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"If someone wants to know what people will see when they are close to death, they can ask me and I can tell them.
I saw something very beautiful, really beautiful, and something delightful, this kind of beauty that I had never seen before. ”
While nearing death, a police officer was shot and wounded by a criminal and experienced a near-death experience.
"I really saw heaven," he said.
I really saw heaven, although I didn't go in, but I did, really saw it. ”
So what exactly is a near-death experience?
Does "out-of-body" really exist?
Why?
1. Near-death experience
Near-death experiences (near-death experiences) are widely documented phenomena that are paranormal perceptions and perceptions that occur when death is imminent or thought to have died.
Although these experiences vary in content and form, near-death experiences often bring peace and solace to people, and people become more convinced of the afterlife and feel the meaning and value of life after death.
Such paranormal experiences generally fall into six categories: out-of-body experiences, tunnel experiences, soul experiences, life review experiences, boundary experiences, and heaven or hell experiences.
An out-of-body experience is when an individual sees the outside of their body, such as being able to see their body and see clearly what is happening in the room while the doctor resuscitates them.
A tunnel experience is when an individual is close to death and sees a dark tunnel filled with light or starry light, making people feel extremely peaceful and calm.
Soul experience refers to the feeling that one's soul is about to be detached from one's body and even see everything about oneself when one is close to death, thus feeling great peace and happiness.
A life review experience is when an individual is close to death, and they see the scene of their life from birth to death, and they are able to see everything they have done and, of course, everything they have done to others.
Boundary experience refers to the fact that when an individual is close to death, he or she can see the so-called "afterlife", be able to see heaven or hell, and feel incomparable comfort and tranquility.
Often, this experience is seen as the process by which the soul is freed from the body after death, while at the same time feeling the afterlife.
Sometimes, people also see their relatives or friends in this experience, and receive messages from them, which are usually about the experiences and blessings of their relatives and friends.
Since 1957, when American psychologist Raymond Moody coined the term "near-death experience", near-death experience has attracted widespread attention around the world.
But what exactly causes this supernatural experience?
Scholars have proposed two different explanations for this problem, one is the brain's self-protection mechanism under life-threatening conditions, and the other is supernatural existence, where consciousness persists after death.
So, what are the theories and evidence for these two explanations?
2. Brain self-protection mechanism
In the 70s of the 20th century, Dutch psychologist Gerry Hartmann proposed a theory that near-death experiences are the brain's self-protection mechanism under life-threatening conditions.
Normally, when an individual is threatened with their life, the brain releases special chemical components that adapt to this existential situation, resulting in a near-death experience.
Near-death experiences are designed to make individuals feel "not so scary" so that they can live better under the threat of their lives, so that they have more chances of being able to escape.
Swiss psychologist Carl Behringer further explains: "Near-death experiences (near-death experiences) are the brain's self-protection mechanism when it detects that the body is about to die, and when the brain detects that the body is about to die, it releases a substance called a "life flashback".
This substance can make the individual recall the most important events in his life, and can also make the individual feel that this life is not so terrible, and even be able to see the world after death, so as to eliminate the fear of death.
Studies have shown that near-death experiences do occur more often in individuals who are at serious risk to their lives, such as people at the scene of a fire, survivors of accidents, etc.
Near-death experiences are also more common in people who perform CPR.
According to a report published by the American Cardio-Cerebral Resuscitation Association, "23% of patients who undergo CPR will experience a near-death experience, and the probability of near-death experience decreases with the time of resuscitation." ”
This phenomenon also indirectly suggests: "NDE is the brain's self-protection mechanism under the threat of life, and when the brain feels threatened by life, it will release the near-death experience to make the individual feel that it is 'not so scary'." ”
In addition to this, there is some other evidence, such as the fact that neuroscientists experimented on sheep, opened the skull of sheep, and then stimulated the brainstem with an electric current, and finally found that a female intern of the sheep saw her body and saw the scientist who conducted the experiment.
However, over time, this explanation has also been questioned, with some asking, "If NDE is the brain's self-protection mechanism in the face of life-threatening conditions, then why do near-death experiences also occur in patients undergoing cardiac surgery?"
3. Consciousness perpetuates
Does "out-of-body" really exist?
Why?
An alternative explanation has been proposed that a near-death experience is the continuation of consciousness after death, resulting in a near-death experience.
Studies have shown that when a person dies, the brain releases a large amount of dopamine, a substance that has a huge impact on a person's mental state, which can make people feel excited and happy.
In addition, some people are able to see the afterlife during their NDE, and these observed worlds are very similar to the descriptions of the gods, so this is also considered evidence of NDE.
In an explosion accident, a policeman was shot in the head with a gun by a criminal, and while the doctor was treating him, he suddenly came to his senses, saying: "I saw heaven, really saw heaven, although I didn't go in, but I saw it, really saw it." ”
His colleague said, "How is it possible for you to go to heaven with you?"
You've definitely seen hell. ”
However, he replied: "It is the first time I have seen heaven, and it is a very beautiful paradise, I have never seen such a beautiful sight, this must be heaven." ”
And in another accident, a policeman was shot in the head by a criminal, and when the doctor operated on him, he suddenly came to his senses, saying: "I saw heaven, I really saw heaven, it was really very beautiful, it was pleasant, you must remember, you must remember." ”
However, the policeman's colleagues did not believe him, and one day, when they told him about it, he suddenly remembered something: "I saw you when I was shot, and at that time, you were still knocking on my chest to resuscitate me, and I could even hear you talking and calling my name." ”
This is evidence of the reality of the NDE, but there are also those who believe that these people simply saw what the doctor had revived them and thus had the NDE, so the NDE was not evidence of an out-of-body experience.
However, there are some near-death experiences that cannot be explained by the brain's self-protection mechanism, such as the fact that the NDE person sees the afterlife, and can also see their relatives and friends, and everything they see is highly consistent with what happens in the real world.
epilogue
The nature of near-death experiences (NDEs) is yet to be studied, and at present, there are supporters and corresponding evidence for both explanations of near-death experiences, so the nature of near-death experiences remains an unsolved mystery and needs more research and exploration.
Near-death experiences may be a way of exploring human consciousness and spirituality, and in any case, they provide new perspectives on life, death, and supernatural existence, helping to advance the discussion of consciousness and spirituality in the fields of science and philosophy, and further expanding our understanding of human existence.