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Evidence from near-death experience for the existence of consciousness outside the brain

Marianne S. Sheehan

Rutgers University Community Repository 2011 DOI: 10.7282/t30864q6 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Near-death experience
Key points Argues that prospective studies of cardiac arrest survivors provide evidence for consciousness outside the brain, while acknowledging alternative hypotheses such as the dying brain and hallucination explanations.

Abstract

This paper discusses near-death experience in terms of evidence for consciousness existing outside the brain. The number of near-death experiences has significantly increased over the past few decades due to the advances in defibrillation and CPR techniques. This has made it possible to do Prospective studies in hospitals in an attempt to correlate psychological, physiological and pharmacological causes for near-death experience. Four arguments for evidence of consciousness outside the brain are reviewed and examples from Retrospective studies are given. They are the consistency, reality, paranormal and transformation elements. Retrospective studies provide evidence that near-death experiences have similar elements regardless of demographic data, but the details of the events are not verifiable. Prospective studies carried out in hospitals in Great Britain, America and the Netherlands can confirm through medical records and witnesses that cardiac arrest survivors have conscious experiences during unconsciousness when their brain is dysfunctional. Examples from these studies provide evidence that consciousness exits outside the brain. However, the dying brain hypothesis and the hallucination hypothesis are also looked at as an explanation for these experiences.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on near-death experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times 1987 Historical analysis
Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins 1990 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. 2010 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness 2020 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Near-death experiences between science and prejudice 2012 Theoretical or philosophical paper

Citations in the library

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Near-death experience Philosophy of mind