Ispectrum Magazine Ispectrum Magazine #11 | Page 28

is There a psycholoGical explanaTion for The near DeaTh experience? by Rob HUTCHINSoN WEbSITE WWW.ISPECTRUMMAGAZINE.CoM I I have always had an interest in NDEs and despite never experiencing one myself I am a strong believer in them. However, as a psychologist I couldn’t help but delve into the past research and see if there was anything verging on a purely psychological explanation for the NDE. Many scientists point to neurobiological evidence, such as a lack of oxygen in the brain as the reason for NDEs, and other corroborating evidence also points to neurobiological factors. In fact, oxygen starvation causing n the last issue of Ispectrum magazine we had a fascinating interview with Dr Eben Alexander, a distinguished neurosurgeon and sceptic of the near death experience (NDE). He never foresaw that, despite writing a paper discrediting people’s experience of NDEs, he would one day become a believer. After bacteria attacked his brain and put him in a coma for seven days he had his own NDE in a heavenly realm, and he awoke from that coma a changed man, a believer. P hoto credit: bp girl (devianart.com) 27 41