One of the obvious reasons that human beings’ destiny after they shuffle off this mortal coil is such an enduring mystery is that nobody ever comes back to tell us what really happens. Or do they? This is a question that has been the subject of intense speculation, particularly among people who focus on paranormal phenomena. Referred to frequently as “near-death experiences,” (NDEs) people do sometimes undergo what most doctors would refer to as “death,” including a complete cessation of brainwave activity, but are then “brought back to life.” And some of them claim to have memories of that period when they were supposedly dead. But some scientists have been delving into the topic as well, including a team at New York University. They measured the brainwaves of people who were in the process of dying and somehow concluded that they may have been experiencing “new dimensions of reality” while passing on from this realm. (Vice)

Scientists have witnessed brain patterns in dying patients that may correlate to commonly reported “near-death” experiences (NDEs) such as lucid visions, out-of-body sensations, a review of one’s own life, and other “dimensions of reality,” reports a new study. The results offer the first comprehensive evidence that patient recollections and brain waves point to universal elements of NDEs.

During an expansive multi-year study led by Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor and an associate professor in the department of medicine at NYU Langone Health, researchers observed 567 patients in 25 hospitals around the world as they underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after suffering heart attacks, most of which were fatal.

The EEG scans of more than 500 patients who had suffered cardiac arrest were studied. Sadly, most of them were unable to be revived. But 53 patients were returned to life and consciousness. Of those, nearly a dozen reported memories of a “sense” of awareness while they were dead and six reported an NDE. But if the person has expired and their brain functions have essentially ceased, how are they storing any memories, to say nothing of experiencing something? Are we looking at medical proof of an afterlife?

The few scientists who have addressed these questions previously have typically attributed these memories to random synaptic firings in the brain as it’s in the process of dying. But these results seem to suggest something more may be going on. And there have been more people working on this subject than you might imagine. In 2017, journalist Leslie Kean published her book, “Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife.” It’s full of stories of survivors and the medical professionals who have treated them, raising all sorts of questions.

But how far can the envelope be pushed in terms of a journey “to the other side” from which you might be able to return? It turns out it can be more lengthy than I would have guessed. One American woman was dead for 17 hours in 2008 and then came back to life. Velma Thomas suffered cardiac arrest and then died in the hospital after her heart stopped multiple times. Doctors attempted to revive her and kept her body chilled for 17 hours while detecting no brain activity. They finally gave up and disconnected her from all of their medical equipment and were preparing to harvest her organs, but a few minutes later, Thomas woke up.

I haven’t seen any record of Velma Thomas relating any memories from that 17-hour period, so perhaps it doesn’t happen to everyone. Or maybe some have the experiences but are unable to recall them. But the fact that someone could flatline for that many hours and simply wake up certainly widens the window of possibilities as to what could be going on.

You can check out the linked article for more details on this research. It’s really fascinating. And here is a short news report on Velma Thomas, including some snippets of interviews with her and her son.