Is out of body experience true?

Sid typed this sentence on Google and clicked on search engine. Multiple sites regarding information about out-of-body experience displayed. Along with that, there were also similar suggestions on NDE, which means near-death experience. This held him perplexed for a while, thinking, which of these he'd experienced?

Rubbing his chin, Sid skimmed over some titles. One particular article grabbed his attention "Near death experience – where science points towards spirituality." Instantaneously curiosity left no corner of his heart, and he clicked on the article. As the loading wheel was rotating, he brushed his palm over the laptop's screen because it was covered with some dust. Within a moment, the full article flashed before his eyes. The article contained case study of a subject name, Pam Reynolds.

Pam Reynolds Lowery, from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1991, at the age of thirty-five, she claimed that she had a near death experience (NDE). Reynolds was under close medical monitoring during the entire operation. During a part of the operation, she had no brainwave activity and no blood-flowing in her brain, which rendered her clinically dead. She stated to seen and heard several observations (while being out of her body) during the procedure which later medical personnel, reported to be accurate.

During this procedure, also known as a standstill operation, Pam's body temperature was brought down to 50 °F (10 °C), her breathing and heartbeat stopped, and the blood drained from her head. Her eyes were closed with tape and small ear plugs with speakers were placed in her ears. These speakers emitted audible clicks which were used to check the function of the brain stem to ensure that she had a flat EEG—or a non-responsive brain—before the operation proceeded. The operation was a success and Reynolds recovered completely. The total surgery lasted about seven hours with a few complications along the way.

Reynolds reported that during the operation, she heard a sound like a natural "D" that seemed to pull her out of her body and allowed her to "float" above the operating room and watch the doctors perform the operation. Reynolds claims that during this time she felt "more aware than normal" and her vision was more focused and clearer than normal vision. Reynolds says she was able to identify surgical instruments and hear conversations between operating room staff.

Heart still thumping like a snare drum, this case study sent goose bumps popping down Sid's neck. It was indeed spellbinding. Pam Reynolds' is the mystery that science cannot explain, he thought. Sid caught a glimpse of a similar article. It was based on a book name, Mindsight, which claimed that during a near-death experience a born blind woman was able to see. Now this was more interesting; reading on, Sid continued.

Vicki Umipeg, a forty-five years old blind woman, was just one of the more than thirty persons that Dr. Kenneth Ring and Sharon Cooper interviewed at length during a two-year study just completed concerning near-death experiences of the blind. The results of their study appear in their newest book, Mindsight. Vicki was born blind, her optic nerve having been completely destroyed at birth because of an excess of oxygen she received in the incubator. Yet, she appears to have been able to see during her NDE.

That's it! Now there's no way, this could be denied, Sid indeed had an out-of-body-experience like these people. Plus, he remembered the words spoken by the mysterious man about the soul. But then he caught sight of some articles defying NDE and OBE.

Olaf Blanke and his colleagues report that they are able to bring about so-called out-of-body experiences (OBE), where a person's consciousness seems to become detached from the body, by electrical stimulation of a specific region in the brain. I have discussed OBE experiments in two books and have concluded that they provide no evidence for anything happening outside of the physical processes of the brain – God, the Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist, by Prof. Victor J. Stenger (2007)

How to deal with it now!? C'mon, why he had to deny this amazing thing that Sid eagerly wants to understand? Obviously, this refutation brought dismal all over his face. Because this particular scientist repudiated OBE, but then what was that he experienced? Adding more to his depression, he came across another scientist's statement falsifying NDE and OBE.

Dr. Robert Buckman explains that the medical reasons are known – NDEs are caused by substances produced in the brain called endorphins. Dr. Susan Blackmore, a Bristol University psychologist, explains the common NDE vision of a long tunnel with a bright light at the end, as the retina as the back of the eye becoming starved of oxygen, with nerve cells beginning to fire at random. These are more nerve cells in the most sensitive part, the fovea, so a bright spot that looks like the end of a tunnel is seen.

Of course, this has to smear across gloom all over Sid's face. He was flabbergasted for a minute. After all, it just caused by chemical reactions, Sid curled his lips. But then, he typed another sentence in Google search. "Is OBEs and NDEs genuine or not?" within the twinkling of an eye, an article displayed that placed a gleam of hope on Sid's face.

NDEs are markedly different from hallucinations in their contents and effects, as explained through distinguishing the two. 1) Hallucinations generally comprise disorderly events with hazy visions, whereas NDEs generally comprise orderly events with clear perceptions. 2) Hallucinations usually leave their subjects feeling disturbed and agitated, whereas NDEs usually leave their subjects feeling peaceful and serene. 3) Hallucinations have a little noteworthy long-term effect on the subjects, whereas, NDEs are often profoundly life-transforming, inspiring the subjects toward a more purposeful and spiritual reorientation of beliefs and lifestyle.

Psychologist John Gibbs states: "NDE accounts from varied times and cultures were found to be more orderly, logical, defined and predictable than comparable accounts from drug or illness-induced hallucination. Impressive data from Tart, Moody and Carl Becker also argue for the objective elements of an NDE, including returning with knowledge later verified and third-party observations of odd death-bed phenomena (such as luminosity or apparitions)."

There were several quotes from eminent scientists in support of NDE and OBE. A victorious smile manifested on Sid's face, he felt the excitement of success thumping inside his ribcage. At last after hours of research, he could conclude NDE and OBE are real. Thanks to this last article. However, his research was not done yet. Now, he has to read a book that can provide him immaculate knowledge about the soul. That'll be Bhagavad Gita.

******

Baby steps, baby steps. Pratik was now again getting back on his feet, however, his right leg's gumboot like plaster were still wrapped around his left leg. It's being fifteen days, he got discharged from hospital. Only person, who never let him be alone, was Sara. She was with him twenty-four-seven, and during that period, even Pratik invoked genuine feelings towards her in his heart. But still his mind was musing over Sid's three instructions. He was a bad boy after all. Bad boy demystified by a spiritual boy.

Pratik was a guy, who believed life is like an ice-cream, have it before it melts. On the other hand, Sid could be counted among those people, who believed life is like a candle, enlighten others before it melts. But of course, Pratik did have some transformation after all those arrays of events. He brought orange juice glass towards his lips and took a sip of it. The juice was fresh and life-affirming as it goes down from his throat to stomach.

Sara came from behind and seized her arms around his chest like a padlock. Pratik felt shivers run through his body as he sensed her touch, actually, he felt regretted for those heinous karma he'd done. But still she's the same girl. "It's been fifteen days, my parents don't come to meet me," he muttered.

Pursing her lips, Sara felt a lump in her throat. She skipped a beat with the thought of Pratik being down in the dumps over his parents. "I'm here for you, babe."

Sara could feel each and every emotion he was going through, because she was one of those unprivileged children, who never had love of parents. She was raised by her grandmother. But then, this was a different situation, if one looks at Pratik's life. Although he has parents, but they don't have time for him. His mother eloped with her boyfriend, some say she's married now. Whereas his father is a billionaire, who's always preoccupied in his business trips and ventures. He keeps himself busy at work so that he could be unhitched himself from the pain of being a divorcee.

"Come with me. I wanna show you something." Pratik caught hold of Sara's arm, and hauled her towards his bedroom. That was the same place where he turned out to be at the summit of his licentiousness. But this time his motive seemed to be something else. Let's hope, Sara won't be harmed.

When both of them stepped into the bedroom. First thing Pratik did was lock the bedroom's door. As clear as day, this made Sara scared to death, she thought, had she done a great mistake by giving him another chance? Now she must be regretting about her stone-blind love for him.

Pratik cast his eyes on her body, which was shivering like a leaf. He felt a wave of guilt struck his ribcage. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry if I did that."

Sara heaved a sign, calmness flood through her body. Thinking, she is safe and her decision of giving him a second was not wrong. Manifesting a smile on his face, Pratik headed towards a huge metal case. It appeared rusty, and looked as if it's an antique product passed down from generation to generation. He set some numbers to unlock the door, and pull the door open as it was done. Sara's eyes were stretched open, when she saw inside it. There were piles of Indian currencies of thousand rupee note. For sure, Sara's eyes were not wide open because of avarice, but being stupefied. How come her boyfriend possessed so much wealth, and she never came to know about it?

"That's my parents love for me." Pratik smiled. "But with this love and I can't buy their time for me."

Pratik went on further by saying, money can't buy him love; money can buy him what's in between two legs, but not someone's heart; money can buy him sidekick friends, but not true ones. It's funny to say money can buy you anything, of course, nothing against money. But to know how rich you are, that's very simple. Just count on those things, which money can't buy. Some people are so poor, so poor that all they have is... Money. Pratik considered him one of those poor people.

"You have me, babe." Sara kept her hand on Pratik's shoulder, and sent a comforting smile at him.

Pratik eyed her and caught a glimpse of genuineness in it. He smiled back. "Um... You know, I will be like him. I will see the world, the way he does. I will imbibe his thought process into my life. I ... want to be like Siddhant Kothari."

The smile on Pratik's face kept on stretching; and ended up into a grin. So finally he found out the path to get away from his lower impulses. This was his story. Although he did many horrendous stuff in the past, but still he wasn't happy. He was always frustrated and sick of his life. Come to think of it, he realized that those who make pleasure as the purpose of life makes their life purposeless.

*******

A/N: This chapter is little bit technical. What do you think, has Sid able to understand OBE and NDE properly? He had done some good research, what say? Let's hope, Pratik underwent a real transformation. Can he bring real change in him, or just talking gibberish? Please vote, comment, and share. It means a lot.