What fate awaits our awareness when physical life ends? According to Maria Strömme, a Swedish scientist and professor at Uppsala University, it doesn’t simply vanish into nothingness. Her perspective is that the human brain doesn’t generate consciousness; rather, it acts as a mere “receiver” for it. Upon bodily demise, consciousness purportedly rejoins the unified informational field of the cosmos.
Strömme uses the analogy of an ocean wave to illustrate this concept. A wave materializes and dissolves, yet the water comprising it persists. Similarly, individual consciousness is thought to integrate back into the eternal, universal reservoir.
“The scientific landscape is rapidly evolving, and the intrinsic nature of consciousness is beginning to be explored in earnest,” the researcher stated in an interview with the Daily Mail.
This theoretical framework offers an explanation for near-death experiences (NDEs). During clinical death, individuals sometimes report perceiving future events, discerning thoughts, or experiencing inputs typically beyond their usual sensory range. A common thread runs through these accounts: they consistently describe seeing a brilliant light, sensing the presence of divine entities or deceased relatives, and encountering luminous tunnels, beautiful gardens, or ethereal winged beings. These reported experiences are typically characterized by feelings of light and profound serenity.
The conclusions drawn by the Swedish professor find remarkable corroboration in the findings of other researchers. For instance, the renowned resuscitation specialist Sam Parnia has dedicated over three decades to investigating the states of individuals who have undergone clinical death. His extensive project involved medical teams from two dozen hospitals monitoring 567 patients in intensive care units.
The outcomes of this prolonged investigation were startling. It established that human consciousness remains operational for a period even after cardiac and cerebral activity ceases. Furthermore, the patients’ sensory perceptions do not diminish; on the contrary, they become intensified. Nearly all independently recounted shared experiences: encountering a bright light at the terminus of a tunnel, feeling an out-of-body sensation, and having the capacity to observe the medical team’s actions from an external vantage point.
Neuropsychologists in the Netherlands have gathered data that aligns with these observations. Scientists Rivas, Dirven, and Smith meticulously reviewed over 70 clinical death cases. A significant number of patients confidently asserted that their soul had separated from its physical container and continued to exist independently. Consequently, the Dutch researchers also concluded that the notion of post-mortem existence holds considerable probability.
Occasionally, truly inexplicable phenomena occur. Medical records document instances where a patient undergoing heart surgery was declared deceased but unexpectedly regained consciousness without external intervention from the medical staff. Such narratives compel the scientific community to treat the question of what truly awaits humanity beyond the threshold of death with greater seriousness.
About the Author
