[Pauldo]

NEWTON, Massachusetts (CNN) — For Laura Geraghty, April 1, 2009, started out just as any other day. It was sunny but cool, she remembers.

The mother of two, also a grandmother, was at her job, driving a school bus for the Newton Public School District in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.

Her passengers, special-needs children, were wheelchair-bound.

Seemingly in good health and in good spirits, Geraghty was finishing up her late-morning run, transporting a student and teacher back to Newton South High School, when she realized she was in trouble.

As she was pulling into the school parking lot, she began having sharp stomach pains. She was able to park her bus, but she kept feeling worse.

The pain “went right up my arm and into my chest, and I said, 'Uh-oh, I'm having a heart attack,' ” she said.

The teacher ran from the bus to get help. Newton South's nurse, Gail Kramer, and CPR instructor Michelle Coppola arrived moments later with the school's new automated external defibrillator.

Geraghty, barely conscious, was fading fast. She was weak and having trouble breathing. And then she went into full cardiac arrest.

“Her eyes were wide, and all of a sudden she stopped talking to us,” Coppola said. “I grabbed the two pads, stuck them on her, started it up, and I'd say within 20 seconds, she had her first shock.”

Coppola and Kramer performed CPR while they waited for paramedics. Video See an expert give a quick lesson in CPR »

At that point, Geraghty says, her body died. She remembers watching the scene unfold — as if from above.

“I floated right out of my body. My body was here, and I just floated away. I looked back at it once, and it was there.”

Geraghty says she saw deceased loved ones, her mother and her ex-husband.

“It was very peaceful and light and beautiful. And I remember like, when you see someone you haven't seen in a while, you want to hug them, and I remember trying to reach out to my ex-husband, and he would not take my hand. And then they floated away.”

Next, she says, she was overwhelmed by “massive energy, powerful, very powerful energy.”

“When that was happening, there were pictures of my son and my daughter and my granddaughter, and every second, their pictures flashed in my mind, and then I came back.”

What Geraghty had was a near-death experience, fairly common in people who go into sudden cardiac arrest.

Geraghty was down for 57 minutes. No blood pressure, no pulse, no oxygen, no blood flow. She was shocked 21 times before she finally came back with tales of the afterlife.

According to the Near Death Experience Research Foundation, nearly 800 near-death experiences happen every day in the United States.

Dr. Kevin Nelson, a neurologist in Louisville, Kentucky, studies near-death experiences and says they're not imagined. The explanation, he says, lies in the brain itself.

“These are real experiences. And they're experiences that happen at a time of medical crisis and danger,” Nelson said.

Humans have a lot of reflexes that help keep us alive, part of the “fight or flight” response that arises when we're confronted with danger.

Nelson thinks that near-death experiences are part of the dream mechanism and that the person having the experience is in a REM, or “rapid eye movement,” state.

“Part of our 'fight or flight' reflexes to keep us alive includes the switch into the REM state of consciousness,” he said.

During REM sleep, there is increased brain activity and visual stimulation. Intense dreaming occurs as a result.

And the bright light so many people claim to see?

“The activation of the visual system caused by REM is causing the bright lights,” Nelson said.

And the tunnel people speak of, he says, is lack of blood flow to the eye. “The eye, the retina of the eye, is one of the most exquisitely sensitive tissues to a loss of blood flow. So when blood flow does not reach the eye, vision fails, and darkness ensues from the periphery to the center. And that is very likely causing the tunnel effect.”

Nelson is doing studies now to prove that the same effect results from fainting.

“The most common cause of near-death experience in my research group is fainting. Upwards of 100 million Americans have fainted. That means probably tens of millions of Americans have had these unusual experiences.”

But Geraghty says this was no dream. “I know I went someplace else. I know I went someplace else other then here.”

Dr. Bill O'Callahan, the emergency room doctor who shocked her back to life, agrees. “Cynics out there would say and agnostics would say that's phenomenon that comes from a dying brain. I think that's hogwash. I firmly believe that people experience these events.” Cheating Death: Back from the dead

Bob Schriever, co-founder of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, was refereeing a high school football game seven years ago when he went into cardiac arrest, died and was revived.

He, too, questions the dream explanation. “Why are so many people dreaming the same thing? How can so many people, and there's hundreds of thousands of people who have experienced this, how can we all be dreaming the same thing and describe the exact same thing?”  (Maybe because all humans are pretty much built and work the same way? -Pauldo says)

Schriever says these experiences are so profound that only someone who has gone through them can truly understand.

Seven years later, he is still consumed with his own near-death experience.

“I think about that every morning when I wake up, first thing, during the day, I don't know how many times and every night before I fall asleep. I think about that. People do not understand or appreciate what we go through.” Scientist uses poison gas to suspend life

For Geraghty, it's a daily struggle to put the pieces back together again.

“I've been someplace that not everybody can go, and there's not a lot of people you can sit down and have that conversation with,” Geraghty said. “My own daughter tells me, 'It's freaky, Mom.' I've literally lost friends over this the minute they hear it.” Tweet your own experience and you could win a copy of “Cheating Death”

Geraghty says she became depressed once she left the hospital because her perspective on her entire life changed. She still gets depressed, she says, and is on medication.
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“I actually went to my doctor and said to her, 'I think I'm losing my mind. This can't be really happening,' you know, and she said it's OK, it's very hard to understand when you've been through an experience like that.”

Geraghty has joined the cardiac arrest group, hoping that connecting with others who understand what she's been through will allow her to come to terms with what happened to her that cool spring day six months ago. And allow her to heal and move on.

[PookztA]

cool article Pauldeezy

i read a similar one that focused on studying the Time aspect of these near-death experiences, and it concluded that time is irrelevant in that near-death state of mind…

so that even though a person may only be “dead” for a few minutes or so, to them it may feel like an eternity.

perhaps we all create our own afterlives with what we do in this world, and the brain produces a sort of after-life experience during the final moments of our physical time here…

if you ask me, this article, and similar articles, are scientific proof that there IS life-after-death, and it can be measured in brain activity 🙂

hehe, cool article, thanks for sharing

[Pauldo]

Life after death…  Well that depends on what kind of dead you're talking about Abe?  Maggots-coming-out-of-your-eye-sockets dead or just moments after your heart has stopped kind of dead?  What's the technical medical definition of dead?  There is still zero, zip, zilch, none, nadda proof of life after the maggots-kind-of-dead.

I really think it's mans ego that doesn't allow a person to accept that there is a final end to their being.  Mans grandiosity doesn't allow the possibility that their birth, life and death are pretty insignificant and small in comparison to the whole universe.  Mankind ain't that special yo'.

[Pauldo]

Actually even atheists should consider that every death constitutes two very important proven physical events:

– Release of energy from the body (the “soul” perhaps?)
– Alteration of causality (an organism has ceased active interaction with its environment through time and now is an inanimate object)

To me, these two constitute some very real possible indicators to the plausibility of some spiritual afterlife theories, just not taken as literally as atheists like to take them.

But there also is no reason to assign them any meaning other than what they are…

[PookztA]

Life after death…  Well that depends on what kind of dead you're talking about Abe?  Maggots-coming-out-of-your-eye-sockets dead or just moments after your heart has stopped kind of dead?  What's the technical medical definition of dead?  There is still zero, zip, zilch, none, nadda proof of life after the maggots-kind-of-dead.

I really think it's mans ego that doesn't allow a person to accept that there is a final end to their being.  Mans grandiosity doesn't allow the possibility that their birth, life and death are pretty insignificant and small in comparison to the whole universe.  Mankind ain't that special yo'.

actually my ego has very little, if anything, to do with it. i feel lucky enough to have consciously existed for this long…

what does make me believe in some form of “after life” or another, is not just articles similar to the one you have posted, but more significantly, due to science.

The first Law of Thermodynamics: the Law of Conservation of Energy

The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy in a closed system remains constant. A consequence of this law is that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

Regardless of whether or not I am conscious during a portion of this after-life, or all of it, the fact of the matter is, that within this Universe or Multiverse, my atoms, sub-atomic particles, and energy, will live on in some form or another, even after the 'maggot-stage' of death (as you put it).

Whether I am conscious / experiencing / feeling this after-life for 1 minute, 5 minutes, or eternity, is irrelevant… as my energy (and all of our energies) will continue to exist in some form or another. This is “after-life”, as our energies will literally survive the 'death' of our physical bodies, so whatever way you choose to define it is fine with me.

[Energon]

Actually even atheists should consider that every death constitutes two very important proven physical events:

– Release of energy from the body (the “soul” perhaps?)
– Alteration of causality (an organism has ceased active interaction with its environment through time and now is an inanimate object)

To me, these two constitute some very real possible indicators to the plausibility of some spiritual afterlife theories, just not taken as literally as atheists like to take them.

What? The release of what energy?
Show me the physical proof you're alluding to.

I don't understand how something going from animate to inanimate has any bearing on this question at all.

[Pauldo]

But we don't live in a closed system and all atoms do decay over time and all atoms in our universe will decay/die out completely.

I do think it is important to define what we mean by life after death.  Abe as a conscious person existing somewhere after his death is very different from Abe's atoms dissipating back into the universe.  Many social and political beliefs are based upon this idea of life after death.  It may be the biggest cognitive misstep in mankind's history.  Many millions have died and suffered over this idea of life after death.  It's important.   

[PookztA]

when atoms decay they release energy, they don't simply disappear. the mass an unstable radioactive isotope loses due to radioactive decay is converted into energy which is released during the decay. and yes, you are correct, there are some theories which predict that someday our Universe will be a 'dead' one, where there is no transfer of energy between systems, and all energy exists in the form of cold, life-less matter. still, this simply means that the energy will be in the form of mass, and not free-flowing / transferring between systems (e.g. all stars have run out of fuel and exist as cold accumulations of mass).

as for the after-life thing, as i said, there is obviously scientific evidence suggesting that there is at least SOME conscious life after death, which may last a very long time to the individual experiencing it, regardless of how small that period's duration appears to the scientists that are measuring it.

so, is there conscious life-after-death? yes there is, and both your article and scientific evidence agree with me. the only question is, how long does it last?

The findings of articles like the one you posted here makes me content enough with the experience of death to not fear it very much, if at all. At the very least, i am going to have a conscious after-life experience that may only last a short while. Or even better, i have may a conscious after-life experience that lasts for a very, very long time, which may seem like an eternity to me.

If the former is true, and the conscious after-life experience is very short, then i am still content with that because my energy will live on, and the point at which my conscious after-life experiences ends will simply mark the beginning of the non-conscious portion of my after-life.

In conclusion, I find the fact that there is a very high probability of a conscious after-life experience to be extremely awesome and exciting…

…and in the worse case scenario, that the conscious portion of my after-life is only a short one, at least i know that I will always have the non-conscious portion of my after-life to look forward to, when all of my sub-atomic particles and energy continue existing in the Universe, giving rise to new physical molecules and perhaps even new forms of life.

Thanks for asking me to think about these things Pauldo, I really enjoyed looking deeper into this subject. Thanks for pushing me to think deeply!

Take care brother,

-Abe

[Pauldo]

I think you are twisting the article and science to fit your views instead of following the science.  That part where you are floating above your body can be called just-not-yet-dead instead of calling it an after-life.  The article calls the experience people are having “near-death” which means “not-dead”.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs 

[Energon]

so, is there conscious life-after-death?

What is the definition of consciousness?

[PookztA]

I think you are twisting the article and science to fit your views instead of following the science.  That part where you are floating above your body can be called just-not-yet-dead instead of calling it an after-life.  The article calls the experience people are having “near-death” which means “not-dead”.    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs  

Pauldo:

perhaps neither of us are twisting things…

perhaps both of us are simply interpreting these scientific findings differently…

and considering that you just claimed that the First Law of Thermodynamics is incorrect and does not apply to our Universe (you implied that radio-active decay results in the spontaneous loss of energy from the Universe, which violates the 1st Law of Thermodynamics which states that Matter / Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, E=mc^2 style), your interpretation seems to be coming from a less holistic scientific understanding of the physical Universe… still it is valid, and I accept and appreciate your interpretation, and since my interpretation is even more scientifically-based, I hope you accept and appreciate my interpretation as well.

Derek: what i mean, most often, when i say “to be Conscious” or “the Conscious portion of after-life”, is the same as saying “Self-awareness” or the “Self-aware portion of after-life”. meaning, the ability to be conscious / the ability to experience things subjectively.

sleeping is a state of being unconscious / not self-aware, for example.

[Pauldo]

No, I still think you are twisting this article to match your belief system.  You can't call something an after-life when something isn't fully dead yet.  There just isn't any logic to that.

I think we are mixing two different conversations here and you are using the facts of physics to support our discussion on whether a persons consciousness exists after someone is dead.  I think you are also twisting physics to match your beliefs.  Energy that has transformed into lifeless mass is no longer energy, it's lifeless mass.  The balance between energy and mass is still maintained(E=mc2) but lifeless mass isn't energy. Dead mass that is no longer capable of energy exchange certainly is not conscious.

Do you believe that your consciousness(ability to self-identify) continues after brain and body activity cease completely (the point at which a person is unable to be revived)? 

[rahslynn]

Wow, this was a pretty interesting article and discussion.

I erased most of my input, all I have are views based on emotion and stories I've heard, I've never actually looked into the scientific part. I don't like being told 'what is' which sounds pretty stupid. It's not that I don't like facts, I just like believing that our minds and souls are something no one will never understand. We give ourselves our own purpose based on what we believe. Our bodies are just transportation of our soul. For what? I have no clue.

That's my 2 cents, if it's worth anything. >.>

[PookztA]

No, I still think you are twisting this article to match your belief system.  You can't call something an after-life when something isn't fully dead yet.  There just isn't any logic to that.

I think we are mixing two different conversations here and you are using the facts of physics to support our discussion on whether a persons consciousness exists after someone is dead.  I think you are also twisting physics to match your beliefs.  Energy that has transformed into lifeless mass is no longer energy, it's lifeless mass.  The balance between energy and mass is still maintained(E=mc2) but lifeless mass isn't energy. Dead mass that is no longer capable of energy exchange certainly is not conscious.

Do you believe that your consciousness(ability to self-identify) continues after brain and body activity cease completely (the point at which a person is unable to be revived)?  

i have 2-3 exams every week until thanksgiving, and then finals start after thanksgiving break, so i will make this reply very brief.

1. i spoke of a conscious period of after life, and a non-conscious period of after life. regardless, they are both technically types of 'after-lives'. the non-conscious period would be the continuing existence of my molecules and energy without my conscious awareness, and still, i define this as an after-life. i never once said that consciousness is required for after-life, which is why i chose to distinguish between 2 different kinds of after-lives, a conscious and a non-conscious period

2. i believe (based on scientific facts and observations) that self-awareness / consciousness is a product of the brain, and therefore, that consciousness would not exist in a brain that has no activity. usually, once most of the physical body dies, the brain still has SOME activity for quite some time, which could very possibly give rise to the conscious portion of the after-life i have been speaking of. This may only be a few minutes of activity, but to the subject experiencing it, it may seem like eternity since time is relative to the subject perceiving it. but once brain activity is no more, i would assume that there is no longer a conscious after-life experience, and that this would mark the beginning of the non-conscious portion of our after-life, which is the continuing existence and participation of our molecules in this Universe.

3. regardless of whether or not there is a conscious after-life beyond the point that brain-activity ceases (which i do not believe there is, but I am open to the possibility that there could be), the fact that there is a non-conscious after-life in which the molecules and energy of my body will be recycled in the Universe, is still an after-life. technically, each individual sub-atomic particle and bit of energy has an after-life if you think about it… 😉

gotta keep studying Pauldeezy, i hope you are starting to understand where I am coming from… i am not twisting anything, and i am not trying to change anyone's beliefs, simply stating mine… but it seems like you may have a problem with my beliefs for some reason… i hope you see that our beliefs are extremely similar brother!

[PookztA]

Wow, this was a pretty interesting article and discussion.

I erased most of my input, all I have are views based on emotion and stories I've heard, I've never actually looked into the scientific part. I don't like being told 'what is' which sounds pretty stupid. It's not that I don't like facts, I just like believing that our minds and souls are something no one will never understand. We give ourselves our own purpose based on what we believe. Our bodies are just transportation of our soul. For what? I have no clue.

That's my 2 cents, if it's worth anything. >.>

your 2 cents are definitely worth quite a bit, rahslynn. thanks for your contribution to the discussion! few people care to dig deep and talk of their own beliefs these days 🙂 thanks for sharing yours with us!

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