saw no one, no other cars at the trailhead. Yes, we went back by day, and I've since been there at night and nothing happened.
I've seen two unidentified flying objects. As well, one night when spotting satellites with a friend, we had our eyes on one, he pointed out another, and when we looked back, the first one was going the opposite direction.
Last, in high school. there was a guy we all knew who made up "creative stories" about himself, which he insisted were true, Once, after claiming he literally burned down a porta-potty by lighting the plastic, he offered to prove it. A group of people, myself included, went out to a very dark hiking area at night, and tried to go up a trail where, we later discovered, this guy really had done it. We didn't get there. Someone said, "...do you feel that?" and we all bolted. I cannot imagine anything else I'll ever feel will match the sudden sense of 'staring death in the face' that struck us just before someone spoke. I have no idea what to call it beyond pure, unbridled fear and terror. We heard no noises, saw no one, no other cars at the trailhead. Yes, we went back by day, and I've since been there at night and nothing happened.
Yes. This is such a difficult concept for people to understand. The brain filters so much of reality and transposes an artificial interpretation for us to interact with.