"The evidence presented would be extraordinary even if near-death experiencers were fully awake when they had their experiences. But they’re not. NDEs happen at a time of unconsciousness or clinical death with an absent heartbeat. Conscious and lucid experiences while unconscious should not occur. Yet NDEs do occur and are packed with multiple lines of evidence consistently pointing to an afterlife. To review, these are the twelve lines of evidence presented in this article for the reality of NDEs and an afterlife:
1. Consciousness and alertness during near-death experiences is usually greater than during their everyday life. This is medically inexplicable given that NDEs occur when they are unconscious or clinically dead.
2. What near-death experiencers see and hear while they are out-of-body during near- death experiences is almost always completely accurate. Out-of-body observations far from their physical body are also nearly always totally realistic. Nearly all out-of-body observations are confirmed to be accurate when later checked by the NDErs or others.
3. Supernormal sensory awareness is consistently described in near-death experiences. Normal or supernormal vision may occur in those born totally blind and in those with severe vision impairment.
4. Typical near-death experiences occur while under general anesthesia at a time that conscious and lucid experiences should not be possible.
5. When deceased loved ones are encountered in near-death experiences, they are virtually always deceased at the time of the NDEs and almost always appear in perfect health.
6. The core content of near-death experiences from all around the world is remarkably consistent. NDEs from non-Western countries are remarkably similar to Western NDEs.
7. The core content of near-death experiences in children, including very young children, are strikingly similar to the NDEs of older children and adults.
8. Life reviews in near-death experiences typically have an unearthly acceleration of consciousness. They include real events that previously occurred in the NDErs’ lives, even if the events were long forgotten.
9. Near-death experiencers commonly have substantial changes in their beliefs and values as aftereffects following their NDEs. NDErs usually develop a greatly increased belief in an afterlife and decreased fear of death.
10. Near-death experiencers generally accept the reality of their NDEs. The NDERF survey found that 93.8% of NDErs believed that their experiences were definitely real.
11. Shared near-death experiences occur when two or more people have a life- threatening event simultaneously, with at least one person surviving and the other(s) permanently dying. The surviving NDEr later describes a shared experience with the permanently deceased person(s). This is significant evidence that what is described in NDEs is the initial journey of the irrevocably deceased into the afterlife.
12. The remarkably consistent spiritual content of near-death experiences is further evidence for the reality of NDEs. In describing the profoundly blissful afterlife, NDErs are consistently aware of the vital importance of love, the reality of God that transcends human understanding, and the unity of all of us.
"The strength of this evidence convinces me
that near-death experiences are real and there absolutely is an afterlife. I
encourage each reader to consider the evidence for the reality of NDEs and the
afterlife and reach your own conclusion. The convergence of multiple lines of
evidence for the validity of NDE and an afterlife presented in this article
builds a far stronger case than from only a single line
of evidence. To illustrate this, suppose there existed only two lines of
evidence for the reality of an afterlife. Neither line of evidence may be 100
percent convincing but assume each line of evidence is individually 90 percent
convincing. When combined, the two lines of evidence are mathematically
calculated to be 99 percent convincing of the reality of an afterlife.
"Given the complexity of mathematically analyzing just two lines of evidence, it would be far more difficult to mathematically analyze all twelve lines of evidence presented in this article. Fortunately, the NDERF website has a custom-designed form that automatically performs this mathematical analysis for you (www.nderf.org/afterlife). This form allows you to calculate how strongly you believe that an afterlife is proven by the twelve lines of evidence in this article. This form also shows you the results of all others who completed the form.
"The NDERF studies presented throughout this article are the most extensive scientific investigation of near-death experiences ever reported. These investigations provide new and exceptional scientific evidence for the reality of NDEs and the afterlife. Most of the lines of evidence presented in this article are corroborated by the findings of prior scholarly near-death experience studies spanning over forty-five years. These previous investigations reinforce the remarkable results from the NDERF studies. I believe the evidence is now so strong that the survival of human consciousness after death is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
"There is still much that we can learn from the scientific study of near-death experiences. Further scholarly investigation of NDEs and other experiences that suggest the survival of consciousness after bodily death is strongly encouraged.
"Skeptic arguments cannot explain the remarkable consistency of the content of near-death experiences. Physical brain function cannot explain NDEs. An essential part of convincing the world that NDEs and their evidence of an afterlife is real is to address the skeptical arguments. To accomplish this, a section of the NDERF website explores skeptical views in depth. Those interested in particular skeptical arguments not addressed in this article will likely find them discussed and refuted in this NDERF website section.
"Near-death experiences have profound implications for science. NDEs conclusively show that human experiences suggesting an afterlife can and should be scientifically investigated. NDEs provide compelling evidence that there is far more to consciousness than is explained by our physical brain.
"Near-death experiences also have important implications for religion. The great religions have always addressed a belief in an afterlife and God. The evidence from NDEs offers compelling evidence for the reality of an afterlife. Additionally, NDEs consistently point to a universe imbued with a vast and loving intelligence.
"NDEs show that death is not the end but
rather a transition to a magnificent afterlife. This is a profoundly
inspirational message for us, our loved ones, and all of humanity."
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
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