Near-Death Experience (NDE) is a term that describes an in-depth psychological event that can occur to someone on the edge of death or who suffered a situation in which death was probably but eventually survived. Usually an NDE includes a variety of sensations, including detachment of the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, safety, warmth, the experience of absolute solution and the presence of a light.
Some believe that NDES cannot be fully explained by science and suggest that they provide proof of an afterlife. Some theories even suggest that consciousness separates from the physical body and travel to another area of existence during an NDE, points to the possibility of life after the death or the existence of a soul.
Many people report a first sensation of their physical body and observing from an external vantage point. This can occur in a hospital environment, on the scene of an accident or where a situation of almost death arises. Experiences often describe through a dark, narrow tunnel to a source of intense light. This aspect of NDES is reported with remarkable consistency in different cultures and is often associated with a sense of transfer to a different state of existence.
A considerable number of NDE reports includes a meeting with a clear, warm and hospitable light that exudes unconditional love and acceptance. This light is sometimes described as an entity or are that communicates with the individual.
Less common are reports of meetings with beings. These can be seen as deceased family members, spiritual figures or entities that are neither completely human nor recognizable. They often communicate messages from love, reassurance or offer guidance.
The conclusion of an NDE usually includes a decision or a coercion to return to the physical body. This can be voluntary, after a realization of unfinished personal matters, or involuntarily, who was told by the beings that it is not yet their time.
The impact of an NDE usually extends much further than the experience itself and influences the life of individuals in profound ways. Many report an important shift in their understanding of life and death, increased spirituality and changes in values and behavior. Although many report positive transformations, some people struggle with integrating their experience in their existing beliefs.
Another theory is that the brain functions more as a recipient of consciousness than its producer, and that consciousness exists outside the physical body. During an NDE it may be that the usual limitations on the brain have been detached, giving the individual access to a broader spectrum of consciousness that is usually filtered out.
The debate about how the brain and our consciousness are connected is important when we are talking about NDES. Most scientists think that our consciousness comes from the activity of the brain. But people have reported to experience NDEs during periods of apparent brain inactivity or dysfunction.
From a spiritual point of view, NDEs are sometimes seen as proof of the existence of the soul and his journey after physical death. This interpretation suggests that during an NDE the soul decreases from the body and enters a spiritual empire where he encounters other beings.
Skeptics claim that these experiences can be explained by physiological and psychological factors. For example, some suggest that the release of endorphins in response to severe stress could explain the feelings of peace and detachment. Others point to the lack of oxygen as a possible cause for the hallucinating aspects of NDEs. Psychological explanations include the attempt by the brain to understand unusual situations by constructing a story that matches cultural or personal expectations about the hereafter.
One of the most important problems with NDEs is that they are personally and of a subjective nature. Although many NDE reports share common elements, the personal interpretation of these experiences varies greatly. This subjectivity makes them difficult to study and objectively verify.
NDEs should not be confused with experiences from the Body (OBES). The two phenomena are similar because they both have the feeling of separating the physical body, and in both cases individuals often report that they observe their physical body from a position outside.
Where the two phenomena differ is in the circumstances under which they occur. NDEs usually happen during situations of extremely physical trauma, life -threatening disorders or clinical death. Obe’s, on the other hand, do not require that the person is almost dead or in a physical danger. They can act spontaneously, but are also associated with different states such as deep meditation, relaxation, lucid dreams or even under the influence of certain medicines. Unlike NDEs, some individuals can learn to induce OBEs voluntarily through specific techniques and practices, such as astral projection.
Astral projection is described as an intentional attempt or an involuntary event in which consciousness, or ‘soul’, separates from the physical body to travel in the astral plane, which is considered a dimension that differs from that physical world that is inhabited by spiritual entities.
The consistency in the patterns of these experiences in different cultures and individuals, in combination with their in -depth effects, continues to intrigue researchers, spiritual seekers and skeptics. Despite the varied interpretations of NDEs, the transforming power of these experiences on the lives of individuals cannot be denied.
