XPost: sci.psychology.psychotherapy, alt.consciousness, talk.origins   
   From: Be@here.now   
      
   On Sat, 4 Sep 2004 10:21:09 +0000 (UTC), "Raan"    
   wrote:   
      
   >>   
   >> Direct experience has to be included in this facts and evidence, even   
   >> though the experience is the interpretation of the experiencer   
   >> themselves.  For example, Near Death Experiences, death bed   
   >> experiences, and out of body experiences provide a vast amount of   
   >> evidence for the consciousness being non-local to the physical body or   
   >> brain.  But even with this evidence, non-local consciousness is still   
   >> considered a belief by many people.  No one can claim proof here, just   
   >> theories and probabilities based upon the evidence of the experience   
   >> and all "known" data.   
   >>   
      
   >Witness testimony must be backed up by corroborating evidence.  Many people   
   >who have turned circles and stopped have been witness to the experience of   
   >the world continuing to spin around them.  Naturally this has been explained   
   >by reference to the ear canal and the nuances of perception as well and   
   >blood flow... and there are similar explanations for the experiences you   
   >describe.  Certainly there are limits to science and science is the limit of   
   >verifiable knowledge.  There are also limits to credibility and many people   
   >pass well beyond that and then the world seems to spin.   
      
      
   Actually, there is a great deal of scientific research conducted   
   around these type of experiences - with witnesses.  But by the very   
   nature of the experience there is very little room for "controlled"   
   experiments.  The most convening reports in relation to consciousness   
   are the experiences reported by doctors.  Many in-depth surveys have   
   been conducted of random doctors and the probabilities point to the   
   survival of consciousness after the death of the physical body.   
      
   In addition, it's very interesting that "cutting edge" science is   
   starting to describe the nature of reality and consciousness in the   
   same way that mystics have been describing it since before recorded   
   history.  Perhaps, if you cut through the myths there was a great deal   
   of truth in the old religions after all.   
      
   -----------------------------------------------------------------   
   Suggested reading:   
      
   *****  "At the hour of Death", by Karlis Osis, Ph.D.  *****   
      
   "The Afterlife Experiments" by Gary E. Schwartz, Ph D.   
      
   "Mindsight" by Kenneth Ring   
      
   "The Undiscovered Mind" by John Horgan   
      
   "The Living Energy Universe" by Gary E.R. Schwartz   
      
   "Mind at Large: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers   
   Symposia on the Nature of Extrasensory Perception (Studies in   
   Consciousness)" by Charles T. Tart, Harold E. Puthoff, Russell Targ   
      
   "The Consciousness Universe" by Dean Radin, Ph.D.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)