Journal of Near-Death Studies, Volume 15, Number 1, Fall 1996

"Children who brush death, nearly die, or who are pronounced clinically dead but later revive have a much higher incidence of near-death experiences (NDEs) than do adults. Although excellent research now exists on children's cases, there have been discrepancies. I suggest that we need to broaden the range of observations on children's NDEs and reconsider what is known about children and the near-death phenomenon" (abstract).

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Guest Editorial: Children and the Near-Death Phenomenon: Another Viewpoint, ark:/67531/metadc1051988

This paper proposes that "based upon very repeatable computer simulations of dying neural networks, the phenomena of both near-death experiences (NDEs) and a virtual afterlife are plausible and can be expected to occur in traumatized neurobiological systems" (abstract). The author then speculates three societal implications based on this conclusion.

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The Death Dream and Near-Death Darwinism, ark:/67531/metadc1051964

Abstract: I pose four questions for the "dying brain hypothesis" as propounded by Susan Blackmore in her book Dying to Live (1993). The first calls into question Blackmore's reductionist explanation of the "bird's-eye view" for a near-death experience (NDE) and asks why out-of-body perception from a supine position is not reported, given her theory. The second inquires as to how the materialist view explains NDErs' feelings of unconditional love, while the third ponders whether the variance among NDEs noted by Blackmore is not more consistent with the "afterlife hypothesis" than with the "dying brain hypothesis." The final question queries whether neural disinhibition, described by Blackmore, might be a possible release mechanism for an NDE. I suggest that these four questions pose a challenge to the "dying brain hypothesis."

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Questions for the "Dying Brain Hyphothesis", ark:/67531/metadc1051987

"Comatose subjects experience pleasant unaroused affects such as tranquility, serenity, peacefulness, and relaxation, more frequently and more intensely than they experience aroused feelings or differentiated emotions. I suggest that consciousness is not disconnected by coma, but rather is potentiated following complete blockage of the brain's information channels" (abstract).

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Hedonic Deactivation: A New Human Value for an Advanced Society, ark:/67531/metadc1051985

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies about P.M.H. Atwater devoting "an entire chapter of her book to the physiological aftereffects of near-death experiences (NDEs)" (abstract). This letter discusses healers that use lay-on-hands, as well as fraudulent healers, and how healers might be explained through science.

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Letter to the Editor: Measuring Biomagnetic Effects of NDEs, ark:/67531/metadc1052007

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies where Richard Abanes expresses his disappointment in Mary S. Edwards' review of Raising the Dead by Robert Selzer. Abanes believes the population, as well as researchers, need to be more skeptical about near-death experiences.

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Letter to the Editor: Review of Raising the Dead, ark:/67531/metadc1051974

This article speculates that anesthetics can influence the kind of NDE that someone has, and cause a potentially life-long negative view about life after the NDE occurs.

A Note on Anesthetically-Induced Frightening "Near-Death Experiences" - ark:/67531/metadc1052010