846: Does Consciousness Survive the Death of the Body? An Interview with Renowned Cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel

<p>As a cardiologist, Pim van Lommel was struck by the number of his patients who claimed to have near-death experiences as a result of their heart attacks. As a scientist, this was difficult for him to accept: Wouldn't it be scientifically irresponsible of him to ignore the evidence of these stories? Faced with this dilemma, van Lommel decided to design a research study to investigate the phenomenon under the controlled environment of a cluster of hospitals with a medically trained staff.</p> <p>For more than twenty years van Lommel systematically studied such near-death experiences in a wide variety of hospital patients who survived a cardiac arrest. In 2001, he and his fellow researchers published his study on near-death experiences in the renowned medical journal <em>The Lancet</em>. The <a href= "https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673601071008/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> caused an international sensation as it was the first scientifically rigorous study of this phenomenon.</p> <p>Van Lommel provides scientific evidence that the near-death phenomenon is an authentic experience that cannot be attributed to imagination, psychosis, or oxygen deprivation. He further reveals that after such a profound experience, most patients' personalities undergo a permanent change. In van Lommel's opinion, the current views on the relationship between the brain and consciousness held by most physicians, philosophers, and psychologists are too narrow for a proper understanding of the phenomenon. In his excellent book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3WRG8zz" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><em>Consciousness Beyond Life</em></a>, van Lommel shows that our consciousness does not always coincide with brain functions and that, remarkably and significantly, consciousness can even be experienced separate from the body.</p> <p>Connect with Dr. Pim van Lommel:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://pimvanlommel.nl/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">PimvanLommel.nl</a></li> <li><a href="http://Consciousnes