As an afterlife experience
Many commentators see near death experiences as an afterlife experience, and some accounts
include elements that, according to some theorists, are most simply explained by an out-of-body consciousness. For example, in one account, a woman accurately described a surgical instrument she had not seen previously, as well as a conversation that occurred while she was understood to be clinically dead (Sabom, 1998). In another account, from a proactive Dutch NDE study <1>, a nurse removed the dentures of an unconscious heart attack victim, and was asked by him after his recovery to return them (van Lommel et.al, 2001).However, researchers have been unsuccessful in running proactive
experiments to establish out-of-body consciousness. There have been numerous experiments in which a random message was placed in a hospital in a manner that it would be invisible to patients or staff yet visible to a floating being, but so far, according to Blackmore (1991), these experiments have only provided equivocal results and no clear signs of ESP.Regardless of the origin of the phenomenon, the subjective experience of NDEs is well-documented by the field of Near-Death Studies, and follows certain patterns:It is generally accepted that some people who reported NDEs were shown to have approached the clinical boundary between life and death. However, it is not shown that the experiences themselves took place in any time other than just before the clinical death, or in the process of being revived. In altered states of consciousness such as this and during dream states or under the influence of drugs, the subjective perception of time is often dilated. Those who report NDEs typically respond by a major change of life perspective and direction, generally away from self-orientation toward outward orientation, or what they call a more loving life. Greyson (2003) notes that Near-death experiences are associated with enhanced purpose in life, appreciation of life and with reduced fear of death, but also with adverse effects, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms. Many former atheists have adopted a more spiritual view of life after NDEs, for example Howard Storm (Rodrigues, 2004) <2> and George Rodonaia. Howard Storm's NDE might be characterized as a distressing near-death experience. The distressing aspects of some NDE's are discussed more closely by Greyson & Bush (1992). Many people who experience an NDE tend to see it as a verification of the existence of an afterlife (Kelly, 2001). Core NDE
experiencers, in particular, tend to be convinced of the reality of the experience as an intimation of the afterlife. This includes those with agnostic/atheist inclinations before the experience. Few experiencers tend to view the NDE as a brain hallucination. The tendency to explain the experience in terms of a materialistic model is usually offered by non-experiencers <3>.