The Science of NDEs
| Date: | 06-02-04 |
| Host: | George Noory |
| Guests: | Dr. Melvin Morse |
Pediatrician and neuroscientist, Dr. Melvin Morse(1), shared his insights from years of working with both adults and children who have had near-death experiences (NDEs). These experiences are not hallucinations and exist in real time, he said, citing the research(2) that James Whinnery did with fighter pilots who reported spontaneous NDEs when subjected to extreme gravitational forces. Further, Morse contends that 20% of the brain (the right temporal lobe)is dedicated to processing "non-local" phenomena such as NDEs, and this offers a neurological explanation of "seeing God."
Children who have NDEs have less "cultural overlay," and tend to recount their experience without using religious terminology. "I saw the sun and it had a happy face for me," Morse quoted one 3-year-old's description of his near-death experience. The common denominator in almost all NDEs was being "bathed in an energetic pattern of love," which leads Morse to conclude that we have nothing to fear from death. In fact, he advocates for the curtailing of extraordinary medical procedures to postpone death in the case of terminally ill patients.
"Death shouldn't be a taboo topic," Morse continued. He believes that the science that is emerging from the study of NDEs may have an impact on religion. Interestingly, he noted that some people who have had NDEs have problems with watches and credit card magnetic stripes, suggesting that changes occurred in the bioelectric field around their bodies.
1. http://www.melvinmorse.com
2. http://www.nidsci.org/articles/whinnery/whinnery_consciousness.html
Related Articles
Primal Scream
Astronomer Mark Whittle has turned radiation data of the early universe into a short sound file(1).The clip condenses the first million years of the cosmos into about 5 seconds, reports Leonard David in an article (2) for Space.com.
The resulting roar has a dynamic, jet-like sound."I was relieved...I didn't want the universe to be some wimpy, quiet thing. But I didn't want it to be inhumanly, fatally loud. And it isn't. It's just loud...and that's great," Whittle explained.
1. http://www.space.com/media/mp3/universe.m3u
2. http://space.com/scienceastronomy/big_bang_sound_040601.html
Bumper Music
Bumper music from Wednesday June 02, 2004
- All Night Long
Lionel Richie
- Evil Woman
Electric Light Orchestra
- Fields of Gold
Sting
- Games Without Frontiers
Peter Gabriel
- Give Me The Night
George Benson
- Heaven
Psychedelic Furs
- Heaven
DJ Sammy
- Heaven
Bryan Adams
- I Am I Said
Neil Diamond
- I.G.Y.
Donald Fagen
- Inca Dance
Cusco
- Midnight Express (The Chase)
Giorgio Moroder
- Midnight Express (The Chase)
Giorgio Moroder
- Porcelain
Moby
- Someone to Watch Over Me
Frank Sinatra
- Someone To Watch Over Me
Willie Nelson
- Soul to Squeeze
Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Take Me to the River
Talking Heads
- Take the Long Way Home
Supertramp
- These Dreams
Heart
