6 votes

Research shows consciousness may extend beyond clinical death

10 comments

  1. [6]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [4]
      Reasonable_Doubt
      Link Parent
      Oh, I don't think that's what they're saying. I think they're seeing some continued activity briefly after clinical death - not forever. If you want something to sooth your monkey brain, read...

      Oh, I don't think that's what they're saying. I think they're seeing some continued activity briefly after clinical death - not forever. If you want something to sooth your monkey brain, read this.

      I'm a hospice nurse. I want to sooth everyone's fears about death and dying. :)

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        AlastrionaCatskill
        Link Parent
        I never saw my grandma's hospice nurse, but I know she was in good hands. Thank you for what you do.

        I never saw my grandma's hospice nurse, but I know she was in good hands. Thank you for what you do.

        4 votes
        1. Reasonable_Doubt
          Link Parent
          My pleasure, and her nurse's, as well, I'd bet. I've never met a hospice RN who didn't love his/her job.

          My pleasure, and her nurse's, as well, I'd bet. I've never met a hospice RN who didn't love his/her job.

          3 votes
      2. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. Reasonable_Doubt
          Link Parent
          It can be very heavy at times, but hospice nursing is very rewarding, too. Walking with someone and their family through their final stretch on this mortal coil, helping to provide peace, sooth...

          That shit has to be soul‐sucking, but it’s so vital.

          It can be very heavy at times, but hospice nursing is very rewarding, too. Walking with someone and their family through their final stretch on this mortal coil, helping to provide peace, sooth fears, prevent suffering (when able), and empowering families to provide comfort to loved ones is pretty gratifying.

          I love that piece about physics. It soothes my monkey brain, too. :)

          1 vote
    2. Hypersapien
      Link Parent
      I'm the opposite. The idea of just ceasing to exist someday scares the crap out of me. The idea that my consciousness is composed of trillions of interconnected neurons that will one day stop all...

      I'm the opposite. The idea of just ceasing to exist someday scares the crap out of me. The idea that my consciousness is composed of trillions of interconnected neurons that will one day stop all activity and start to decompose fills me with existential dread.

      It's kind of like a form of temporal claustrophobia. There's a wall closing in and it will eventually crush me.

      If there were some kind of technological way of extending my life, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. Mind uploading wouldn't work because it wouldn't be my consciousness. It would just be a copy of my memories and personality. Even if it had consciousness it wouldn't be mine. It would be a separate one from me.

      I'm not capable of hiding behind fantasies of an afterlife, either. I value intellectual integrity too much for that.

      2 votes
  2. [5]
    crius
    Link
    Can we have a summary for those that cannot watch the video right now? :) Note: we need a remindMe feature here!

    Can we have a summary for those that cannot watch the video right now? :)

    Note: we need a remindMe feature here!

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Reasonable_Doubt
      Link Parent
      I'm reminding you! Go watch the video. I'm curious what you think.

      I'm reminding you! Go watch the video. I'm curious what you think.

      4 votes
      1. crius
        Link Parent
        I finally got around to watch the video but .... honestly I'm kinda disappointed? Dunno if it's the right word. Point is that what they're talking about it nothing new. Proof of it are the plenty...

        I finally got around to watch the video but .... honestly I'm kinda disappointed? Dunno if it's the right word.

        Point is that what they're talking about it nothing new. Proof of it are the plenty of comments underneath the video (some of them quite cheesy) about people coming back after a stroke or something like that.

        That the consciousness doesn't "die" immediately is nothing new. The post-mortem experiences all quite similar are much more interesting matter but can be (kinda) explained by the chemicals that works in our brain. We're all the same species in the end and some basic mechanism must work in the same way or medicine would not be working as it is.

        I don't know, seems like more of a interview for the middle age housewife than something with a serious background. Is there any paper related to the professor's conclusions or implications?

        2 votes
    2. [2]
      TreeBone
      Link Parent
      It was a bit confusing and he used inexact terms in this news interview, so I couldn't tell if he categorized death as heart failure or heart AND brain. I'd like to see actual report findings, but...

      It was a bit confusing and he used inexact terms in this news interview, so I couldn't tell if he categorized death as heart failure or heart AND brain. I'd like to see actual report findings, but in a study of over 2,000 patients that had died, 40% said they remembered experiences that happened after their point of death, but only 2% said they had full awareness after this death point and those events could be verified.

      3 votes
      1. Reasonable_Doubt
        Link Parent
        Clinical death is when the heart stops beating. You actually stop breathing first, then the heart stops, then the brain. Without circulation (heartbeat), nothing else can continue.

        Clinical death is when the heart stops beating. You actually stop breathing first, then the heart stops, then the brain. Without circulation (heartbeat), nothing else can continue.

        3 votes