She sensed herself rising out of her body, soaring through space, and hearing heavenly voices before returning to her body. An Arizona man in a coma five months after a motorcycle accident said he saw his deceased father, who spoke with him. Various theories attempt to explain these NDEs. Physiological explanations suggest a physical cause perhaps a blow to the head or lack of oxygen in the brain. Pharmacological explanations point to drugs or anesthetics.
Psychological explanations propose mental causes such as defense mechanisms or wish fulfillment.
Applications of these theories can be complex. For days our fraternity was in a state of shock. The experimental method, useful for scientific questions, is inadequate for evaluating NDEs. It is impossible in medical emergencies to establish the required controlled situations and repeatability. And finding volunteers for NDE experiments would be difficult.