The Science of Near-Death Experiences
University of Missouri Press Hardcover. 169 pp. ISBN 978-0-8262-2103-2 Available on Amazon, University of Missouri Press and msma.org
Men and women who have died and been successfully resuscitated sometimes undergo what is called “near-death experiences” (NDEs). They recall being detached from their dying body, often seeing their body from the outside. They pass to a bright light, sometimes through a dark tunnel, and feel the light is welcoming them. The whole experience is usually characterized by a feeling of detachment and peace. Such experiences have been recorded in about 15% of patients undergoing cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation, as well as in other circumstances. Patients have had NDEs even when under general anesthesia.
Between 2013 and 2015, Missouri Medicine published a series of articles on near-death experiences. John Hagan, MD, the long-time editor-in-chief of Missouri Medicine, has compiled these into a slim but highly informative volume. I should point out that any proceeds from the book will go to the Missouri State Medical Association. The 13 chapters range from a scholarly review of the published evidence to discussions of the theory of consciousness to personal accounts by physicians of their own near-death experiences. All of the authors in the book, save one co-author, are physicians and scientists. This brings the objectivity of scientifically-trained observers even to the personal accounts. I found that reading the account of a NDE by someone I know and respect was a very convincing experience.
Modern interest in NDEs dates back only about 50 years, to the 1970s. But descriptions can be found as long ago as the ancient Greeks. Heraclitus, Democritus, and Plato all wrote on “revenants,” people who apparently died, and then recovered. There have been published studies in the recent literature. Pim Van Lommel, MD, describes a prospective multi- hospital study from the Netherlands of cardiac arrest patients. Of 344 patients who were entered into the study because they had cardiac arrest, 62 (18%) had some sort of NDE. His chapter cites other, smaller studies with similar results.
But while the existence of NDEs is generally recognized, they are not understood. Kevin Nelson, MD, a neurologist, presents a strong argument for placing NDEs into modern neuroscience. Other authors deny this. Eben Alexander, III, MD, a neurosurgeon, makes an equally compelling argument for NDEs being outside the current framework. Most of the other chapters touch on this issue in one way or another. Basically, the argument revolves around the theory of consciousness. Is consciousness produced by the brain, as some sort of epiphenomenon? Or is consciousness separate, existing alongside but separate from the physical nervous system? This question is far beyond the scope of the present review.
Several of the contributors urge strongly that physicians should recognize NDEs as being part of the life experience of at least some of our patients. Many people who have had such experiences feel a need to talk about them. Most are affected by their NDE. Such an experience may be life-altering. Further, while “classic” NDEs are generally positive experiences, some may be negative or threatening. PDSD has been reported following NDEs. As physicians, we need to be sensitive to the existence of NDEs. We must be able and willing to talk about the subject, especially if and when a patient wants us to help them understand their experience.
Lastly, this book should induce a certain feeling of humility in all of us. For all our knowledge, and skill, there are things which we do not yet understand. Let Shakespeare have the last word:
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio
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