Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (Book)

[Jim]

I found this interview fascinating. Listen to this interview with Mary Roach on her book "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife."

There was a study where cardiologists at the University of Virginia were interested in trying to verify the out-of-body experience. What they did was setup a laptop open flat facing the ceiling. The laptop displayed different images at different intervals.

The cardiologists were specifically looking at patients that had diffibulators being inserted (to kick-start their heart; installation requires the stoppage of the heart briefly). The cardiologists asked all of their patients if they remember anything from their experience in the operating room and of the 24 that claim that they did, none of them could identify what was on the laptop screen at the time of their heart stoppage.

Not that this proves much of anything, but these are the sorts of controlled studies I enjoy hearing about when studying the after-life.

Part of me clings to the hopes of an afterlife but I have never felt comfortable leaving my objective grounding (hence, why I was so attracted to this book)!

The author is extremely entertaining; it's definitely worth a listen.

Also, here are some excerpts from the book. Booknoise.net | Spook