Near Death Experiences - Netflix Surviving Death - Episode 1
"All science starts as anecdotes."
- Dr. Bruce Greyson, Near Death Experience - NDE Researcher.
Reading Time 5 mins 26 sec
What happens after we die? Does our consciousness continue once we die?
Since I've been researching if there is evidence of an afterlife, a lot of people want to know my thoughts on Netflix's Surviving Death. Since many people have been reaching out wanting to know what I think, I decided to write up my thoughts on some of the episodes and the series overall. In fact, I was there for one of the episodes that they filmed and was impressed that the team seemed curious and open-minded, while at the same time still wanting to get good and valid evidence.
I had read Leslie Kean's book that the Netflix Surviving Death series was based on, and I've met Leslie a few times. I found her book, and Leslie herself, really intelligent and believable. I love her logical based approach to the evidence.
So here is my take on Episode 01 . Don't worry, there aren't any spoilers if you haven't seen it yet.
Read my take on Surviving Death Netflix: Mediumship Episodes 2 + 3
Is there brain activity during NDE’s - Near Death Experiences?
If you don't know what NDE's are, they are when someone physically dies, as in all brain activity and heart activity stops, but they are medically resuscitated such as during a heart attack. Some of the people who experience this have reported remarkable things such as seeing their deceased loved ones, floating above their body and seeing what was going on in the room or even the room next door. Yeah, all pretty batshit and fascinating.
This was a great episode. NDE's can be approached either so "woo-woo" or so skeptically, that if you know nothing about them it would be hard to either take them seriously or believe they were anything more than a trick of the mind. But I loved the logical but still open approach Netflix took.
First of all, the people they chose to share their stories were very believable people. They were grounded and just, well, normal. At least normal enough - none of us are completely normal.
The skeptical spine surgeon who drowned in Netflix Surviving Death Near Death Experiences - Mary Neal
I was really impacted by Mary Neal, the first woman who had shared her story. She was a spine surgeon, so she obviously had to have a very scientific and reality based mind. But what happened to her was impossible by medical standards. She essentially "drowned" on a kayaking trip in Chile. Her boat was pinned under water and she had no oxygen for 30-minutes, which is just not possible. To top it off she had no brain damage and made a complete recovery. She clarified again, that what happened did not make sense. She is medical and not into anything "super-natural,"yet this happened.
Her story itself was both remarkable and in many ways typical of what seems to happen during NDE's She rose above her body. There was a shift of time and dimensions. She saw amazing colors. She smelled the aroma of flowers. And then beings told her she had to go back to her body.
It was as if "something?" was helping her when an ambulance happened to be there on these deserted roads in Chile right when they got her to the road. Of course my logical mind wanted more with that one point - like what made the ambulance driver go at that exact time. Were they already driving in that direction when they got the call to go there? What was going through their mind. I assume if someone in the group had phoned an ambulance and it was normal that it would arrive quickly and on time, this would not have been mentioned in the documentary as something special and unexpected.
However, this intensely evidential thing occurred during her NDE relating to her son. While it took years for this thing to become evidential, once it did, this logical spine surgeon completely changed her entire view of the afterlife. She was convinced - there was definitely more than this material world and consciousness is more than just a function of the brain. Yes, her NDE had already helped change her mind, but this solidified it. I am not going to spoil it for you, and I also respect the people who worked so hard to put this series together, that I don't want to give away the "surprises."
One of the most famous NDE - Near Death Experience Cases, Pam Reynolds who died and came back during brain surgery.
They discuss other cases as well, although not as in depth. Pam Reynolds, one of the most evidential and famous NDE cases, about a woman who was completely brain dead during brain surgery for an aneurism was able to describe medical details that occurred during her surgery, as well as tools used. If you want to learn more about NDE's definitely look up the Pam Reynolds case!
There was a man who had always had a cold and distant relationship with his father, but when this man saw his long deceased father during his own NDE they hugged, said I love you (something that they had not done in life) and healed their relationship. This was more profound, healing and substantial than any dream. A woman who "died" while giving birth and had an NDE, went out of body and saw things such as her toddler daughter in the hospital waiting room with her nanny, her husband rushing off the plane to see her. She described it as if there was a spatial breakdown and she wasn't separated from these people by space.
The people who describe their NDE's are all grounded and believable people. The language they use is relatable - well as relatable as possible given the "weirdness." They describe these completely other-worldly experiences as factually as possible although they have all obviously been deeply transformed.
Dr. Bruce Greyson and Dr. Peter Fenwick - NDE Near Death Experiences Scientific Researchers.
Along with sharing the personal stories of people who have had NDE's, they mix in interviews with highly regarded researchers on the topics. If I was to pick one person to interview pin NDE's it would be Dr. Bruce Greyson, and they interview him. Dr. Greyson is the Chester Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. He was previously on the medical faculty at the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut, where he was Clinical Chief of Psychiatry. Dr. Greyson, raised in a family of chemists and a practicing psychiatrist, assumed that consciousness was a function of the brain.
As a very young doctor his patient described an NDE and provided evidence she had watched and listened in on a conversation Dr. Greyson had with her roommate. These details are in his book, but long story short, he ended up dedicating his life to studying NDE's. Another skeptical doctor, Dr. Peter Fenwick, who originally assumed NDE's were nonsense and ended up dedicating his life to researching NDE's also weighs in.
Near Death Experiences and the “light at the end of the tunnel” are not just a dying brain.
Having these doctors, as well as talk about other serious research into "paranormal" adds to the credibility and "non-woo" approach Netflix takes to NDE's. They share, from their medical perspective, why NDE's should not be dismissed as "lack of oxygen to the brain," as many in the medical field do.
IANDS - the International Association for Near-Death Studies and DOPS (Division of Perceptual Studies) both study NDEs and what happens when we die, from a scientific perspective.
You learn a bit about IANDS - the International Association for Near-Death Studies and DOPS (Division of Perceptual Studies) at the University of Virginia - which Dr. Bruce Greyson is a part of. I consider DOPS to be one of the most reputable places for studying anything "paranormal" from a serious and valid scientific perspective. It also shows up later in the series, so I will discuss it further later. Plus if you have ready other articles on afterlife evidence, you have probably heard me mention it.
You also learn about the history of NDEs, and characteristics of NDEs in general, such as how people are profoundly changed from them, how they have a hard time relating to people going forward, how they feel a profound sense of peace during the experience, how their senses are enhanced, and more.
Overall this is a great introduction to NDE's. It captures the awe-inspiring, world-view changing, "what in the actual fuck-ness" of them, while also mixing in a science-minded approach. However, the scientific approach doesn't dismiss them. St the same time the spiritual aspect is not approached in such a "spiritual," "we all believe this" way that you dismiss them unless you are already a "believer" or highly spiritual minded person.
I think if I had seen this episode early on in my research of evidence of an afterlife, and before I knew what NDE's were, it would leave me thinking that yes, something absolutely inexplicable really is going on, and it is worthy of further investigation.
If you already believe in an afterlife and NDE's, this will be a touching and moving episode to hear about people's personal stories, as well as get a bit of insight into the evidence and some of the researchers mindsets. If you are completely skeptical, (but open-minded enough to watch this in the first place), I think you will be intrigued. I think whatever you conclude, you will find Dr. Bruce Greyson, and the other people worth at least listening to. If you are on the fence and unsure I think you will also find this fascinating, and I would guess it would lean you more towards, yes, there really is something going on here.
Watch it! I would love to know what you think. Or if you have any questions about my take or want me to elaborate - Comment below on this article or email me by clicking here -liz@wtfjusthappened.net