NDE supernormal sensory vision: Long excerpt #7

Radiation oncologist Jeremy Long writes in his article, "Evidence for Survival of Consciousness in Near-Death Experiences: Decades of Science and New Insights" - “Supernormal sensory awareness is consistently described in near-death experiences. This is further evidence that consciousness in NDEs occurs separately from the physical brain, as would be expected if consciousness survives bodily death.

“An excellent example of supernormal sensory awareness in near-death experiences is visual NDEs in the blind. Blind NDErs have reported normal and even supernormal vision. In 1998 Kenneth Ring, PhD, and Sharon Cooper, MA, published an important article in the Journal of Near-Death Studies. Their investigation found that visually impaired or blind people often described normal or supernormal vision during their NDEs. Several especially significant case reports described individuals born completely blind who had typical NDEs that included detailed vision.

“Another example of supernormal vision in near-death experiences is the frequent description of 360-degree vision during their NDEs. When NDErs use the term 360 degrees to describe what they see during their NDEs, they generally mean true spherical vision. Thus, NDErs are experiencing visual awareness simultaneously in all directions - forward, backward, right, left, above, and below. Two illustrative examples from the NDERF archives are:

Vision is very different and hard to describe. I feel it is more of a perception. At one point I was able to see and perceive 360 degrees.

Clear, more colorful, 360 view with zoom action.

“All five senses in our earthly life (seeing, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) are reported in near-death experiences. NDErs often describe enhanced function of these five senses, which is remarkable because they are unconscious or clinically dead during their NDEs. Of all these senses, vision is most often described as substantially different from normal vision during NDEs.

Everything became more vivid in color and brightness.

Having no material body, I was sensing, seeing, feeling, on another plane. It is like trying to explain the colors of the rainbow to a blind person.

I had extreme clarity and crispness to my vision during the experience. This is interesting because while I was in the coma a piece of the infection broke off from the heart valve permanently blinding me in my left eye. Before the experience I had perfect vision, since the experience I am legally blind in the left eye.

“The most recent version of the NDERF survey question asks, “Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.” Responses to this question were in narrative format. Many near-death experiencers described supernormal vision. The common occurrence of supernormal vision during NDEs is vividly demonstrated in the hundreds of narrative responses to this question available on the NDERF website as supplemental material.

"Several NDErs responding to this survey question were legally blind at the time of their NDEs, yet had clear vision:

I could see clearly without glasses. I could see close up and far away without restrictions. In this world I am legally blind even with glasses.

I was born legally blind. I could only see about 12 inches in front of me before everything turned into a vast blur. During the near-death experience, I could see everything perfectly."

Jeffrey Long, MD, "Evidence for Survival of Consciousness in Near-Death Experiences: Decades of Science and New Insights." In the next several posts I will share excerpts from Long's 2021 article. Footnotes have been deleted. The complete text is available as a pdf at https://www.nderf.org.