Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Dr. Kevin Nelson, a neurologist in Lexington, Kentucky ....thinks that near-death experiences are part of the dream mechanism and that the person having the experience is in a REM, or "rapid eye movement," state.
***
During REM sleep, there is increased brain activity and visual stimulation. Intense dreaming occurs as a result.
And the bright light so many people claim to see?
"The activation of the visual system caused by REM is causing the bright lights," Nelson said.
And the tunnel people speak of, he says, is lack of blood flow to the eye.
Has he had a near-death experience? It's more interesting to listen to someone who's had one...evidently it is a deeply moving and special experience.
The article starts off with a woman recounting hers. My mother had one as a teenager... floating above her hospital bed, saw her mother crying, saw the room, the equipment, the doctor. I'd love for them to be "true"....
Maybe it is related to coma. I have read that some people in a deep coma recall everything once they wake up weeks or months later, which is amazing as their eyes are closed. Still, they kind of "see" and hear their room, their visitors etc.
It doesn't surprise me coming from a doctor. Hell, most of them don't have the sensitivity to take certain discussions away from earshot of a person in a coma! The boyfriend of one of my friends was in the room with him when the doctor started to talk to them about his condition, pulling the plug, etc., and he started to thrash around in the bed like something was very wrong. I've no doubt he heard it all.
And the tunnel people speak of, he says, is lack of blood flow to the eye.
But if the eyes are closed...
The visual cortex is still active, and can be activated without actual input from the eyes. In studies, people who are blind were found to use their visual cortex to process sounds. Also remember that the mind has the ability to hallucinate, which is very simply stimulating the sensory processes of the brain beyond (or in the absence of) physical input.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
