A HEART doctor dismissed near-death experiences as ‘fake’ until he spoke to a patient who saw her own surgery take place.
Dr Michael Sabom, a cardiologist in Atlanta, US, spent years investigating near-death experiences, or NDAs, he didn’t believe were real.
“I thought the whole idea was absolute hogwash,” he explained.
This was until he met Pam Reynolds, who had a bizarre episode during an operation.
Pam had a very complex, dangerous brain aneurysm that was about to burst and needed serious surgery to save her life.
Before the operation, Pam was put in a medically-induced near-death state, meaning her heart and brain weren’t functioning.
All the blood was drained from her head and her ears and eyes were blocked.
“Despite that, Pam heard and saw everything during the operation,” the doctor wrote in an essay for Insider.
In an interview with Dr Michael, Pam recalled seeing the bone saw the surgeons used. She said it looked like an electric toothbrush.
“That seemed absurd,” the doctor said, “but when I requested a picture of the tool doctors had used, I saw she was right.”
The was no logical explanation for how she could know what had happened, he added.
Speaking with her convinced the medic that out-of-body experiences were a real phenomenon.
Pam’s story has changed the way Dr Michael cares for his own patients – as he he can never be sure they can’t hear him.
“I was conscious of the fact that an off-hand comment during surgery or resuscitation could be harmful,” he said.
Even though NDEs cannot be proved with scientific evidence, the medic is still convinced these phenomena are real.
The afterlife
Sometimes people wrongly point to NDEs as proof of the afterlife, the medic explained.
He said there is a difference between the true afterlife and these experiences of being nearly dead.
“NDEs still happen in the life that we live day-to-day, but they connect us to a spiritual realm that we’re not normally in touch with,” he claimed.
Dr Michael is one of several medical professionals and scientists whose research on near-death experiences is featured in Angel Studios’ new film, “After Death.”
What a near-death experience feels like
People who’ve suffered near death experiences ‘NDEs’, have revealed what it’s really like to ‘die’ – and it could put your mind at rest.
A study published by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in the US, looked at people who had survived cardiac arrests.
The medics found that commonly, those who had NDEs said they would have “unique lucid experiences”.
The survivors said these ranged from a feeling of being separated from the body to being able to observe ongoing events without feeling any distress.
Other experiences include evaluating the meaning of life, including specific actions the participants may have taken during their lifetime.
What is a near death experience?
A near death experience (NDE) is classified as a life-transforming experience that occurs when no sensory experiences should be possible
These conditions could include trauma, ceasing of brain activity, deep general anesthesia, or cardiac arrest.
These experiences can differ from one person to another and in many cases, the experts said patients having an NDE will feel very comfortable and free of pain.
You might also experience a sensation of leaving the body, with some being able to see their physical body while floating above it.
Others may experience their mind functioning more clearly and rapidly than usual.
Source: University of Virginia