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Originally Posted by Greenslade
The information from your eyes can be tracked through the brain as it's being processed so at least there's something objective and measurable, but that's not the case with OBEs/NDEs.
I used to work in mental health and have known case where people have described their episodes in detail. In those cases the brain is quite capable of conjuring up all kinds of things that have no correlation with what their eyes were seeing at all.
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Your scientific approach to such matters is commendable. You are correct that "The information from your eyes can be tracked through the brain as it's being processed so at least there's something objective and measurable". I just completed a "Brain Neurobiology" online MOOC course (via
www.coursera.org) offered by the University of Chicago. It went into great detail on the visual process, the auditory process, the cognitive processes, and a lot more. The tracking measures are indeed quite impressive.
You added that "that's not the case with OBEs/NDEs". At this time, you are correct. However, there are some very interesting lectures at IONS (Institute of Noetic Sciences). The website is
www.noetic.org . Lecturers have demonstrated neuroscience activity during lucid dreams where the lucid dreamer had been previously instructed to move their eyes in a certain way when they were aware of being in a lucid dream. Having been in a 3-day "irreversible coma", I can tell you with certainty that comatose patients can hear very well what is happening in their immediate vicinity. (I actually had comatose clients in hospitals who responded in various ways while in a coma. One woman actually sat up and opened her eyes before going back into coma.) Such things could probably be measured neurologically in the future. There are some interesting experiments planned at IONS in the future and, having had an NDE/OBE myself many years ago, I would not be surprised if they were able to measure and verify perceptions during such happenings. I was very aware from afar of what was going on around my body and communication in that state (with neurological monitoring) might indeed be possible. You raise an intriguing subject.
Having a clinical psychology postgraduate social work degree/license, I can relate well to what you wrote about people reporting things "that have no correlation with what their eyes were seeing at all". This is not uncommon.
On a related note, I am wondering if you ever took this selective attention 1-minute test which demonstrates another perception principle (selective attention). I don't want to say more or that might destroy the experience if you have not already seen this. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo