Scientific Evidence

Dr. Maurice Rawlings in his book, Beyond Death's Door, tells an interesting story... He recounts how he found a nurse in a hospital, "face, tongue, and eyes were bulging and swollen. Her face had a dark, bluish tinge." An electrocardiogram was at a "standstill." She had not been breathing for some time and stayed in a coma for four days before recovering. When seeing Dr. Rawlings, she said, "Oh, I remember you working on me. You took off your plaid coat and threw it on the floor, and then you loosened your tie- it had white and brown stripes in it." He goes on to say, "At the time I took off my brown plaid coat, only she and I were in the room. And she was clinically dead."

Other experts in CPR tell similar stories...

A 44-year-old man who had collapsed in a meadow was brought to a hospital, unconscious and with no pulse or brain activity. Doctors began artificial respiration, heart massage and defibrillation.

A nurse trying to feed a tube down the man's throat saw that he wore dentures and removed them. The patient was moved to the intensive care unit.

A week later, the nurse saw the man again. He immediately recognized the nurse as the person who had removed his dentures and also remembered other details of what had happened while he was in a deep coma. He said he had perceived the events from above the hospital bed and watched doctors' efforts to save his life.

These accounts, common among medical experts, have prompted a scientific study in the Netherlands of "Near-Death Experiences".

About 18 percent of the patients in the study reported some memory of the time when they were clinically dead, and 8 percent to 12 percent reported going through near-death experiences, such as seeing lights at the end of tunnels or "crossing over" and speaking with dead relatives and friends.

The Dutch researchers tracked 344 patients who had been resuscitated, ages 26 to 92. Three-quarters were men. Most were interviewed within five days of being resuscitated, and researchers followed up with interviews two years and eight years later to test the reliability of the patients' memories. Most patients had excellent recall of the events.

The people who had such experiences reported marked changes in their personalities. They seemed to lose fear of death, and they became more compassionate, caring and loving.

The researchers say the evidence supports the validity of near-death experiences and suggests scientists should rethink theories on one of the ultimate medical mysteries: the nature of human consciousness.

One scientist suggested that when investigating consciousness, we "should not look in the cells and molecules alone."

This research might be the first solid scientific evidence for the existence of a human "soul" and it's existence beyond death's door.

Tales from Beyond