Reflections on extraordinary knowing: Insight into the nature of the mind.
Marjorie Woollacott, Anne Shumway-Cook, John Renesch
Explore 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.12.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Brain filters Consciousness Esp Mind Precognition Remote viewing |
| Key findings | The Default Mode Network filters awareness, and reducing its activity correlates with access to expanded awareness beyond sensory input. |
Abstract
Scientists have spent considerable time and effort studying and mapping the geography of the brain, with the expectation that this understanding will lead to insights related to the nature of the mind. This article discusses evidence that, while the mind utilizes sensory information processed by the brain, awareness is not limited to these structures. Research studies give evidence supporting the mind's ability to expand awareness to include perception of objects and events not available to the five senses. This awareness also extends to moments in the future, including the mind's ability to access information seconds or even days in advance of the occurrence. A major brain filter that limits this capacity for expanded awareness is the Default Mode Network (DMN). We summarize research showing that when the DMN activity is reduced, e.g., through meditation, ingestion of neuromodulatory drugs, or NDEs, filtering within the brain is reduced, there is a concomitant development of new connectivity, and these neural changes are correlated with access to expanded awareness.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distressing Near-Death Experiences | 1992 | Review | |
| Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Individuals who have had near-death experiences | 1980 | Review | n = 21 |
| Near-death experiences. | 2004 | Review | |
| The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences | 2009 | Review | |
| Near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Exploring the transformative potential of out-of-body experiences: A pathway to enhanced empathy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews August 1, 2024
- Mind beyond the brain: proposal of a pragmatic interactionist framework. International Review of Psychiatry 2025
- End-of-life experiences in patients: a scoping review of types, characteristics, and implications for the mind-brain relationship. International Review of Psychiatry 2025
- Enhancement of perceptual and cognitive functions in near-death experience: A perspective from embodiment theories. Explore 2024
- Metaphoric and Gestural Descriptions of Out-of-Body Experiences by Persian Subjects. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying January 31, 2026
Cites 9
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2018
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
and 4 more in the library