Scientists study 'out of body experiences'

People who report seeing bright lights or tunnels as they leave their
bodies in near-death experiences are having their claims treated
seriously in a hospital study.

By Jessica Salter
Last Updated: 12:58AM BST 19 Sep 2008

Doctors in hospitals in Britain and the US will study 1,500 heart
attack patients to see if people with no heartbeat or brain activity
can have "out of body" experiences.

Some people report being able to soar out of their bodies and look
down on themselves and medical staff.

The study at 25 UK and US hospitals will include doctors placing
images on shelves that are only visible from the ceiling to test the
theory.

Dr Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor who is heading the study,
said: "If you can demonstrate that consciousness continues after the
brain switches off, it allows for the possibility that the
consciousness is a separate entity.

"It is unlikely that we will find many cases where this happens, but
we have to be open-minded.

"And if no one sees the pictures, it shows these experiences are
illusions or false memories.

"This is a mystery that we can now subject to scientific study."

Dr Parnia said that after a cardiac arrest, where the body is
technically dead, doctors restart the heart and reverse the dying
process.

He said: "What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest
provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely
to experience during the dying process."

Hospitals involved include Addenbrookes in Cambridge, University
Hospital in Birmingham and the Morriston in Swansea, as well as nine
hospitals in the US.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2980578/Scientists-study-out-
of-body-experiences.html