My partner, Deborah had an out-of body experience as a student in college. In her case, she woke up in her own bed, in the middle of the
night with a stranger on top of her trying to strangle her. What happens next
she describes as a scream so powerful it emanated from her mouth as a filament
of light that went straight up to the ceiling of the room. That light contained
the essence of her consciousness. From the ceiling of her bedroom, she watched
the attack on her physical being with a sense of peace and detachment that
would not have been possible had she remained present in her besieged body.
Deborah was not murdered and returned to
her body at a point when she was able to
communicate with and escape her attacker. In true instances of near-death experience, when the body is
badly wounded or killed, some essence is perceived to proceed onward to a dimension most describe as one of boundless peace and connectedness.
Now I tend to believe that religion is not only the opiate of the people but the scourge of humankind. Still, I try keep an open
mind especially when it comes to science, biology and physics. I don’t pretend to
comprehend of the universe, but since all these people worldwide have had oddly
similar experiences, that there might be something to this that science does
not yet understand.
In the surgical profession, there have been numerous reports
of people who have flat-lined on the operating table yet were able to recall conversations,
music and exactly what transpired during the period when they were technically
dead.
I have to admit a large part of the reason I remain open to
the existence of other dimensions is the fact that I did a lot of
hallucinogenic drugs as a young person. While tripping on various psychedelics,
I witnessed the universe broken down to a molecular level where mathematical
pattern and incredible geometric design prevailed.
In that vein, I just read an article, Five Amazing Things ScientistsHave Discovered About Psychedelics , posted a few days ago on
Alternet. This piece notes that besides helping the dying let go of their fear
of death, psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin actually suppress certain parts
of our brains. It is this more limited capacity that opens up our brains to new
information, not the other way around. It’s as though the filter breaks causing
incredible hallucinogenic sensations to rush in.
Possibly, this is the state that autistic people and, assuredly cats, inhabit their entire lives.
The filter ruptures, the world rushes in. The mind continues without the
body. The universe breaks down into connection and light.
It all sounds remarkably similar to brain scientist Jill
Bolte Taylor’s electrifying Ted Talk, “My Stroke of Insight,” in which she
recreates her amazing sensory journey, conveying the intensity, beauty and
transcendent serenity she experienced when a stroke shut down her brain
functions one by one.
No one really knows happens when we die. A dying brain could
produce many experiences, but can a dead one? These questions
remain unanswered. By the time we are sure, it seems we are no longer able to
pass on this information. We know only that the trajectory leading out of this life is one
that each of us must follow. Rest assured, if I get there before you, and I can, I will send you a sign!
