near Death Experince and REM Sleep

[Barbizzle]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...11/ixworld.html I think this is extreamly interesting and related to Dreaming, perhpas even Lucid Dreaming. I wonder how Lucid Dreamers would differ in thier experiences. Could we somehow help ourselves if we have control of our minds and knwo whats going on? Some describe a journey along a tunnel towards a light. Many say the light exudes warmth and forgiveness. Others report that gazing down on themselves in an operating theatre made them certain of life after death. Throughout history, there have been accounts of people experiencing visions on the brink of death, what are now called near-death experiences. There are dozens of books and films on the subject, even a Journal of Near Death Studies in America, and a conference planned this October in Houston, Texas. Today, new evidence is published that backs the idea that the near-death experience is a biological experience, rather than anything to do with a larger, spiritual dimension, a glimpse of heaven, or the existence of the soul. People who have had near- death experiences are able to slip into dream sleep more easily than those who have not had one, according to a study published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "I see it as an activation of certain brain regions that are also active during the dream state," said Prof Kevin Nelson, a neurologist and lead study author, from the University of Kentucky, Lexington. "However, I hesitate to call it dreaming or dreaming while awake. This is the first testable hypothesis of a biological basis for these experiences." For his study, a near-death experience was defined as a time during a life-threatening episode when a person experienced a variety of feelings, including a sense of being outside of one's body, unusual alertness, seeing an intense light, and a feeling of peace. The study compared 55 people with near-death experiences with 55 people of the same age and gender who had not had them. It found that people with near-death experiences were more likely to have a sleep-wake system in which the boundaries between sleep and wakefulness were not as clearly regulated, and the dream sleep state - when there is rapid eye movement - can intrude into normal wakeful consciousness. Examples of "REM intrusion" include waking up and feeling that you cannot move - sleep paralysis - having sudden muscle weakness in your legs, and hearing sounds just before falling asleep or just after waking up that other people cannot hear. Of the people with near- death experiences, 60 per cent reported REM intrusion, compared with 24 per cent of people who had not had near-death experiences. "These findings suggest that REM-state intrusion contributes to near-death experiences," said Prof Nelson. Prof Nelson said other factors supported this. Several features of near-death experiences are also associated with the dream state, for example, the feeling of being outside of one's body and being surrounded by light. Because the brain turns off the body's ability to move during dreaming, muscles can lose their tone, or tension. "During a crisis that occurs with REM-state intrusion, this lack of muscle tone could reinforce a person's sense of being dead and convey the impression of death to other people," Prof Nelson said. He added that a biological explanation was "spiritually neutral". "We, as neurologists, address the how of these experiences coming about but not the why," he said.[/b]

[Ubik]

lol, when I was younger I saw a TV programme about near death experiences. I was fascinated and utterly convinced it was real until my Dad told me that it was probably the person dreaming - now that I'm older, I've experienced enough LDs to believe that, yes... it is probably all in peoples minds Oh well, I guess there is only one way to find out for sure though eh? I'm not in a hurry though still, interesting read - cheers Barbizzle

[Distant Clone]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...11/ixworld.html<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE Today, new evidence is published that backs the idea that the near-death experience is a biological experience, rather than anything to do with a larger, spiritual dimension, a glimpse of heaven, or the existence of the soul.[/b] He added that a biological explanation was "spiritually neutral". "We, as neurologists, address the how of these experiences coming about but not the why," he said.[/b] [/b][/quote]Boo. I think it is ignorant to stipulate a mutual exclusion between "biological" and "spiritual". I believe the two of those are reflections of each other...everything that happens has both a biological, spiritual, emotional, etc. counterpart. Of course, it does not mean that every single event is spiritually significant, but it does have some spiritual meaning, even if infinitesimal. If you want an example of something biological, emotional and spiritual, look no further than the orgasm. By the way, I believe that the neural pathways unite to form one of the many non-physical or subtle bodies (each body being a reflection of all the others). Funny comment coming from a neurologist. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...11/ixworld.html <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE Prof Nelson said other factors supported this. Several features of near-death experiences are also associated with the dream state, for example, the feeling of being outside of one's body and being surrounded by light. Because the brain turns off the body's ability to move during dreaming, muscles can lose their tone, or tension. "During a crisis that occurs with REM-state intrusion, this lack of muscle tone could reinforce a person's sense of being dead and convey the impression of death to other people," Prof Nelson said.[/b] [/b][/quote]Wow, those reason are really weak. I think they are implying dreams are not spiritual...How dare they. Not only are all things, as I have said, but dreams are one of the most important spiritual events. I'm not even sure what that last paragraph is incinuating. I will admit, while I have been fooled by SP as death before, I don't think it would fool others. I know it would not fool my two and three year old nephews. When I play dead, they walk up to me and smack me pretty good as they tell me to wake up. If I were dreaming, I'm sure they would wake me too. They should be smacking Prof. Nelson telling him to wake up.