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A doctor who specialises in Radiation Oncology claims to have proven without a doubt that there is an afterlife after having studied more than 5 000 near-death experiences (NDE’s).

Dr. Jeffrey Long, who founded the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation, has now published an essay in which lays down his evidence for his claim.

After becoming fascinated with the NDE phenomena during his medical residency, Long has dedicated much of his professional career to studying the various cases that most people just write off as a ‘trick of the brain’ or ‘dreaming’, and has catalogued stories from those who have reported NDE’s which he then scientifically analyses.

NDE’s is defined as “someone who is either comatose or clinically dead, without a heartbeat, having a lucid experience where they see, hear, feel emotions, and interact with other beings.” Sounds a lot like a sitting of parliament.

Long’s research has looked into consistent patterns that emerge among the 45% of people who have claimed to experience NDE’s. People claim “their consciousness separates from their physical body, usually hovering above,” allowing them to see and hear what happens around them.

Many of these patients accounts have been verified by those in attendance at the time of ‘death’.

“I think the evidence overwhelmingly points to the physical body not being all that we are.”

He mentions the case of a woman who lost consciousness while riding a horse on a trail — “her consciousness traveled with her horse as he galloped back to the barn.” She was later “able to describe exactly what happened at the barn” even though her body wasn’t physically there.

Others say they’re transported into another realm, with many claiming to have passed through a tunnel, see a bright light, or be greeted by  deceased loved ones. There are also the usual reports of watching their life “flashing before their eyes.”

Long is the first to admit that many of these stories have become cliché, but he points to children’s accounts that could not have been influenced by stories in the media.

He does however admit that there is no ‘scientific explanation’ as yet, but says that “I’ve read brain research and considered every possible explanation for NDEs. The bottom line is that none of them hold water.”

“There seems to be something that is able to continue after the body dies. I don’t know what to make of it.”

Dr Long is not alone in his belief of NDE’s. Dr. Bruce Greyson, professor emeritus of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia, also became intrigued by the phenomena after experiencing a NDE himself.

His own research has found the same similarities that Long mentioned, including that 10-20% of people who come close to death report NDE’s — about 5% of the population at large.

There are numerous social media sites that also deal with this topic if it’s of interest to you, though many of them focus more on the ‘spirituality’ aspects – as in ‘buy this book to learn how your chakras affect your next life’. It’s a field filled with charlatans, mystics and unhealthy doses of bulls***.

These sites, books, blogs and twitter feeds are probably why most research into NDE’s are taken with a grain of Himalayan rock salt.

As with most claims of ‘proof’, the two doctors don’t really offer much in the way of ‘actual proof’, rather relying on anecdotal evidence. This does not mean that humanity is not fascinated with the idea of life after death. It is the one part of our experience that we simply have no clue about.

Maybe we should stop probing the issue and leave the afterlife as the last adventure for humanity. After all, what if there really is nothing beyond the grave? Or worse still, do you want to meet your parents and grandparents waiting on the other side for an explanation as to what you’ve been up to?

[source:nypost]