Much is said and written about the inequalities between men and women. Males even gain priority admission into cemeteries. \u00a0\u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death experience or NDE. \u00a0Here I continue with a few notes taken from Pim van Lommel,\u00a0Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience<\/em>\u00a0(New York: HarperCollins, 2010).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
First, I share a comment in which someone who had experienced an NDE draws a striking conclusion from it:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on. \u00a0Only one thing matters: your attitude toward other people. \u00a0(45)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Van Lommel summarizes the \u201clife changes\u201d that many scholars have studied in near-death experiencers:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[T]he life changes derive in no small measure from the new insight that love and consideration for oneself, others, and nature are paramount and that death is not the end of everything. \u00a0(47)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, here are some of Dr. Van Lommel\u2019s rather more abstract reflections on the idea that \u201cIt\u2019s possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on\u201d<\/span>:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The numerous retrospective and few prospective studies provide conclusive evidence that NDEs can occur under diverse circumstances and not just in life-threatening situations. \u00a0But no clear medical or psychological indicators have been found that explain why some people do but most people do not experience an NDE. \u00a0Medication or demographic factors such as gender or standard of education play no role. \u00a0The NDE occurs in all kinds of circumstances, in all ranks of society, in all sections of the population, in all religions, in all cultures, and in all times. \u00a0Only a younger age seems to elicit more frequent NDE reports. \u00a0The younger a person is, the greater the chance of an NDE.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe universal experience of a clear and enhanced consciousness during a period of deep unconsciousness, with lucid thoughts, emotions, and memories from earliest childhood and sometimes with perception from a position outside and above the lifeless body, raises fundamental questions. \u00a0It resembles neither a dream nor the incoherent stories that are sometimes told upon waking from a coma with brain damage nor a hallucination. \u00a0It bears no resemblance to the familiar side effects of medication or to memories of birth. \u00a0But then what is it? \u00a0(112-113)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some NDE elements, specifically the lucid consciousness and verifiable perception during the loss or serious impairment of brain function, challenge the prevailing view of the relationship between consciousness and the brain, which sees consciousness as a product of brain function. \u00a0(113)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death experience or NDE. \u00a0Here I continue with a few notes taken from Pim van Lommel,\u00a0Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience\u00a0(New York: HarperCollins, 2010). \u00a0 First, I share a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
"It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on."<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-15T02:26:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-15T02:27:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/06\/American_military_cemetery_2003-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html\",\"name\":\"\\\"It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.\\\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-15T02:26:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-15T02:27:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"“It’s possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.”\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.\"","description":" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.\"","og_description":" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2020-06-15T02:26:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-06-15T02:27:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/06\/American_military_cemetery_2003-1024x768.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html","name":"\"It's possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.\"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-06-15T02:26:17+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-15T02:27:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":" Pim van Lommel is a well-respected Dutch cardiologist who has become one of the leading authorities in the world on the near-death","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/06\/its-possible-to-be-physically-dead-while-your-mind-lives-on.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"“It’s possible to be physically dead while your mind lives on.”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Normandy](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/06\/American_military_cemetery_2003.jpg\")
<\/a>