Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre  Close. From a scientific point of view your brain is the squishy thing inside your skull. Your mind is the mental activity taking place within your brain. |
Ah, Mark. It's not so simple.
Professor Peter Fenwick has done quite a bit of research on this, in the context of near-death experiences. He has grown increasingly convinced, over the years, that consciousness can exist and operate independently of the brain.
One reason why he thinks so is that some NDE persons have given clear, concise descriptions of their NDE, even though the NDE occurred at a time when their brainwave activity, as measured on sophisticatd medical equipment, was down to a perfect zero (that is, they were practically brain-dead).
Fenwick is of the view that their brains were so dead that they should not have been able even to hallucinate (assuming that NDEs are hallucinations) and even if they were able to hallucinate, they should not subsequently have been able to recollect any part of their hallucinations (because the memory functions of their physical brain should have been 100% impaired).
This leads Fenwick to his conclusion that consciousness can exist independently of the human brain. That is, the NDE patient is able to experience what he experiences, because he has some kind of consciousness; it is a very full, complete kind of consciousness, because the experience is detailed and lucid; and all this happens while his brain is down to zero electrical activity (ie it completely stopped functioning) ---> consciousness can exist & operate independently of the brain.
To put it another way - mind is not an activity which necessarily takes place within your brain. Your brain can shut down completely, but your mind (or spirit?) can still:
float free of your body; see what's happening in the hospital ward / accident site; check out your surroundings; go elsewhere; perceive white lights at the ends of dark tunnels; feel emotions; review your entire life in a flash; meet deceased relatives; talk to assorted entities (holding rather extensive discussions, in some cases),
and then "re-enter" your body (with the brain still dead), and later, upon revival, have excellent recall of the NDE experience (although the brain's memory functions should have stopped completely during the relevant time).