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John C. Hagan III’s Followers (1)
John C. Hagan III
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The Science of Near-Death Experiences
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Care of the Dying Patient (Volume 1)
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published
2010
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4 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.
“Nancy Evans Bush, MA, Previous President of IANDS, and Bruce Greyson, MD, recently retired Director of the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, in Chapter Ten skillfully present the little discussed “distressing near-death experiences” (DNDEs). Their review of over 30 years of NDEs literature concludes that DNDEs may occur as often as one in five cases and that both external and internal barriers to reporting them make them under-reported. The DNDE has distressing connotations to the hallmark events of the pleasurable NDE. The context of the DNDE is a “void” with feelings of aloneness, isolation, emptiness, even a sense of annihilation. Lastly, in the DNDE the “heavenly and redemptive” themes of most NDEs are replaced by a “hellish and damnation” experience. Much time and effort is required by these individuals to work through the debilitation and negative residua of the DNDEs. Three mechanisms often employed are “I needed that” in which the individual seeks to make amends in their life and become a better person. Movement to a dogmatic religious group is common. A second methodology is reductionism in which the DNDE is explained away or repudiated as a hallucination or an adverse drug reaction. A third group struggles for years trying to comprehend why the DNDE happened to them and why they cannot shake off its negative aftereffects. They often commit to long-term psychotherapy which is usually ineffective. Neither NDEs nor DNDEs are pre-conditioned by the conduct of an individual’s life—a saintly person may still have a DNDE while felons and misanthropes may experience pleasant, redemption-giving NDEs.”
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
“However, many NDEs are recounted by individuals who had no metabolic or organic malfunctions that might have caused hallucinations, and patients who receive medications in fact report fewer NDEs than do patients who receive no medication.14 Furthermore, organic brain malfunctions generally produce clouded thinking, irritability, fear, belligerence, and idiosyncratic visions, quite unlike the exceptionally clear thinking, peacefulness, calm, and predictable content that typify the NDE. Visions in patients with delirium are generally of living persons, whereas those of patients with a clear sensorium as they approach death are almost invariably of deceased persons. Patients who are febrile or anoxic when near death report fewer NDEs and less elaborate experiences than do patients who remain drug-free and are neither febrile nor anoxic. That is, drug- or metabolically-induced delirium, rather than causing NDEs in fact inhibits them from occurring or from being recalled.14 Neurochemistry NDEs have been speculatively attributed to a number of neurotransmitters in the brain, most frequently endorphins or other endogenous opioids, a putative ketamine-like endogenous neuroprotective agent acting on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, serotonin, adrenaline, vasopressin, and glutamate. These speculations are based on hypothetical endogenous chemicals or effects that have not been shown to exist, and are not supported by any empirical data.17”
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
“We saw in them a greater interest in spirituality and questions about the purpose of life, as well as a greater acceptance of, and love for, oneself and others. The conversations also revealed that people had acquired enhanced intuitive feelings after an NDE, along with a strong sense of connectedness with others and with nature. Or, as many of them put it, they had acquired “paranormal gifts.” The sudden occurrence of this enhanced intuition, or non-local perception, can be quite problematic, as people suddenly have a very acute sense of others, which can be extremely intimidating. The integration and acceptance of an NDE is a process that may take many years because of its far-reaching impact on people’s pre-NDE understanding of life and value system. Finally, it is quite remarkable to see a cardiac arrest lasting just a few minutes give rise to such a lifelong process of transformation. For obvious reasons most people feel nostalgic about their NDE because of the unforgettable feelings of peace, acceptance, and love they encountered during the experience, and the feeling of being forced to return back into the body. We identified a distinct pattern of change in people with an NDE and revealed that integrating these changes into daily life is a long and arduous process because there is at first hardly any acceptance by oneself as well as by others, like doctors, nurses, family members, partners, and friends. This lack of acceptance can make the process of coming to terms with the experience difficult and painful. So the NDE is often a traumatic event with many years of strong feelings of depression, homesickness and loneliness.6”
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
― The Science of Near-Death Experiences
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