Doctor Sam Parnia of the Weill Cornell Medical Centre in New York and his
colleagues at the Human Consciousness Project have announced a three-year
exploratory study on the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences. The study will
involve 25 major medical centres from across Europe, Canada and the United
States working together to study some 1500 cases of heart attack survivors.
In the phenomenon of death, which occurs when brain activity stops, 10 to 20% of
those resuscitated attest that they were “conscious” during this period of
“clinical death.” Our modern dualistic conception makes it more difficult to
understand that what we call death is a process that begins when the heart stops
and culminates in the decomposition of all cells.
If consciousness is not dependent on the brain, it is ultimately interesting to
ask the question, “What happens to human consciousness after death?” Studies on
this subject will certainly be able to push back the barriers of science by
working to undo established assumptions and perceptions that are no longer valid
and to establish new foundations for a better understanding of reality.
Ancient philosophers tell us that “Nothing dies, everything is transformed.”
From this perspective, physical death would not prevent consciousness from
continuing in other more subtle dimensions.
