A book by John Martin Fischer and Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin examines arguments for dualism and the afterlife that rely on near-death experiences (NDEs). The authors review compelling cases, such as Pam Reynolds, who reported leaving her body and accurately describing details of her brain surgery while her brain showed no electrical activity. Taking these reports at face value, Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin methodically show how such experiences can be explained in purely physical terms—for example, Reynolds may have later become consciously aware of auditory impressions her brain received earlier. The book argues that NDEs do not warrant belief in dualism or an afterlife.
Lucid dreams are a distinctive phenomenon where dreamers know they are dreaming while dreaming. This paper develops and defends the 'Dyadic Model', which holds that lucid dreams involve both dreaming and non-dreaming states. The model successfully defends the Imagination Theory of dreams—that to dream is to imagine—against the objection that it cannot account for lucid dreams. The author explains that a range of theories of dreaming have reason to adopt the Dyadic Model, and it has further potential applications, including to false awakening and emotional responses to dreams. Getting lucid about lucid dreaming reveals general insights for dream theorizing.