I Survived: Beyond And Back

[daisy cutter]

For those who don't believe in an afterlife or existence of the divine, have you watched "I Survived: Beyond And Back" on the Biography channel? What do you make of it? What would be a logical scientific explanation for such detailed near death experiences?

FYI I've heard plenty of scientific explanations for the tunnel with the bright light, etc. But these people are describing very elaborate experiences; some even witnessed accurately what was happening around them and in nearby rooms.

[JacobEzra]

I don't think its something to take as literal truth. For example, take notice of how many experiences are different, and how many are usually dependant on the beliefs of the person. Or at least the beliefs that have been exposed to.

[dyanaprajna2011]

I haven't seen the show, but I have done some research on NDE's. Personally, I don't place any stock in them. They could be real experiences of people who have traveled to the other side, or they could just be chemical reactions in the brain as it shuts down. There is research to show that the latter is actually what's taking place. It's similar to what happens when one is high on drugs. One of the effects drugs has, and especially hallucinogenics, is that the oxygen is either cut off completely to the brain, or severely hampered. As the brain shuts down near death, one of the things that happens is that oxygen is slowly reduced to the brain, causing a similar effect. Another thing to point out, is that in an NDE, a person isn't actually dead. They might be considered dead, but the brain never completely shuts down, which is why they're able to be brought back. It would seem odd, to me, that a person could travel to the realm of the dead, while not actually being physically dead. Just my opinions.

[daisy cutter]

Originally Posted by JacobEzra

I don't think its something to take as literal truth. For example, take notice of how many experiences are different, and how many are usually dependant on the beliefs of the person. Or at least the beliefs that have been exposed to.

Well, it's literally THEIR truth. And oddly enough - if you actually watch the show - there are several people whose experiences were NOT consistent with their belief systems at all.

[JacobEzra]

Originally Posted by daisy cutter

Well, it's literally THEIR truth.

Well, yeah. I thought I covered that

Originally Posted by daisy cutter

And oddly enough - if you actually watch the show - there are several people whose experiences were NOT consistent with their belief systems at all.

And thats why I put "exposed to"

Its not like any of the people I have seen were telling stories of JC yet never even knew anything about him because they grew up in an isolated island in the middle of the sea.

[daisy cutter]

Originally Posted by dyanaprajna2011

I haven't seen the show, but I have done some research on NDE's. Personally, I don't place any stock in them. They could be real experiences of people who have traveled to the other side, or they could just be chemical reactions in the brain as it shuts down. There is research to show that the latter is actually what's taking place. It's similar to what happens when one is high on drugs. One of the effects drugs has, and especially hallucinogenics, is that the oxygen is either cut off completely to the brain, or severely hampered. As the brain shuts down near death, one of the things that happens is that oxygen is slowly reduced to the brain, causing a similar effect. Another thing to point out, is that in an NDE, a person isn't actually dead. They might be considered dead, but the brain never completely shuts down, which is why they're able to be brought back. It would seem odd, to me, that a person could travel to the realm of the dead, while not actually being physically dead. Just my opinions.

Thanks. I'm actually pretty familiar with the biology of death. There are several full episodes available to watch online if you're interested. In some cases, people saw what was happening in other rooms while they were 'dead' (ie. quoting conversations that were later verified as accurate). So while I agree it's possible to hallucinate, I'm not sure how one could accurately 'hallucinate' events that were really happening.

[Madhuri]

Originally Posted by dyanaprajna2011

I haven't seen the show, but I have done some research on NDE's. Personally, I don't place any stock in them. They could be real experiences of people who have traveled to the other side, or they could just be chemical reactions in the brain as it shuts down. There is research to show that the latter is actually what's taking place. It's similar to what happens when one is high on drugs. One of the effects drugs has, and especially hallucinogenics, is that the oxygen is either cut off completely to the brain, or severely hampered. As the brain shuts down near death, one of the things that happens is that oxygen is slowly reduced to the brain, causing a similar effect. Another thing to point out, is that in an NDE, a person isn't actually dead. They might be considered dead, but the brain never completely shuts down, which is why they're able to be brought back. It would seem odd, to me, that a person could travel to the realm of the dead, while not actually being physically dead. Just my opinions.

I know a lady who was technically dead for 8 hours after a hospital operation. (What is the medical term when, at hospital, they decide you are dead?)
She had that whole experience of meeting deceased family members who told her she was still needed in this world. She woke up, unstitched, to a very shocked nurse.

[daisy cutter]

Originally Posted by JacobEzra

Well, yeah. I thought I covered that




And thats why I put "exposed to"

Its not like any of the people I have seen were telling stories of JC yet never even knew anything about him because they grew up in an isolated island in the middle of the sea.

Right, but there were Christians, atheists, etc. who experienced things they never dreamed of - things that went against their entire core belief systems (and without correlation to any other known religion).

Out of curiosity, have you seen the show?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Originally Posted by daisy cutter

Right, but there were Christians, atheists, etc. who experienced things they never dreamed of - things that went against their entire core belief systems (and without correlation to any other known religion).

Why does this demand any explanation beyond "brains on the verge of dying tend to fail in similar ways?"

[JacobEzra]

Originally Posted by daisy cutter

Right, but there were Christians, atheists, etc. who experienced things they never dreamed of - things that went against their entire core belief systems (and without correlation to any other known religion).

Out of curiosity, have you seen the show?

I haven't watched all of them, but I have seen few which seemed to be exactly as I have described.