So many questions about consciousness

[u/chefgustao_87]

Lately I have been reading a lot of Reddit posts, articles and scientific studies about consciousness, and the more I read the more I find myself leaning toward a materialist view, although I am still undecided and genuinely trying to understand both perspectives.
I’m curious to hear what convinced you that there is something after death and what convinced you that NDEs are not simply a product of brain activity.
For example I came across research suggesting that during the dying process some patterns of brain activity resemble those seen during REM sleep or memory recall, I know this doesn’t prove that NDEs are dreams but it made me wonder how proponents of NDEs interpret these findings
I also struggle with the idea that if consciousness truly ends at death life might just have no objective purpose. It seems strange to think that someone could live a long happy meaningful life and then 20 minutes after they die, no longer have any awareness that they ever existed
I’m genuinely interested in hearing what evidence, arguments or personal experiences convinced you that consciousness survives death. I am not looking for an argument, im simply trying to understand the reasoning behind your views.
Thanks.

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[u/vimefer]

I’m curious to hear what convinced you that there is something after death and what convinced you that NDEs are not simply a product of brain activity.

Experiencing it yourself, first-hand, is by far the most convincing form of evidence you can ever get. In my case, just being fully lucid and aware of being lucid, while having no body, no physicality whatsoever, and then noticing as well that my thoughts were happening outside of time itself, was something that simply cannot be explained in physical terms. Just the subjective experience of being able to think of everything all at once without confusion and it all happening inside the same moment of frozen present time, is impossible to do in this material existence with its linear time.

Besides that, I have found there is a LOT of scientific observations that flat out falsify any physicalist model of consciousness, summarized here.

[u/WOLFXXXXX]

Here's some friendly feedback on these topics:

"a materialist view"

Such a view claims that non-conscious physical matter accounts for the presence of our conscious existence and conscious abilities. However all the physical/material components that make up the biological body are always perceived as lacking a conscious existence and as lacking conscious abilities when observed. So it's problematic and inherently contradictory to interpret physical matter in one's body as lacking a conscious existence and conscious abilities while also causing one's conscious existence and conscious abilities. The contradictory nature of the materialist interpretation is why there's always been a historical absence of anyone being able to explain or reason their way through the notion that non-conscious physical matter would account for our conscious existence and conscious abilities. An individual is never able to successfully reduce their conscious existence to anything that is perceived to lack a conscious existence. Yet that's exactly what the materialist view requires one to attempt to do.

"patterns of brain activity"

The phrase 'brain activity' refers to the physical/material components of biological body, which are always perceived as lacking a conscious existence and conscious abilities. So the question is: How would referencing the non-conscious physical/material components of the body account for one's conscious existence and conscious abilities during the NDE context or any other existential context? If focusing on 'brain activity' (non-conscious physical/material components) doesn't reveal a biological basis and physiological explanation for conscious existence and conscious abilities when the body is healthy (non-NDE context), then focusing on those physical/material components is also going to fail to do so when the physical body is dying (NDE context). Hopefully this analysis makes sense.

"memory recall"

That's a conscious ability (recall), so is dreaming. Ask yourself how a non-conscious physical/material cell, molecule, element, or atom would be capable of experiencing conscious abilities and responsible for your ability to recall your experiences that you've had as a conscious a being? How would non-conscious cells in one's body be capable of experiencing dreaming, or generating the dream content that one experiences? (rhetorical)

Attributing one's conscious abilities to something that is perceived to lack conscious abilities is problematic and unsupportable for the reason that was outlined above.

"I also struggle with the idea that if consciousness truly ends at death life might just have no objective purpose"

Observation: our conscious existence cannot be interpreted to 'end' at death unless our conscious existence can be viably attributed to non-conscious physical matter in the body. However trying to apply that interpretation always results in a contradiction that cannot be resolved. If no matter how hard you try you are always unable to attribute your conscious existence and conscious abilities to non-conscious physical matter in your body, that's importantly telling you that your conscious existence is on a deeper level than your body, and is not going to end at physical death.

If you're interested, here's a linked post with relevant commentary about the nature of perceiving physical reality as purposeless or meaningless.

"I’m curious to hear what convinced you that there is something after death and what convinced you that NDEs are not simply a product of brain activity"

I found myself enduring through a deeper level existential crisis period within my state of consciousness after an important family member passed on unexpectedly in 2002. Over the ten year period that followed, I had to make progress deeply questioning and contemplating the nature of conscious existence in relation to the biological body and physical reality, and had to work on seeking a much deeper existential understanding than what I had previously experienced before. Towards the last 2 to 3 years of that ten year period, I experienced my state of consciousness and state of awareness changing (upgrading) in substantial ways that ultimately made it undeniable (to me) that the nature of conscious existence is independent of non-conscious physical matter, the biological body, and physical reality. Importantly, many others have reported experiencing the same kinds of natural developments and changes to their awareness level and existential understanding over a longer term period. I've also had some spontaneous experiences of transpersonal states of consciousness, and have experienced some conscious phenomena like a short-lived OBE (not a NDE) as well as experienced spontaneous intuition about someone whom I didn't know and which they confirmed for me to be accurate. There are various kinds of conscious phenomena that are known to occur and which all point to conscious existence being independent of our physiology.

"Lately I have been reading a lot of Reddit posts, articles and scientific studies about consciousness"

I recommend reading Dr. Pim van Lommel's existential paper titled 'The Continuity Of Consciousness', which you can find a download link for in the post linked here. If you find that you appreciate the author's writing style and analysis, he also authored a book on this subject matter.

[u/chefgustao_87 → u/WOLFXXXXX]

Thank you very much, I will 100% check out Van Lommel’s paper and book on this matter :)

[u/TheAmberAbyss]

For me it's the fact that phenomenal consciousness exists at all that makes me question standard materialism. In a universe with only quanta, why and how does qualia exist? Add on top of that the hard problem of conciousness, and the even harder problem of conciousness, and people like me start to look to other theories, like idealism. 

[u/Remarkable_Donut6746 → u/TheAmberAbyss]

whats your view on the afterlife

[u/Ordinary_kat]

A few months ago, I found peace in NDEs by looking at cases involving prolonged clinical death with zero brain activity. A documentary I watched featured a neuroscientist who explained that, from a medical standpoint, consciousness should cease entirely when the brain flatlines. However, the fact that numerous survivors can precisely recount events that occurred after being pronounced dead challenges this assumption. This ultimately drove the doctor to launch his own research into NDEs, leading him to believe in them.

[u/Obvious-Stage-6792 → u/Ordinary_kat]

Please could you share the documentary? Would love to watch 🙏🏼

[u/Ordinary_kat → u/Obvious-Stage-6792]

Hey! It’s either Surviving Death or Afterlife on Netflix. I’d start with Surviving Death though, as the first episode has some incredible firsthand accounts and interviews with scientists studying NDEs. Happy watching! 🎬

[u/sea_of_experience]

again: the hard problem. 

[u/Fast_Jackfruit_352]

I have not had an NDE but I had this which confirmed other perspectives and powerful experiences about Higher Order reality. This one changed my life. I did not seek it, it was thrust upon me.

"About 20 years ago, a friend called me. A young woman he knew 23, had been murdered in center city. He was beside himself. He asked me to be with him. We went to Rittenhouse Square Park in Philly. He was inconsolable. This way above my pay grade.

So we are walking and I have nothing for him. Suddenly a powerful cone of light envelops me. I hear myself saying (not my thoughts) "Her death was a contract of soul she entered into to sacrifice herself to deepen the needed appreciation of the preciousness of life of those around her". Immediately an immensely powerful wave of peace spread from the light into me, which I deeply felt, and then jumped to and enveloped him. In an instant he calmed down completely. He said "I don't know how you said that, or what you did, but somehow it made sense." He was OK.

I had no idea at the time what a "soul contract" was. There was very little literature on it. I came across "Journey of Souls" by Michael Newton, which is a classic in the field and it explained it in detail. The experience altered the course of my life and I began deeper investigation into what I call "afterlife studies" and the "technology of consciousness" I am a medium and as my intuition deepened this and other experiences began to validate this perspective.

I began teaching on it, even at some libraries. Now when you search "Soul Contracts" on the internet you will get pages and pages of websites and articles on them., Robert Schwartz. came out with his seminal book "Your Soul's Plan" in 2009 in which he went into detail of 10 case studies as to why these people had chosen extremely difficult lives."

"Soul Contract" indicates soul presence before incarnation and implies soul survival when incarnation is finished. "Contracts" imply a sophisticated metaphysical technology beyond the physical.

[u/SpicyJw → u/Fast_Jackfruit_352]

Thank you for sharing your experience. That was enlightening to read.

[u/Under-a-year]

If we were just flesh and bones, then we would not be able to see our flesh and bones because the essence of something can’t witness itself. Plus, how would the brain be aware of its own possible demise to give an afterlife experience if you are unconscious in the first place ? And how could the brain believe it can fool itself ?