"From an endless dream we have come.
In an endless dream we are living.
To an endless dream we shall return." - Kushi
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Near-Death Newsletter May 1, 2006
www.near-death.com Vol. 05, No. 05, Ed. 01
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----- A Special Edition of the Near-Death Newsletter ------
*** Near-Death Newsletter (online): http://tinyurl.com/l9k35 *** Near-Death Newsletter (PDF): http://tinyurl.com/k8sp9
*** Note: These links may not yet be active. If so, try again later.
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Table of Contents
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(1) News from P.M.H. Atwater
(2) News from IANDS
(3) Spring 2006 Journal of Near-Death Studies Available
(4) Vital Signs Newsletter (Vol. XXV) Available
(5) New Scholarly NDE Articles Published
(6) NDEs in the News
(7) The NDE-Sleep Study from the University of Kentucky
(8) What the NDE Experts Say
(9) What the Author of the Study Says
(10) What the Varying News Headlines Say
(11) What Kevin Williams Says
(12) Interesting Links Concerning the NDE-Sleep
(13) Newly Released NDE Books
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(1) News from P.M.H. Atwater
===============================================
Get the latest news from P.M.H. Atwater at her website:
http://www.cinemind.com/atwater/news.html
--- Claims of Link Between Near-Death Experiences and
Sleep Disorders: http://tinyurl.com/jxslm
--- 2006 IANDS Annual Conference - October 25-28, 2006
University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
http://tinyurl.com/k3d7f
--- Correction in Reporting of Near-Death Experiences:
http://tinyurl.com/z3ool
--- New Anthology: Forbidden Religion: http://tinyurl.com/zwukm
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(2) News from the IANDS
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Get the latest news from IANDS at: http://www.iands.org/news/
--- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Near-Death Experience"
by PMH Atwater, available from IANDS at 40% off sale price ($9.95)
http://tinyurl.com/kfxsr
--- "Expanded Version of Research Bibliography on CD-ROM"
http://tinyurl.com/z82m8
--- "IANDS Preparing Online Educational Units for Healthcare
Professionals on NDEs" http://tinyurl.com/qq74r
--- IANDS Conference: "30 Years of Near-Death Experience
Research: Integrating the Past, Anticipating the Future"
http://tinyurl.com/kmajj
--- IANDS Online Store: http://iands.org/shoppingcart/
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(3) Spring 2006 Journal of Near-Death Studies Available
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Join IANDS and begin receiving the Journal free: http://tinyurl.com/fqrou
Purchase individual Journal editions here: http://tinyurl.com/7hlec
[a] Editor's Foreword: by Bruce Greyson, M.D.
[b] "Neglected Near-Death Phenomena" by Carlos S. Alvarado, Ph.D.
Abstract: http://tinyurl.com/mpfaz
[c] "A Study of Near-Death Experiences and Coping with Stress"
by Kristin Brumm, M.N.M. - Abstract: http://tinyurl.com/meh7u
[d] "Experiences in Light of Gay and Lesbian Near-Death Experiences"
by Liz Dale, Ph.D. - Abstract: http://tinyurl.com/ru2yu
More info: http://www.near-death.com/dale.html
[e] Book Review: "The Trickster and the Paranormal," by George Hansen,
Reviewed by James McClenon, Ph.D., More info: http://tinyurl.com/lhtad
and http://www.tricksterbook.com
[f ] Book Review: "Talking with Angel: About Illness, Death, and Survival"
by Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino, Reviewed by Pim van Lommel, M.D.,
http://tinyurl.com/ojspq
[g] Letter to the Editor: "More on the Future and Scope of IANDS" -
by Diane Willis: http://chicagoiands.org/Diane_Willis
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(4) Vital Signs Newsletter (Vol. XXV) Available
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Join IANDS and receive Vital Signs free: http://www.iands.org/vital_signs/
[a] 2006 IANDS Annual Conference Details
[b] President Jan Holden's Message: "How You Can Help IANDS Generate Synergy!"
[c] "Death Before Dying ... A Love Experience" by Andy Petro
[d] New "Military and Veteran NDE Research" Fund by Diane Corcoran
[e] "The Day I Died" DVD Grant Program by Chris Lorenc
[f ] "Just Ask" and Linda Jacquin will answer at lindaj@...
[g] "Toward The Light" Weekly NDE Program on Internet Radio,
hosted by Reverend Juliet Nightingale: http://www.TowardTheLight.com
[h] Local Group News by Chuck Swedrock
[i ] IANDS Member E-News Announcements are Now Available,
If you are a member and haven't received a IANDS E-News Announcement
yet, send an email message to services@... and include your name,
phone number, email address and a request to be added. Or call the IANDS
office at (860) 882-1211.
[j ] "IANDS Digital Audio Archive Project" initiated by Chuck Swedrock
to convert IANDS Conference audio tape recordings to a digital format.
Check out the IANDS Audio Shop here: http://tinyurl.com/n3p34
===============================================
(5) New Scholarly NDE Articles Published
===============================================
Search for scholarly articles using Google Scholar search engine
http://scholar.google.com/ . For more scholarly NDE articles published
recently, visit: http://tinyurl.com/mtuds
--- "Do Prevailing Societal Models Influence Reports of Near-Death
Experiences? A Comparison of Accounts Reported Before and After 1975"
by G.K. Athappilly, Bruce Greyson, Ian Stevenson - http://tinyurl.com/hsgwt
--- "Near-Death Experience, Consciousness, and the Brain:
A New Concept about the Continuity of Our Consciousness Based
on Recent Scientific Research on Near-Death Experience in
Survivors of Cardiac Arrest" by Pim van Lommel - http://tinyurl.com/qmcn7
--- "Ervin Laszlo's Akashic Field and The Dilemmas of Modern
Consciousness Research" by Stanislav Grof - http://tinyurl.com/nqzbc
--- "Geomagnetic Field Effects in Anomalous Dreams and the
Akashic Field" by Stanley Krippner - http://tinyurl.com/r24vq
--- "All of The Myriad Worlds: Life in the Akashic Plenum"
by Allan Combs, Tony Arcari, Stanley Krippner - http://tinyurl.com/ovs43
--- A review of the documentary "Elisabeth Kubler-Ross: Facing Death"
by Karen Flood - http://tinyurl.com/q2ant . Visit the "Facing Death"
home page: http://tinyurl.com/hqcfk
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(6) NDEs in the News
===============================================
Visit the Archive of NDEs in the News: http://neardeath.home.comcast.net/
I hope to update the archive very soon. I promise!
--- "Ohio Preacher Writes Book About Out-of-Body Experience at
Hospital" (Steve Sjogren's NDE) - http://tinyurl.com/rocde
--- "Psychotherapist to Present Clinical Research of How Close
Encounters lead to Spiritual Enlightenment" by Dr. Janet Colli
http://tinyurl.com/ohjvv
--- "My Car Was Totaled" (Teri Rose's NDE) - http://tinyurl.com/rdeaq
--- "Near-Death Enlightenment" (Dan Rhema's NDE)
http://tinyurl.com/rdjvw
--- "Escovedo is Back from the Dead" (Alejandro Escovedo's NDE)
http://tinyurl.com/rs6dg
--- "Premonition Leads Father and Son to Man After Crash"
http://tinyurl.com/qa4c6
--- "United Flight 93 Hero Had Premonitions of His Death"
http://tinyurl.com/mlpg6
===============================================
(7) The NDE-Sleep Study from the University of Kentucky
===============================================
While putting together this newsletter, I came across most of the
news articles concerning the recent study by Dr. Nelson which
shows a correspondence between NDEs and a particular sleep
disorder called "REM intrusion". The following is brief analysis
of the study:
--- The official documentation of Dr. Nelson's study:
"Does The Arousal System Contribute to Near Death Experience?"
by Kevin R. Nelson, Michelle Mattingly, Sherman Lee, Frederick Schmitt
http://tinyurl.com/jrwrh
--- A Teaching Brief of the study by MedPageToday.com:
http://tinyurl.com/roke7
--- An excellent, easy to understand, plain English explanation of the study:
"Study Explores Long Term Effects of Near-Death Experiences"
http://tinyurl.com/g5nsz . Here are some excerpts from this article:
"The study found that people with near death experiences
are likely to have less of a boundary between their sleeping and
wakeful states, and experienced what the study calls "Rapid Eye
Movement (REM) intrusion" states while the person was awake.
Of the people with near death experiences, 60 per cent reported
having these REM intrusion states, compared to 24 per cent of
people who had not had near death experiences."
"These results could be explained in two ways. Either the near-death
experience was a result of a person's consciousness really leaving
their body, sometimes resulting in a permanent looser coupling
between the consciousness and the body, making them more prone
to having the REM intrusion states. Or, people who are predisposed
to REM intrusion states in the first place may be more susceptible
to "illusory" near-death or out-of-body experiences, which are actually
a REM intrusion itself.
"In these states rapid eye movement could be caused by the body's
response to what the consciousness is actually experiencing. However,
study author Kevin R. Nelson, MD, of the University of Kentucky in
Lexington believes it is the other way around."
"People who have near death experiences may have an arousal system
that predisposes them to REM intrusion," he said. Dr Nelson says that
the feeling of being surrounded by light could be based on the visual
activity that occurs during the REM state."
"So which came first, the REM intrusion or the near-death? The answer
so far is uncertain, but further study on whether people with a near-death
experience were already susceptible to the REM intrusion states
before their near-death experience could give some clues."
===============================================
(8) What the NDE Experts Say
===============================================
--- RAYMOND MOODY (http://www.lifeafterlife.com/):
"Moody, who has seen the UK report, says he welcomes any study
that sheds new light on near-death experiences, the term he coined.
But he said he doubts that any scientific explanation will sway those
who passionately believe that these experiences prove life doesn't
end at death. Moody noted that great thinkers have pondered the
question for thousands of years, including the Greek philosophers,
who wrote about near-death experiences. But no answer has been
found, he said. 'The real question of the afterlife is not even something
that can be addressed by science,' Moody said. 'We're into an area
here that is infinitely complex.'" - http://tinyurl.com/l4khs
--- JEFFREY LONG (http://www.nderf.org/):
"Dr. Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist in Seattle, said he is a strong
believer in the spirituality of near-death experiences. Long works with
the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation, an Internet-based
group that provided subjects for the UK study. Long called the research
results 'fascinating' and said he agrees that there is a correlation
between REM intrusion and near-death experiences. He said the
findings are more convincing to him than previous studies linking
near-death experiences to physical factors such as decreased oxygen.
But he said these sorts of explanations don't tell the whole story. 'I have
come to believe there's more going on than simply biology,' Long said.
'There's a lot more research that needs to be done.'" - http://tinyurl.com/kl6ud
--- P.M.H. ATWATER (http://www.cinemind.com/atwater/):
"Dateline April 10, 2006, ABC News carried an article headlined
'Neuroscientist Finds Possible Explanation of Near-Death Experiences -
Mysterious Phenomenon May Be Related to Sleep Disorder.' Dr. Kevin
Nelson of the University of Kentucky is the author of this study. An official
reply to this will be coming from Jeffrey Long, M.D. Until then, please
know this. The questions asked of participants were extremely ambiguous,
so much so as to miss the point of the study. The control group consisted
of friends and colleagues of Nelson - not the type of people representative
of the public at large. And, it was ABC News who claimed Dr. Nelson's
study "explained" near-death experiences. Dr. Nelson made no such claim
in his paper. Because changes in sleep patterning and dream states occur
with the majority of experiencers after their episode, and are part of the
acknowledged aftereffects of the near-death phenomenon, this study by
Dr. Nelson of possible sleep disorders as causal to near-death states
is invalid. In order for Dr. Nelson's study to be applicable, he would have
to have conducted before-and-after investigations to establish a proper
baseline to even know what he is dealing with. To use the conclusions
he offered or even suggest effect before cause violates scientific
protocol. The sensationalism caused by this study is entirely the result
of ABC News and their failure to properly investigate the report as
submitted to them. Apparently their staff was more interested in making
headlines than in reporting news." - http://tinyurl.com/jxslm
--- BRUCE GREYSON (http://tinyurl.com/s2v5o):
"University of Virginia professor of psychiatry Bruce Greyson, MD,
has studied near-death experience for many years . He remains
convinced that there is more to the events than medical science can
explain. "People who have had this experience do seem to be changed
in very profound ways," he tells WebMD. "That is the most consistent
thing that we hear, even more consistent than the phenomenon itself is
the aftereffect of feeling changed.'" - http://tinyurl.com/nzddn
--- ANDREW NEWBERG (http://www.andrewnewberg.com/):
"It is not clear - nor do the authors specifically claim - that NDEs
are caused by the same mechanisms associated with REM sleep,"
said Andrew Newberg, M.D., associate professor of radiology and
psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. "That there is an
association is interesting - although even though it is statistically
greater in NDErs than in controls, the relationship only occurs in
about half of people who have had NDEs," he told TechNewsWorld ...
The researchers want to understand what creates near-death
experiences - the "how" rather than the "why." "This type of study,
while interesting, does not write off such experiences as purely
neurological, nor does it suggest that such experiences are real,"
explained Newberg. - http://tinyurl.com/lvh6f
===============================================
(9) What the Author of the Study Says
===============================================
The following are some of the more interesting insights into the
study by Dr. Kevin Nelson that I have found:
--- "Dr. Nelson and colleagues cautioned that the study was retrospective
and based on questionnaires, but it presents what he called a 'testable
hypothesis' that could be examined in a range of clinical circumstances."
http://tinyurl.com/roke7
--- "Nelson acknowledges that the UK study has weaknesses - it is
based on retrospective data, self-reported from volunteer subjects.
But he contends it fits well with what is already known about near-death
experiences. 'There's a lot of emotional charge about these experiences,
because they're intensely meaningful for people,' he said. 'Do they
prove there is an afterlife? That's not a question our work is concerned
with. We've been very careful not to go any further than the data will take us.'"
http://tinyurl.com/l4khs
--- "We're not saying that REM intrusion explains everything," Nelson
said. "We know there's a confluence of factors. But this actually is the
first testable hypothesis for the basis of near-death experiences, and
that's really where it's important." - http://tinyurl.com/f3yjk
--- "Other evidence supports a role for REM intrusion in near-death
experiences, he says. One important fact, Nelson notes, is that stimulation
of the vagus nerve, which connects the brain stem to the heart, lungs and
intestines, triggers REM intrusion. And heightened activity in this nerve
is sure to be part of the body's 'fight-or-flight' response to danger. Still,
Nelson says he doesn't think REM intrusion will turn out to be the 'whole
explanation' for near-death experience, and the findings shouldn't detract
from the meaning people have taken from their experiences. 'My work
is spiritually neutral,' Nelson says, noting the research can only look at
how the brain contributes to near-death experience, and not why the
phenomenon occurs. 'The WHY can't be addressed by scientific inquiry,'
he says." - http://tinyurl.com/fabac
--- "Dr. Nelson affirms that NDEs appear not to be dreams, however.
'Most dreaming occurs in REM sleep and despite the possible contribution
to NDE by REM-intrusion, NDE and dreams fundamentally differ,' Nelson
explains. 'Near-death experiences are recalled with an intense sense
of realness that contrasts sharply to dreams. Furthermore, NDEs lack
the bizarre characteristics of dreams.' The new study does not answer
the question of whether near-death experiences have a biological rather
than paranormal basis, Nelson told LiveScience, but he plans further
research in an effort to settle that issue. For now, there are hints that
biology and the paranormal might converge. Our emotions are controlled
by the brain's limbic system, which is strongly active during REM sleep.
'REM-state intrusion provides a mechanism for robust activation of
the limbic system, which is expected to underlie many of the paranormal,
transcendental and emotional aspects of NDE,' Nelson said."
http://tinyurl.com/fahvj
===============================================
(10) What the Varying News Headlines Say
===============================================
For the sake of brevity, I have not included the web address of these
articles. To read the full articles, you can just Google the headlines.
--- Examples of accurate headlines:
"People With Near Death Experiences Can Differ In Sleep-Wake Control"
"Near-Death Experiences Linked to Sleep Oddities"
"Near-Death Experience: Link to Sleep?"
"Near to Death and on the Border of Dreaming"
--- Examples of misleading headlines:
"Research Suggests a Neurological Phenomenon"
"Near Death Has Biological Basis"
"Near-Death Enlightenment: Sleep-Wake Systems are Connected to Experiences"
"Near-Death Experience or Sleep Phenomenon?"
"Are Near-Death Experiences a Dream?"
"Is It Simply a Dream?"
--- Examples of erroneous headlines:
"Biological Origin For Near-Death Experience"
"Whole Explanation For Near-Death Experience"
"Near-Death Experiences Explained"
"Study Explains Near-Death Sensation"
"US Team Explains Near Death Experiences"
"Heavenly Near-Death Episodes Get Down-to-Earth Explanation"
"Near-Death Experiences Confuse the Brain"
"Near-Death Experience Just a Mix-Up"
"Mix-up Behind Near-Death Sensation"
"A Near-Death Experience? No, You Were Just Dreaming"
"Near-Death Experience? You're Dreaming"
--- Examples of humorous headlines:
"Pinch Me, I'm Having a Near-Death Moment"
"Near-Death Experience: Find Out if You're a Candidate"
"Light at End of the Tunnel Over Near Death Experiences"
"Death's White Light: Is THIS the Cause?"
--- Examples of headlines that have a disclaimer in them:
"Does the Arousal System Contribute to Near Death Experience?"
"Neuroscientist Finds Possible Explanation of Near-Death Experiences"
"Research Into Sleep Offers Explanation for Near-Death Experiences"
"Near-Death Episodes May Be Physiological"
"Near-Death Experience May Be a Sleep Problem"
"Out-of-Body Spiritual Experience May Be Sleep Irregularity"
"Brain Mix-Up May Play Part in Near-Death Experiences"
"Sleep Aberration May Play Role in Near-Death Experience"
"Sleep-Wake Mix-Up May Lead to Near-Death Sensation"
"Sleep Cycle Might Explain Near-Death Experience"
"Sleep-Wake Blur May Explain Near-Death Visions"
"How You Wake Up Might Explain Near Death Experiences"
===============================================
(11) What Kevin Williams Says
===============================================
Here is my 2 cents worth about the study:
I believe Dr. Nelson's study is important because it leads us to
ask the following questions:
--- Given that some people are unable to recall their dreams,
what role does REM intrusion play (or not play) in this inability?
--- Given that some people have NDEs but are unable to recall
them (Rawlings, 1991, pp. 19-20), what role does REM intrusion
play (or not play) in this inability?
--- Do people who have NDEs but cannot recall them, also have
an inability to recall their dreams?
--- Is there a correlation between the ability to remember dreams
and the ability to remember NDEs? Some people report that they
re-experience their NDEs during their dreams; thus, allowing
them to remember more of it.
--- Some skeptics do not consider mental images to be "real"
at all - whatever "real" means. To them, such things as dreams,
imagination, visions, and hallucinations are nothing more than
mental "flatulence" having little or no value. Such people are probably
more likely to not even consider the reality of NDEs. The question
I want to know the answer to is this: What percentage of skeptics,
such as James Randi or Michael Shermer, have no REM intrusion
ability? Could an inability to experience REM intrusion explain
their skepticism?
To learn more about the NDE-Dream connection, visit this
web page: http://www.near-death.com/dreams.html
===============================================
(12) Interesting Links Concerning the NDE-Sleep
===============================================
--- View this online streaming video about the study:
"Near-Death Experiences Linked to Sleep" - http://tinyurl.com/fbner
--- I found the following comment from a news article to be interesting:
"What it Means: This is a so-called associational study, so it doesn't
prove a link between REM sleep and near-death experiences. As
such, it doesn't help patients make sense of their near-death
experiences either. But it does suggest that neurologists might want
to pay more attention to a part of the brain stem called the locus
ceruleus, which is involved in the regulation of REM sleep."
http://tinyurl.com/grva6
--- Here is an interesting article written in 2005 which supports the
study: "The Waking Nightmare of Sleep Paralysis Propels People
into a Spirit World" - http://tinyurl.com/eq8yj
--- Finally, here is a very funny article about the study:
"It's the End of the World as We Know It, and I Feel Fine"
http://tinyurl.com/lugbc
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(13) Newly Released NDE Books
===============================================
More NDE books and videos are available at the Near-Death
Online Store at http://tinyurl.com/bk3td
--- "They Saw Beyond Death: New Insights on Near-Death Experiences"
by Arvin S. Gibson - http://tinyurl.com/rswob
--- "Day I Died: Ten True Stories from People Who Teetered at the
Brink of Death and Then Returned to Share Their Near-Death
Experiences" by Tammy Cohen - http://tinyurl.com/mq75u
--- (Audio CD) "90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Life And Death"
by Don Piper, Cecil Murphey - http://tinyurl.com/nguh4
--- "When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary Reality"
by Stanislav Grof - http://tinyurl.com/o6npc
--- "Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos: The Rise of
the Integral Vision of Reality" by Ervin Laszlo - http://tinyurl.com/ow89h
===============================================
Copyright (c) 2006 Near-Death Experiences & the Afterlife
===============================================
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