Mind has a material basis

Refuting the Lommel "study": 1. Lommel doesn't use the scientific method. Instead of creating a testable hypothesis that can be disproven, he merely catalogues near-death-experiences (henceforth referred to as: NDE's). Lommel is obsessed with proving that the mind lives on after death, and this obviously clouds his conclusions. 2. If mind and brain were truly separate, 100% of his cardiac arrest patients should have experienced NDE's, not 18%. 3. A flat EEG does not mean you are clinically dead. According to Harvard's Dr. Robert S. Schwab, a patient must have a flat EEG for 24 hours before being considered "clinically dead." "After barbiturate poisoning or long exposure to extreme cold, a patient might have a flat EEG for several hours and still be capable of full recovery." [1] 4. A flat EEG does not mean there is no brain activity. An EEG only measures neural activity on the SURFACE of the brain. Brain activity can still be occurring deeper within the brain. Tao, Ray, Hawes, and Ebersole (2005) found that surgically implanted electrodes measured seizures in epileptic patients that did not appear on an EEG. [2] Kobayashi, Hawco, Grova, Dubeau, and Gotman, (2006) found that intense seizures registered on an MRI but not on an EEG. [3] David Braithwaite concludes, "Confidence in previous claims that flat EEG represents total neural inactivity appears severely misplaced." [4] 5. The fact that the cardiac arrest patients' brains were able to form memories of the NDE's proves that their brains were still active. [5] 6. The "dying brain theory" (DBT) better explains Lommel's results. DBT predicts that when some people begin to die, their brains release a ton of neuro-chemicals capable of inducing a number of NDE's. According to Michael Shermer, author of Hope Springs Eternal: Science, the Afterlife & the Meaning of Life, the hallucination of flying is caused by the secretion of atropine, age regression is caused by secretion of methylenedioxyamphetamine, and out-of-body experiences are caused by the anesthetic ketamine. [6] Susan Blackmore found that seeing a tunnel of light is caused by a lack of oxygen disrupting the firing of neurons in the visual cortex. [7] Blanke (2002) found that out-of-body experiences could be induced by neural stimulation of the temporal lobe. [8] David Braithwaite explains that dying brain theory predicts that patients closer to death will experience "more vivid, profound, detailed and meaningful" NDE's. [9] This is exactly what Lommel found: patients that experienced NDE's were extremely old (average age of 62) and were much more likely to die again "for real" within 30 days. [10] 7. David Braithwaite, refuting Lommel's study, says, "there are no documented cases that clearly show that NDE occurred at the precise time that the EEG was flat. This appears to be merely assumed." It is more likely the patients experienced the NDE's immediately prior to the flat EEG and lost track of time (a second can seem like an hour). Refuting the monks: Newberg and D'Aquili (2001) used MRI's to determine that monks achieve out of body experiences and blurring of consciousness by suppressing the posterior superior parietal lobe of the brain through deep meditation. Why can't the mind possess another person's brain? I don't know why you'd need a brain transplant if the mind doesn't reside in the brain. Mindless brain Mice are not self-aware; they do not know that they exist as an individual. Out of characters – will clarify the rest later. [1] http://www.time.com... [2] Braithwaite, http://www.skeptic.org.uk... [3] Ibid [4] Ibid [5] Ibid [6] Shermer, http://www.skeptic.com... [7] Ibid [8] Ibid [9] Braithwaite, ibid [10] http://www.newscientist.com... [11] Braithwaite, ibid