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Thoughts on near death experiences/death itself

Β  This is something I stay thinking about, never really talked about it so why not here I guess. Its kind of hard for me to explain so i'll sum it up best I can. A while back I recall reading a few articles on how the chemicals released in your brain when you do the drug DMT are also the same chemicals released when you dream. I continued to read and found some more information regarding the same chemicals and hallucinations presenting themselves during near death experiences.Β 

So lets think back to all of those people who have recalled their visions of the afterlife during their near death experiences. This includes those who technically did die but were revived. I noticed when I was younger how these stories never seemed to be the same, and it eventually led me to believe that people just went to where they believed. Some people see fields, others see a light, dead loved ones, a gate, etc. It all seemed to depend on what the person believed in prior to the incident.Β 
Once I read the articles on the connections between the reactions in your brain, it led me to think that all of these near death experiences people see are really just their dream chemicals going bonkers, and considering most people know they're dying, they probably just subconsciously form a dream of what they think death and the afterlife is like. Maybe we continue to live in these dream like states, or atleast think we do, and that is what is considered our afterlife. It's 2am, my brain is mush. Apologies if this makes no senseΒ 


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Reply by Suburban Guy

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or seeing some kinda light, yeah...Β 


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Reply by Qoheleth

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It makes sense and I think I agree. The complex thing about NDE's is what I hear about the brain basically shutting down yet these experiences being so vivid, or realer than real to people who have them. How are they experiencing all these sensations in the NDE when their brain is basically shut down? It's mind boggling and is the doubt I have that perhaps it is not a purely physical event. However, you do make sense out of the inconsistency in NDE testimonies


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Reply by Qoheleth

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I also like the unconscious or subconscious explanation more than saying people literally go to the afterlife of the deity they follow. There are problems I see with the latter. Such as that even though people on the surface level follow the same deity or religion, on another level they do not. They may be following a radically different version depending on the sect, values etc. What good Christian wants eternity with all the other ones that were annoying rather than say agnostics, atheists and pagans? Or what good pagan wants eternity with neofascist pagans? gods are also not just the gods they are on paper sometimes but changing or developed over time from other gods or systems of gods. You cannot actually pinpoint them down. YHWY for example was in a system of Canaanite deities. Unless someone literally believes YHWY went rogue than we should expect that afterlife to reflect that multiplicity.


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