Near Death Experiences: A Gateway into the Soul.

The transcendental theme of the soul has been the subject of mystical and bewildering human folklores since the apes in caves got to talking. Once the idea of the soul took roots, there was no turning back. It—along with the famed influence of stars, planets, and moon—has been sought as the explanation for a majority of human affairs. If someone is depressed, suffers from cancer, hasn’t been getting a promotion, or is not finding the right partner, it is highly likely that the souls of the ancestors are unhappy, so is frequently extolled. Recently, the business of tapping the favours of ancestral souls or the fixing of our own soul, which may have lost its synchrony with the universe, has acquired a rather profitable stripe. Thus has been begotten renewed interests in pranic healing practices, chakras, soul therapy, karmic cleansing, past life regression, and all such phrases that evoke images of incense sticks, coloured crystals, and an overall bohemian-cum-mystical ambience. The market size of soul-related solutions to life’s problems is estimated at over a $100 billion USD.

Enthusiasts and proponents of soul-related solutions sprinkle scientific sounding concepts on obfuscating notions or anecdotal or normative experiences to serve a feast to many incredulous minds. This leads to uncomfortable face-offs with the notorious scientific way of demystifying. This line of thinking has a special affinity for phenomena that have not yet found a solid scientific explanation. Thus, “How can you explain this scientifically?”, or “That has no scientific explanation” are frequently repeated phrases released from their arsenals. It is meant to imply that because there is, at present, no scientific explanation to a phenomenon, the preternatural explanation is the only valid explanation. The casualty in such cases oftentimes is science, because soul-related solutions, especially when they come from gentlemen donning nice flowing manes, have far more takers. It is, therefore, a boon to thinkers of this school of thought when observations are made in the scientific realm that seem to support ideas of the duality of the body and the soul and of eternal souls jumping from one body to the next.

First scientifically documented in the year 1892 by Albert Heim, the phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) has been abused by new-age flagbearers of eternal truths. Phenomenologically, NDEs are often characterized by supernatural-feeling elements such as out-of-body experiences (OBEs), extreme happiness, witnessing of a tunnel with light, and encountering of dead relatives. On many occasions, NDEs are transformative to the individuals who have experienced them, leading to spiritual awakenings. These experiences are purported as direct proof of the existence of a soul. During the “near death” events, the ethereal soul, it is said, goes on a cosmic tour and if the time of death has not yet arrived, after the tour, returns to the material body. Like with other things, the implications of NDEs offered by soul-related luminaries confuse more than they explain. This ghostly explanation of NDEs has become very popular since it was first elaborated in a 1975 book entitled “Life After Life” by the psychiatrist author Raymond Moody. Since then, instead of seeking physiological bases to NDEs, most popular-culture explanations head straight for the supernatural bait. However, painstaking research has been conducted to illuminate our understanding of what may be going on with people who report NDEs. Much of these explanations spring from physiological phenomena playing out in the physical brain.

Using techniques of brain mapping and neurophysiology, and by the ever-increasing understanding of the biological functioning of the brain, we now know sufficiently well the mechanisms underlying the overall phenomenon of NDEs. A physiological, non-supernatural explanation of the “experience” of NDE can be offered because the same feelings that characterize an NDE can be experimentally induced under controlled, laboratory conditions, which do not involve almost killing the subject. It is worth noting that the overall nature of NDEs can be quite varied among individuals and different people may report different features of their unique NDEs. Unfortunately, the supernatural school of thought does not explain the heterogenous nature of NDEs. We shall look at the overall scientific bases, devoid of any adulterating themes of souls, for each of the characteristic features of NDEs.

Proximity to Death

Before we try to disintegrate the components of NDEs, it is interesting to note the relationship of NDEs with death. Contrary to what is believed, less than 50% of the patients who report NDEs are in any sort of mortal danger. It, therefore, seems that NDEs do not need any proximity to death after all.

Tunnel and Light

Around 30% of people reporting an NDE report the experience of witnessing a source of light at the end of a tunnel. This phenomenon can be explained pathophysiologically to stem from reduced blood supply to the retina. The tunnel and light phenomena are reported in other conditions as well. In pilots who fly at high gravitational forces or G-force, a similar phenomenon is reported more frequently than it is reported among people with NDE. In such conditions, blood tends to move from the head towards the feet, resulting in the depletion of peripheral vision. This phenomenon is called hypotensive syncope. Under experimental conditions, when pilots are accelerated using centrifugal systems, they report similar experiences of tunnelling of vision, suggestion a physiological basis for this experience. In other pathological conditions such as glaucoma as well, the tunnel and light vision may be reported often. Yet, it is only in relation to NDEs that such observations acquire a supernatural flavour. Rarely do people with glaucoma say that they are moving towards a source of euphoric light replete with wisdom and truth.

Euphoria

Over 50% of cases of NDEs are associated with feelings of extreme joy and bliss. Such feelings are frequently reported in response to recreational, psychedelic drugs as well. The neural mechanisms that result in euphoria in response to the drugs are well characterized. These involve chemicals known as neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Thus, the neurophysiological basis of euphoria, suggests that the bliss that is reported by individuals during NDEs has after all, a perfectly natural explanation. This, too, does not need a soulful explanation.

Meeting Gods or Dead Relatives

Around a third of all people with NDEs report encounters with their dead relatives, a known God/gods, or some supreme being. Often, these preternatural entities offer narratives of what has happened and what is to come in the lives of the people having the experience. Not surprisingly, most people who report these experiences report meeting entities they know and who may have known them. This experience is also culturally rooted. For instance, individuals who have grown up in the western culture would report meeting a Jesus-like being while someone in the eastern part of the world has a higher likelihood of meeting with Buddha or Shiva. Among the gods, there seem to be a high geography specificity. This phenomenon has also been frequently reported in response to the use of drugs and other mental illnesses such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s. In some cases of blindness, people report meeting ghosts, gods, and their dead relatives. Evaluation of the bases for such hallucinations under conditions of pathology have taught us the underlying mechanisms of image formation and perception. Mechanistically, several conditions that are associated with dysfunctions in the neurotransmitter dopamine are related to ghoulish or godly hallucinations. Similar experiences can be artificially induced by electrical stimulation of parts of the brain, resulting in striking encounters with dead relatives or supernatural beings. The accounts of individuals with strange encounters under the influence of drugs, brain pathology, or damage to the visual system are not very different from those related by individuals with NDEs. The encounters with these supernatural visitors during NDEs can also, therefore, be explained by neurophysiological workings.

Out-of-Body Experiences

OBEs, characterized by a feeling of floating in the air, fascinate listeners and recounters of NDEs the most. They are reported by around one-fourth of all NDE cases and are often accompanied by sensations of looking at one’s own body from the top or of being in places other than where the physical body is present. OBEs are taken as the strongest indicator of a flying soul and have been exceptionally difficult to explain using natural principles. This does not mean, however, that the soul theory is correct. OBEs are reported in other conditions, such as during a phenomenon called sleep paralysis, which may be experienced during normal deep (REM) sleep. OBEs have also been successfully simulated in individuals who were quite alive. Artificial inducing of OBEs suggests that this experience springs from the activities in a certain part of the brain, named fancifully as the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Impairments to the TPJ naturally result in OBE in the absence of any looming danger of death. Other non-NDE OBEs have been reported among users of recreational drugs such as LSD and ketamine. Since the effect of these psychedelic drugs can be beautifully and acceptably explained by neurophysiological means, so can OBEs. OBEs are also reported by individuals in the early phase of the action of general anaesthesia, if it is given for conditions that are far from death. OBEs, thus, also have perfectly plausible causal mechanisms that have nothing to do with the supernatural.

When appraised collectively, the body of scientific evidence carries with itself the implication that NDEs are rooted in neurophysiological phenomenon and all aspects of the experience can be explained away by a detailed and nuanced understanding of brain physiology. It also tells us that since all aspects of NDE have a physiological basis, as shown by the mimicking of NDEs by laboratory or interventional approaches, either the soul also has a physical basis or that there is no business that the concept of the soul or the afterlife has here. Surely, the idea of the eternity of life offers comfort to many. It promises union with those whom we may have lost in this life. It also promises justice for injustices in this life. But it also encourages us to believe in things in the absence of evidence. It encourages us to have faith in an idea because someone else has said so. It encourages us to lower further our evolutionarily low guard for critical thinking. And this in itself is tantamount to a kind on injustice. Next time there is a supernatural, other worldly explanation offered for a phenomenon, it may not be a bad idea to take a step back and seek answers that are rooted in the natural world.?