Researchers Attempting To Understand Near Death Experiences

As the spiritual perspectives of people evolve, Near Death Experiences, or NDEs, are an ever-growing topic. In fact, it's become a mainstream idea. Many scholars and research subjects have been working to bring about a better understanding of the phenomenon. Some say near death experiences are a portal into a realm many don’t yet understand. Jan Holden, a professor and professional counselor at the University of Texas also is the president of The International Association for Near Death Experiences and describes NDEs as “out-of-body experiences and equal opportunity transpersonal experiences.” “The person typically feels themself outside of their body watching the area surrounding their physical body," he explains.. Holden says these experiences can be both pleasurable and unpleasant experiences. Some doctors say the research is compelling and “seeing is believing.” Dr. Ron Anderson, CEO of Parkland Hospital, says he has been face-to-face with the phenomenon. "I've seen people who have undergone NDEs a number of times at Parkland and come back and it's profoundly changed their lives.” There is plenty of research on the subject; some reports show 30 percent of people who go into cardiac arrest come back and report a near death experience. Dr. Holden says researchers have arrived at these numbers is by doing as close to controlled studies as possible: by going into a hospital and setting up for months on end. After a patient “codes,” or goes into cardiac arrest, they are interviewed. There have been more than 2,000 such cases documented around the world.