Near Death Experience

Source A Mebruke is a 32 year old Saudi Arabian. At the age of 20 she was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy when she became tired. As she headed for the shore, she realised she was too far out to make it back. She began to struggle and swallow water. Finally she slipped beneath the waves. I went under for a forth time and my body went limp. I wasnt aware of it anymore. It was at that point that I saw a beautiful white light. It was so bright and yet had such a calming effect that the more I looked at it the calmer I felt. To this day I cant really say what that light was. In my religion (Islam) there are beings called angels who are made out of pure light. Maybe that is what I saw. Anyway, while I was under water, I heard a voice say, You are not to die like this. Suddenly I felt this energy shoot through me from my feet to my head and at the same time I seemed to be propelled out of the water. I was moved through the water, I dont know how else to describe it. Before long a boat came and a man reached over the side and pulled me out.

Source B Beverly Brodsky was brought up in a Jewish family in Philadelphia, USA. As a teenager, she was an ATHEIST. Discovering what had happened to Jews in the Holocaust had convinced her that God did not exist. Then in July 1970, she had a serious motorcycle accident. I found myself floating on the ceiling over the bed looking down at my unconscious body. I barely had time to realise the strangeness of the situation that I was me but not in my body when I was joined by a radiant being bathed in a shimmering white glow. My attention was directed upward; a white light shone through the most brilliant light I had ever seen. I remember travelling a long distance, very fast, upward towards the light. The entire realm seemed to be outside of time. Finally, I reached my destination. I realised I was no longer accompanied by the being who brought me there. But I wasnt alone. There before me was the living presence of the light. I sensed intelligence, wisdom, compassion, love and truth. There was neither form nor sex to this perfect Being. Deep within me came an instant recognition: I, even I, was facing God. Beverly did not die. Twenty years later she said, I have never forgotten my heavenly voyage. Nor have I, in the face of ridicule and disbelief, ever doubted its reality. Nothing that intense and life-changing could possibly have been a dream or hallucination.

What do the Scientists say?

Source C Scientists investigating near-death experiences say they have found evidence to suggest that consciousness can continue to exist after the brain has ceased to function. However, the claim has been challenged by neurological experts. The researchers interviewed 63 patients who had survived heart attacks, within a week of the experience. Of these, 56 had no recollection of the period of unconsciousness they experienced whilst, effectively dead. However, 7 had memories, 4 of which counted as near-death experiences. They told of feelings of peace and joy, time speeded up, heightened senses, lost awareness of body, seeing a bright light, entering another world, encountering a mystical being and coming to a point of no return. None of the patients was found to be receiving low levels of oxygen which some scientists believe may be responsible for the so called near-death experiences. Lead researcher Dr Sam Parnia said nobody fully understands how brain cells generate thoughts. He said it might be that mind or consciousness is independent of the brain. Dr Chris Freeman said there was no proof that the experiences reported by the patients actually occurred when the brain was shut down. We know that memories are extremely fallible. We are quite good at knowing that something has happened. It is quite possible that these experiences happened during the recovery, or just before the cardiac arrest. To say that they happened when the brain was shut down, I think there is very little evidence for that at all.