Book contents
- Near-Death Experiences
- Near-Death Experiences
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Part I Consciousness
- Part II Near-Death Experiences
- Chapter 2.1 History of the Term “Near-Death Experience”
- Chapter 2.2 A Short Historical Review of Observations of NDE-Like Phenomena
- Chapter 2.3 Deathbed Phenomena
- Chapter 2.4 General Incidence of NDEs
- Chapter 2.5 Childhood and NDEs
- Chapter 2.6 Aftereffects of NDEs in Affected Persons and in NDE Researchers
- Chapter 2.7 Control of Claims of Extraordinary Experiences
- Chapter 2.8 Paranormal Explanations of NDE-Like Perceptions
- Chapter 2.9 Experimental Observations That Mimic NDE Phenomenology
- Chapter 2.10 Memories
- Chapter 2.11 NDEs in Altered States of Consciousness
- Chapter 2.12 Evaluation of Brain-Based Explanations for NDEs
- Chapter 2.13 Summary and Conclusions of Part II
- General Review and Conclusions
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Chapter 2.13 - Summary and Conclusions of Part II
from Part II - Near-Death Experiences
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 August 2025
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Book contents
- Near-Death Experiences
- Near-Death Experiences
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Part I Consciousness
- Part II Near-Death Experiences
- Chapter 2.1 History of the Term “Near-Death Experience”
- Chapter 2.2 A Short Historical Review of Observations of NDE-Like Phenomena
- Chapter 2.3 Deathbed Phenomena
- Chapter 2.4 General Incidence of NDEs
- Chapter 2.5 Childhood and NDEs
- Chapter 2.6 Aftereffects of NDEs in Affected Persons and in NDE Researchers
- Chapter 2.7 Control of Claims of Extraordinary Experiences
- Chapter 2.8 Paranormal Explanations of NDE-Like Perceptions
- Chapter 2.9 Experimental Observations That Mimic NDE Phenomenology
- Chapter 2.10 Memories
- Chapter 2.11 NDEs in Altered States of Consciousness
- Chapter 2.12 Evaluation of Brain-Based Explanations for NDEs
- Chapter 2.13 Summary and Conclusions of Part II
- General Review and Conclusions
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
Historically, clinical death was taken as “death” and people wondered about how a dead person with a dead brain could experience something. The assumption emerged that the mind, spirit, or consciousness can survive in the period of death independently of material support: that is, independently of the brain. Modern methods of measuring brain activity have shown that coordinated neuronal activity in networks of the brain can survive clinical death for a while and may produce extraordinary experiences such as NDEs. Themes of NDEs (NDE content) can be reproduced in a variety of experimental models, all leading to altered states of consciousness of the affected persons. The personal truth of NDE stories, verified in the analysis of numerous NDE reports, and the experimental validation of NDE themes in several models under well-controlled conditions, lead to the scientifically adequate conclusion that NDE phenomena are brain-based expressions of neuronal activity in conditions of altered states of consciousness.
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- Near-Death ExperiencesScientific Perspectives on Stories of Personal Truth, pp. 163 - 167Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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