Near Death Experience Research Paper

Near-Death Experiences: Psychological or Paranormal? Undergoing a near-death experience is said to be unique and even sometimes unsettling. It can occur under a few differing circumstances, but is most likely to happen when one is on the brink of death. The cause is yet to be positively determined, yet most characteristics of a near-death experience can be attributed to psychological reasoning rather than paranormal. Scientists have given valid explanations for most characteristics of NDE’s . Some common features include intense emotions, rapid movement through darkness (often to a light), a sense of being somewhere else (not of this world), encounters with deceased loved ones and a review of one’s own life, and sometimes an Out of Body
Experience (IANDS). Scientist Susan Blackmore hypothesized these characteristics may be due to brain states that are triggered by anesthesia and cardiac arrest.
The ‘tunnel into light’ sensation (see figure 1) can be attributed to a phenomenon known as hypotensive syncope, which can cause tunnel-like peripheral to central vision loss. Many nueroscientific studies have shown that brain pathology can lead to visions of deceased ones, angels, ghosts, or a religious figure. This can result from abnormal dopamine functioning, a nuerochemical that can induce hallucinations (Mobbs & Watt). There have also been many reports of experiencing both terrifying and euphoric emotions. Many recreational and medicinal drugs can replicate the positive emotions. “At varying doses, the administration of ketamine can mimic these experiences including hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, positive emotions such as euphoria,
dissociation, and spiritual experiences. Ketamine is sometimes used as an anesthetic through its binding with opioid mu- receptors and hallucinations may occur through inhibiting N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, the same receptors that are evoked during the administration of recreational drugs like amphetamine” (Mobbs & Watt). Almost all characteristics of NDE’s can be explained through these neuropsychological reasons. Psychological explanation for NDE’s is also more probable to be true because the phenomenon usually happens in times of traumatic events, such as serious surgery, or being on the brink of death. With these situational factors, the brain is not as stable as it normally is. This means, the mental instability makes one more susceptible to things such as NDE’s. This is shown in the case of Gloria Hipple of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. She had been taken to a New Jersey hospital due to a miscarriage in 1955. Placed in a ward and left there alone for eight days, she later shared, “By the eighth day, I could not hear anyone, my eyes could not see, and I was later told that my body temperature registered 87.6 degrees. I should have been dead.” She then experienced being pulled down into a dark place and eventually seeing a white dot, like a light at the end of a tunnel. After screaming that she needed to go back to care for her children, a blinding white light shone across the whole scene and she felt absolute peace of mind. Soon after, she returned to her body and reality (Atwater). Since she was in such a distressing setting, she was more prone to coping methods and psychological processes which may have been what her account of this NDE was. Psychological reasoning may explain most of the common features of a NDE, however, there are still certain accounts detailing phenomena which cannot be explained.
Many NDE accounts seem to include factors which, according to numerous theorists, can only be explained by an out-of-body consciousness. For example, in one account, a woman accurately described a surgical instrument she had not seen previously, as well as a conversation that occurred while she was under general anesthesia. In another account, a nurse removed the dentures of an unconscious heart attack victim, and was asked by him after his recovery to return the dentures. It might be difficult to explain how he had been in a deep coma and undergoing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at the time and could later recognize the nurse (Zammit). Though the evidence supporting psychological reasoning is strong, there are still a few minor details that have theorists and neuroscientists perplexed. With all common features of NDE’s around the world, there are a few commonalities which can logically be attributed to psychological processes when a person is in an unstable or traumatic setting. With such frail evidence on the paranormal side of this argument, psychological reasoning stands to explain more accurately why NDE’s
occur.

Works Cited

“Characteristics of a Near-Death Experience.” International Association for Near-Death Studies. IANDS. 19 January 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2013
Blackmore, Susan J. Dying to Live. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993. Print.
Mobbs, Dean. Watt, Caroline. “There is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences...” Cell Press 2011: 3. Print.
Atwater, P.M.H. Beyond the Light: What Isn 't Being Said About Near Death Experience: from Visions of Heaven to Glimpses of Hell. Kill Devil Hills: Transpersonal Publishing, 2009. Print.
Zammit, Victor. "Near Death Experience." Near Death Experience. Kuriakon, 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Bell, Eric A. "A Fear of Death." Global One TV. Eric Allen Bell, 7 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.