For centuries, people of all religions, including Christian mystics, Muslim Sufis, and Jewish Kabbalists, have reported cases of near-death experiences (NDEs). These have often shared elements with mystical or spiritual experiences, such as out-of-body experiences, feeling outside of time and in peace and unity with the world.
A group of researchers from Cuba and the USA decided to compare the two. Both remain quite rare phenomena that are difficult to record. These days however, thanks to advances in medical science, more and more patients survive resuscitation and live to talk of their experience. Sometimes, after operations, they report having hovered over their own body and describe in detail the actions of doctors that took place while they were unconscious. As the authors note, the content of NDEs seems to be the same across countries and eras. However, different traditions and religions can lead to different interpretations of the experience.
The scientists recruited five people who have had experienced a NDE, and an equal number of people who have had mystical or spiritual experience as a result of prayer. The participants were instructed to close their eyes, relax, mentally return to the place and time of their experience, and feel it and imagine it as accurately as possible. At this time, the researchers recorded the participants’ EEG data. The results showed brain activity in the delta, alpha, and gamma bands in all volunteers, but there was greater activation in the group with spiritual experiences.
The researchers add that the near-death experiences may also be facilitated by the triggering of the REM sleep phase during wakefulness. It is possible that people who survive resuscitation have a predisposition to this. Thus, the authors actually make the link between several phase states: near-death and out-of-body experiences and lucid dreams.
Have you ever had a mystical or religious experience similar to a phase state?
The article was published in December 2022 in the journal World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews.
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