The concept of near-death experiences (NDEs) has long fascinated scientists and the general public alike. One Israeli psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Shahar RZ, who was supported by the Immortality Project, explored the idea of the "life review" aspect of NDEs. He interviewed numerous patients and found that many experienced profound positive transformations after recognizing how they had mistreated others in their lives. However, it is also acknowledged that negative experiences occur during NDEs, which may be understudied because they are underreported.
One question that researchers have sought to answer is when NDEs occur. While it is assumed that the experience occurs when the brain is offline, it is not yet entirely clear when this experience takes place. For example, while dreams occur just as one wakes up, it may seem like they are based on events that occurred a long time ago. It is possible that NDEs could work in a similar way. However, it is challenging to pinpoint when NDEs occur because most people who have them are not connected to monitoring devices at the time.
Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, some people argue that NDEs provide proof of the existence of a spiritual realm. However, this assertion is not backed by empirical data. Researchers would need to identify an area of the brain that lights up when someone is having a dream and compare it to the areas that light up when someone is experiencing an NDE. However, this would be challenging to accomplish, given that it is difficult to hook up individuals to monitoring devices while experiencing NDEs.
While NDEs are an area of ongoing research, researchers have yet to fully understand them. However, as our understanding of the brain and consciousness continues to evolve, we may gain further insight into this fascinating phenomenon.
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