Dr. Bruce Greyson, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, will discuss numerous aspects of near-death experiences (NDEs). Dr. Greyson’s talk will encompass the challenges in researching NDEs and establishing their reality; the consistent cross-cultural features of NDEs; proposed psychological and physiological explanations for NDEs; the after-effects of NDEs, and implications of NDEs for our understanding of mind and brain; and our understanding of life and death.
Evidence for the reality of NDE’s
While acknowledging the difficulty of studying NDEs scientifically, Dr. Bruce Greyson, a researcher in the field, points to several types of evidence indicating that NDEs are more than just hallucinations or psychological phenomena.
- Universality and Consistency: People all over the world and throughout history have reported similar NDEs, regardless of their culture or religion. If NDEs were solely products of individual psychology or cultural expectations, they would likely vary more widely.
- Independence from Expectation: Many NDEs contradict the individual’s religious beliefs or expectations, suggesting they are not simply wishful thinking. Additionally, some people report encountering deceased loved ones in their NDEs without knowing that the person had died, further challenging the expectation hypothesis.
- Verifiable Out-of-Body Experiences: Some individuals reporting out-of-body experiences during NDEs have accurately described events they could not have witnessed while unconscious, such as specific details of their surgery. These cases suggest that consciousness might be able to function separately from the physical body.
- Memory Reliability and Validity: Research suggests that memories of NDEs are as vivid and detailed as memories of real events, and they remain consistent over time. Studies using scales designed to differentiate real and imagined memories indicate that NDE memories resemble those of real events, even scoring higher in some cases.
Dr. Greyson also discusses various physiological and psychological explanations for NDEs, such as oxygen deprivation, drug effects, endorphin release, and mental illness. However, he argues that none of these theories adequately account for the full range of NDE features and that research has not conclusively linked NDEs to any specific physiological or psychological cause.
While Dr. Greyson believes NDEs involve physical, psychological, and spiritual elements, he considers the profound aftereffects to be the most compelling evidence for their significance. NDEs often lead to:
- Decreased Fear of Death: Individuals become less afraid of dying, often leading to a greater appreciation for life and a willingness to take risks.
- Shift in Values: Material possessions and worldly achievements become less important, while spirituality and compassion for others increase.
- Changes in Behavior: NDErs often become more altruistic, change careers to pursue helping professions, and experience a shift in relationships.
While some NDErs struggle with integrating their experiences and face disbelief from others, many find profound meaning and purpose in their lives after an NDE. Dr. Greyson concludes that NDEs suggest the possibility of consciousness existing independently of the brain and that death might not be a final ending, but a transition to a different state of being.