Thread: Mind/Brain Separation

I posted this on the OBE section of the forum because I believe that the question of whether these experiences are real or mere constructs of the brain is at the very heart of the subject.

Materialists believe that these out of body experiences are not real experiences, and that they happen purely within our brains. As one who has had several out of body experiences, one of which I was able to verify physically, I could not disagree more.

Consciousness has never been proven to be processes of the brain. The hard problem is still very much unsolved. The idea that we are our brains is an assumption based on the observable correlations between the brain and consciousness - but as any scientist will tell you, correlation does not prove causation.

My personal view is that the brain is a filter for consciousness. This view has been articulated well by Cyril Burt: “The brain is not an organ that generates consciousness, but rather an instrument evolved to transmit and limit the processes of consciousness and of conscious attention so as to restrict them to those aspects of the material environment which at any moment are crucial for the terrestrial success of the individual”

This view does not conflict with neuroscience, because it does not discount any of the correlations we have observed surrounding the brain - it simply interprets them in a different way.

For example, is the brain activity correlated with certain states of consciousness the measure of consciousness, or the measure of the brain responding to consciousness?

When you take a drug, is the effect on consciousness caused by the brain altering the way it produces consciousness or does the drug merely alter the brain's ability to regulate consciousness which consequently produces the change?

When you hit your head, does it cause a mechanical change in the brain which translates to consciousness, or does it cause a mechanical change in the brain which alters the way the brain regulates consciousness?

I believe this alternative way of viewing the brain works better than the materialist model because it does not have to discount the subjective experiences of millions of people as 'impossible'. It also solves many mysteries of neuroscience (which by themselves are enough to throw the whole materialist view into question).

Mysteries such as acquired savant syndrome, where brain damage actually results in vastly increased mental abilities.

Or in cases of severe hydrocephalus where people live normal lives with only a small fraction of the brain mass of the average person. There was a high profile case of this in the news a couple of years ago - the article was called "Tiny brain normal life."

In severe cases of hydrocephalus patients can be left with less than 5% of the brain mass of a normal person - but even in these severe cases there are people who have above average IQs – some actually have very high IQs and seemingly no mental deficits. Again, this is easily explainable for those who believe consciousness to be separate from the brain, and much harder to explain for materialists.

The last example I'll bring up here is terminal lucidity, where people with severe brain damage who can’t remember the names and faces of family members suddenly become lucid and able to think, remember, and speak clearly as their death nears – despite the fact that the brain damage supposedly responsible for their affliction is still very much present.

All of these are well documented.

TLDR: I believe that mind and brain are separate, and that true out of body experiences are real experiences that take place outside of the body. How about you?