Hidden Nature

Clinical death describes the moment when a person’s breathing and heartbeat cease independent function, a state of cardiac arrest that meets the medical definition of death. Using medical advances developed during the 20th century, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the use of defibrillating devices, or the injection of epinephrine (a form of adrenaline), it is possible to resuscitate a person by restoring breathing and circulation. While injury to organs, including the brain, begins immediately upon the cessation of circulation, individuals experiencing clinical death for short durations can be restored to complete function. There are also indications that consciousness can continue for several seconds following clinical death.

Individuals who have had an out-of-body experience (OBE) report a sense of their consciousness separating from their physical body, which frequently involves a sense of floating and perceiving their body from a distance. OBEs may be spurred by medical events like an epileptic seizure, hallucinations, or trauma, or be a feature of dissociative disorders, sleep paralysis, or intense stress. They are commonly reported as part of a near-death experience. It’s speculated that these perceptions are due to disruptions of circulation in the brain, changing the processing of sensory information, especially visual and auditory details. Healthline reports that up to 5% of the population reports some sort of OBE (“What Really Happens During an Out-of-Body Experience?” Healthline).

The term “near-death experience” (NDE) describes phenomena reported by a person who has approached or experienced clinical death. Certain images occur frequently in reports of an NDE. Many individuals report a sensation of peacefulness or complete serenity. Very often experiences include a bright light, or a tunnel with light at the opposite end. Some individuals recall past events; others report interactions with spiritual beings, like loved ones who have passed. Similar images seem to be shared across cultures, leading some medical staff to surmise that, as with an out-of-body experience, these sensory perceptions are caused by interruptions to neurological activity due to death. The NDE Research Foundation aims to connect individuals who have experienced an NDE with researchers and others who seek scientific or spiritual explanations for these events.