New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought
Patient One was 24 years old and pregnant with her third child when she was taken off life support. It was 2014. A couple of years earlier, she had been diagnosed with a disorder that caused an irregular heartbeat, and during her two previous pregnancies she had suffered seizures and faintings. Four weeks into her third pregnancy, she collapsed on the floor of her home. Her mother, who was with her, called 911. By the time an ambulance arrived, Patient One had been unconscious for more than 10 minutes. Paramedics found that her heart had stopped.
After being driven to a hospital where she couldn’t be treated, Patient One was taken to the emergency department at the University of Michigan. There, medical staff had to shock her chest three times with a defibrillator before they could restart her heart. She was placed on an external ventilator and pacemaker, and transferred to the neurointensive care unit, where doctors monitored her brain activity. She was unresponsive to external stimuli, and had a massive swelling in her brain. After she lay in a deep coma for three days, her family decided it was best to take her off life support. It was at that point – after her oxygen was turned off and nurses pulled the breathing tube from her throat – that Patient One became one of the most intriguing scientific subjects in recent history.
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In the moments after Patient One was taken off oxygen, there was a surge of activity in her dying brain. Areas that had been nearly silent while she was on life support suddenly thrummed with high-frequency electrical signals called gamma waves. In particular, the parts of the brain that scientists consider a “hot zone” for consciousness became dramatically alive. In one section, the signals remained detectable for more than six minutes. In another, they were 11 to 12 times higher than they had been before Patient One’s ventilator was removed.
“As she died, Patient One’s brain was functioning in a kind of hyperdrive,” Borjigin told me. For about two minutes after her oxygen was cut off, there was an intense synchronisation of her brain waves, a state associated with many cognitive functions, including heightened attention and memory. The synchronisation dampened for about 18 seconds, then intensified again for more than four minutes. It faded for a minute, then came back for a third time.
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This is the third time I’ve come across an article like this, and they all line up with my theory of dying.
First of all, Humans have the unconscious ability to alter their perception of time. From moments that last forever, to years that pass in a flash. I think when we really pay attention, and are really ‘tuned into’ what’s happening, we become more perceptive, and things just slow down. Like the first time you watch an epic movie, where the cinematic shots seem to take their time in delivering the ‘feeling’ of the scene. And upon a rewatch, now it seems like those slow set-up shots are slightly faster. What’s changed? well, you were on the edge of your seat when you watched it the first time. You slowed your perception of it without really being aware that you did it.
Secondly, the afterlife is fake, but heaven is real. That sounds paradoxical, but let me explain. There is no evidence to suggest that there exists some deity or that they created a big ‘afterparty’ for every ones . But, we have had people technically die, and then come back reporting that they saw their grandparents, or old dog, or a bright inviting light. This is where my first posit comes into play. When you die, your brain gives you one last hurrah. As evidenced in this dying patient, and countless other studies showing a massive dopamine and serotonin rush. What I believe, is that during this time, your perception of time plummets, and you hallucinate, envision, dream (whatever you wanna call it), whatever you want. But not just what you want, what you expect. Remember, this is a personalized, once-in-a-lifetime hallucination. You’re dying, you know it, and whatever you’ve decided happens when you die, is what you experience. If you think you deserve heaven filled with all your old friends, pets, and donuts, well, that’s what you’re going to get. If you’re raised catholic and lead a terrible life, thinking you deserve hell, well, that’s what your experience will be.
I imagine that this trip can last, ultimately, however long you want. You’re not stopping time, just your perception of it. At least, that’s my theory.
This was a really interesting read. I like the theory. How do you account for someone who dies suddenly. Like if they are blown to pieces in a war or just accidentally. Do those people just not get this “last hoorah”?
Not OP, but I would imagine they still do, because it’s a function of the brain in general, not in the brain knowing death is coming. It’s just that when they’re dying in a hospital, it’s more likely that the equipment and staff will be present to read these brainwaves and whatnot.
This is also a concern of mine. My thinking is that you’ll need to maintain an intact Central Nervous System for this to occur. If death is the result of traumatic brain injury, I can’t imagine that this would occur. But as long as you have an intact brain/spinal chord, you’re good.
Ghosts
I’m guessing in those cases they don’t get a last hoorah
I have had kind of the same idea and it’s why I kind of agree with certain end of life religious practices meant to ease a person’s mind before they die because what you’re thinking about while you die is the real heaven or hell. If you’re calm and accepting of death, you’ll get heaven. If you’re afraid and regretful, you’ll put yourself through hell.
My girlfriend and I reasoned that this exact same conclusion, so it’s so weird and awesome seeing this in the wild!
We also thought of the quantum energy stored in the microtubules of the brain possibly holding onto consciousness itself. Thus, when they found that all of them release said quantum energy at the time of death, we felt pretty vindicated.
I think something like what you outlined above, and we came to the conclusion that people going where they believe in is the only real, logical, and evident thing that happens after we die. Otherwise, how could someone see Jesus, someone else see Ra, and someone else see nothing at all? I think that whatever we believe will happen to us after death is what will happen to us. Like you said, there’s a lot of power in the mind, including the power to bend time. Pick a belief, and I think it’ll serve you well.