Near Death Experience: psychology or philosophy?

A 30 year postgraduate, Hindu, married woman with a 5 month old baby was brought to emergency in Glasgow. She was operated for acute subdural hematoma of left side. During this period of unconsciousness she described that she was in a brilliant light in which she floated. She then went to 'heaven' where there were a pantheon of Gods with 'hierarchy' There was the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva but even they were in hierarchy 'junior' to 'Om' She has slowly forgotten most of her description but her belief has persisted.

A 4 -year -old male, child was brought in hypotensive shock to emergency secondary to gastroenteritis and dehydration.Over a period of around one week his sensorium improved.After extubation he started describing his experience of being in silvery white clouds with 'time dilatation' or expansion i.e. he felt he was there for months although his altered sensorium was for about a week.Subsequently he forgot most of the experience.The response of family members was initially neutral and advised the child not to dwell upon it.

Pam Reynolds Lowery, from Atlanta, Georgia, was an American singer-songwriter. In 1991, at the age of 35, she stated that she had a near-death experience during a brain operation performed by Robert F. Spetzler at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona

Clinical death is preceded by insufficient blood supply to the brain because of inadequate blood circulation, breathing, or both. OBE in which a person experiences the world from outside the physical body may include moving through a tunnel, communication with light, observation of celestial landscape, meeting with deceased persons, life review and presence of border.

NDE survivors have reported viewing resuscitation efforts from outside, meeting a 'being of light' who helped them evaluate their lives and finally deciding to return to life rather than go into the bliss of death.They have also reported seeing visions of Christ and Yama (the God of death in Hindu Pantheon) NDE has been reported by 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors.Survivors of NDE have reportedly heard conversations and observed actions of people around them during the time of their comatose state.

Theories of NDE include spiritual theories which presume that consciousness has an independent existence with a belief in after life. Blackmore described that sometimes mind can acquire a mental model of reality assumed upon imagery and memory instead of sensory impressions. A mental state that may be intrinsically quite different from a veridical perception might come to be mistaken for so, and hence gets the status of a hallucination. However, 'mathematical models' of 'parallel universe' in quantum physics mimic 'experiences' of these patients

Researchers in India have reported 16 cases of near-death experiences in north, and 13 in south with some features appearing culture bound. Many patients appear to be permanently changed by an NDE which cannot be ignored. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss the immense amount of similar literature in Hindu scriptures, like Mahabharat or the Upanishads.

Larger research may make it easier to communicate about personal recollections during this important period. The explanation could range from psychological to neurophysiological mechanisms, with the cultural background or ethos and age groups such as children . Whether they are just hallucinations or proof of an afterlife will be debated until more information becomes available.