Possible Relationship Between Subtle Bodies and Near Death Experiences
Name of Review Item:
Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands
Media Type:
Paper
Publisher and Copyright Date:
The Lancet, December 15, 2001
Name of Reviewer:
Michael C. Willis
Date of Review:
08/22/2020
Stars:
5
I recently read a scientific paper about the long-term study of near-death experiences, or NDE’s as we will refer to them here. For the study, a selection of people who had survived cardiac arrest were surveyed regarding their experiences while their physical bodies were unconscious, comatose, or otherwise incapacitated. All patients had been “clinically dead”, as proven by their electrocardiograms (EEG’s).
Here is a quote from one of the scientists conducting the study:
“NDE pushes at the limits of medical ideas about the range of human
consciousness and the mind-brain relation.”
“NDE pushes at the limits of medical ideas about the range of human
consciousness and the mind-brain relation.”
Yes indeed – let’s explore.
Lommel asks: “With lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE, the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that consciousness and memories are localised in the brain should be discussed. How could a clear consciousness outside one's body be experienced at the moment that the brain no longer functions during a period of clinical death with flat EEG?”
This is a very, very good question. How could a person whose physical body is exhibiting all the telltale signs of death have a vivid memory of what was happening in the room while CPR was being performed? How could they have other experiences such as life reviews? And yet these types of memories are a frequent occurrence and has been documented countless times – the paper even includes one such event of its own.
I would ask my readers to review our glossary of terms for ‘subtle body’ and Subtle World. For convenience: a subtle body is a copy of the physical body but it is composed of matter that is highly attenuated compared to what we think of as physical matter. It interpenetrates the physical body until sleep or death separates the two. There can be other causes, such as anesthesia or injury. It would also be helpful to understand the existence and definition of the Subtle World or Subtle Realm. Please use the links provided in the above paragraphs to familiarize yourself if you are not already familiar with the terms.
If we go on the premise that the Subtle Realm and subtle bodies do exist, we might logically be able to perceive an answer to these most pressing questions of how we retain consciousness away from our physical bodies. At death, what if it was the subtle body which, once separated from the physical body, then provides the vehicle of survival for the consciousness in the Subtle World? To me, it makes perfect logical sense.
I am hopeful that science will one day confirm the subtle body’s and the Subtle World’s existence beyond a shadow of doubt. To discover these things would be the greatest scientific achievement of our times and throw open the doors to as-yet unheard of fields of science. In my view, it will also go a long, long way in helping men and women the world over understand themselves more fully, and to eliminate the fear of death that most people carry with them.
Eliminating fear is akin to creating peace and comfort. What better gift could mankind receive regarding the biggest questions it faces? To know, to be at peace, to understand. Armed with these things, imagine the giant steps we as a race of beings could then take into the unknown.
