It Is Real

[B00]

Apparently.

found this fascinating! Do I believe it? I don't know.

Hallucinations instead?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2797764/what-heaven-s-really-like-leading-brain-surgeon-says-s-read-testimony-scoff-just-shake-beliefs.html

[woofgang]

oh, he's published a book! how amazing and unheard of.

[ummmm]

No and I'm sure anyone who has suffered with hallucinations would agree with me.

[jim360]

Who can say? Since it's unverifiable personal testimony it's not worth accepting as truth, although I can't say I'd blame anyone who's gone through something like that, scientist or not, if it shakes or changes their view of the world. He should know better than we do that neuroscience has still some way to go before it fully understands the workings of the brain, so it may be premature to rule out the idea that this was a hallucination, perhaps of a different type from others previously known.

Or he could be making the whole thing up. And there's the point. There has to be something more than just unverifiable personal accounts.

[Old_Geezer]

When I have a moment, for sure. But meanwhile worth pointing out that potential illusions are not the only evidence of continued existence. Mediums can provide interesting information too.

[B00]

No what ummmm? It's not hallucinations?

[jim360]

Several mediums have been discredited as giving "cold readings" and using suggestion. Not saying that all such mediums have been discredited but there is a general trend that way, so that one should be highly sceptical of anything they come out with.

In the long run I think many people would accept that this is the sort of thing that really does need a personal experience; without that I don't think it's too surprising that I remain incredibly sceptical. Or even with it, for that matter, but certainly with such an experience I'd find it harder to remain so.

[RATTER15]

OG, //Mediums can provide interesting information too.// You cant be serious!!!

With regards to the op. he may have experienced many things in the coma, there is no way of proving any of it, we still know very little about the brain and what it is capable of. Also the guy himself will not know when he had these visions/experience. It may have been before the coma or whilst coming out of it. Means nothing apart from him trying to sell his book!

[ummmm]

No, I don't believe it. Hallucinations seem very very real.

[vulcan42]

Does he assumes too much? just because machines can pick up brain activity doesn't necessarily mean they pick up all brain activity.

[kvalidir]

I would love this to be true, but I seriously doubt it is, he's written a book- 'nuff said .

[Old_Geezer]

Of course I can be serious. As would anyone be who has experienced such things and know they could not have been obtained by other means; regardless how open sceptics are with the information they feed people and who assume everyone else is also. Try getting information that you didn't even know to be true until much later, and which was sufficiently unlikely that no sane person would have insisted it was so in the face of denials, and expected to get a lucky 'hit'.

[douglas9401]

He's had a dream, written a book and it's in the Mail.
What's to doubt?
It can't be long before he accepts, albeit reluctantly, that he's seen by the hard of thinking as a link to the heavenly realm and only needs funding by the faithful to investigate further, limos, islands, henchmen, sex, no worldly good if you believe etc etc ad nauseam.

[janbee]

Is he "on" anything? Any meds etc? If so, I'll have some please. Is it just an amazing coincidence that he also has a book coming out? Cynical? Moi? You betcha!!

[Zacs-Master]

The other side of the story
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2529048/Proof-Heaven-doctor-faced-3million-malpractice-lawsuit-fell-coma.html

[agchristie]

Good spot Zacs! Tempers it somewhat....

[Hypognosis]

@woofgang
//oh, he's published a book! how amazing and unheard of.//

lol


Of course, no-one's going to argue with the veracity of claims coming from the likes of a brain surgeon, are they?

It used to be the likes of policemen who were unquestioably truthful… until they got used to reinforce the veracity of one or two UFO sightings. Things must be bad if it has to be a brain surgeon to make it believable!

[keyplus90]

Whether this story is true or made up is another matter but there are so many things in this universe and in the life of human that are only accepted by the one who has been through. Others would not agree until they will go through same kind of experience and then the other will laugh at them just like S/he used to laugh at someo0ne else...............an it goes on.

[beso]

He believed that he had been though all these "realms" while he had no brain activity. Clearly though, at some point his brain activity resumed.

What he experienced as a protracted journey could have been hallucinated in the first few moments that his brain restarted. There are plenty of cases where people in hypnotic states felt they had been through hours even though they had been under for a very short time.

The human brain is renowned for filling in the gaps to try and deal with its sensory input. He just filled int he gaps with the fantasies that he had been primed, including the photo of his sister.

Such hallucinations while in malfunction states of the brain form the basis of religious experience by so called prophets. Some go on to consciously milk what they can from it.

[mibn2cweus]

^ That's ^ the kind of explanation one would expect from someone who's more interested in sharing their knowledge of how the brain behaves under stressful conditions . . . then selling books.