Continuous EEG of memories of Near-death and mystical experiences: Preliminary research
Calixto Machado, Andrew B. Newberg, Yanín Machado, Mauricio Chinchilla, Ramiro Salas, Deb Kleser, Robert Hesse
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews November 11, 2022 DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2022.16.2.1167 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism Mystical experience Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Contemplation Quantitative electroencephalography Brain function Audiology |
| Key findings | Continuous EEG monitoring showed greater amplitude increases in frontal lobes during recall of spiritual contemplative experiences compared to near-death experiences. |
Abstract
We recently recorded, processed, and published brain activity by quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and quantitative electroencephalography (QEEGt), comparing separate subjects remembering their near-death experience (NDE) and mystical experience. Our studies refer to a mystical experience as a spiritual contemplative experience (SCE). We found neural and Greyson Scale (GS) correlations between them. This study is a real-time enhancement of that study using the emerging technology of continuous EEG monitoring (CEEG), which intensive care unit (ICU) professionals use to identify malignant EEG patterns quickly and provide care effectively. EEG monitoring encompasses a wide range of technical and clinical issues in successfully monitoring critically ill patients to detect significant changes in cerebral function and prevent serious neuronal injury over time. Because the brain undergoes continuous and dynamic changes, CEEG was considered an important method for real-time monitoring of functional brain changes while remembering near-death experiences (NDE) and spiritual contemplative experience (SCE). The CEEG envelope showed an incremental amplitude coinciding with NDE and SCE remembering the time, but an increase of amplitude was greater for SCE. CEEG also demonstrated a greater amplitude in frontal lobes for SCE. Statistical increments of absolute power for alpha and gamma bands were demonstrated during both NDE and SCE. We conclude that CEEG is a useful method for continuously assessing dynamic changes while remembering NDE and SCE.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns Carmelite nuns | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| EEG activity in Carmelite nuns during a mystical experience Carmelite nuns | 2008 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
| Neural correlates of mystical experience Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury and matched healthy controls | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| The Peak Experience Variable in DPT-Assisted Psychotherapy with Cancer Patients Cancer patients | 1977 | Observational study | n = 128 |
| Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report Healthy volunteers | 2022 | Observational cohort | n = 28 |
Citations in the library
Cites 30
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
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- Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry August 1, 1980
- Near‐death experiences: the experience of the self as real and not as an illusion Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences October 1, 2011
- Meditation Increases the Entropy of Brain Oscillatory Activity Neuroscience February 4, 2020
and 25 more in the library