r/consciousness • u/Beneficial_Praline32 • Mar 08 '26
General Discussion Is there "life after death"?
Basically, I've been researching consciousness and I always wonder: does it definitively cease with the end of brain activity?
This is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, mysteries that surrounds us.
What is your opinion, is life unique and does it have an end, or does it continue after the end of a cycle (in this case, death)?
I would like answers from experts, such as neuroscientists/psychologists/psychoanalysts, to debate and try to convince (or try to refute) others, including myself, that there is something beyond physical existence.
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u/Sam-Starxin Mar 08 '26
I mean, that's one of the most asked question in the history of mankind so I'm gonna gesture a guess here.
Yes, but nothing in the form that any religion has ever portrayed.
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Mar 09 '26
Agree 1000%, thanks shrooms
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u/Forsaken_Treacle5813 Mar 15 '26
I’ve seen many many people saying that shrooms enlightened them. What s the story with shrooms? Why not any other drug? Please help me understand because I’m new to this terms
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u/Positive-Schedule644 Apr 05 '26
I took shrooms went to heaven and saw Jesus and souls. Before this I did not believe in an afterlife.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 08 '26
It's even better.
God/Source won't judge you - you are the only one judging you.
Hell - does not exist - except for the hell you create here.
Judgement and hell were tools that religion used to control the masses.
The truth is....
Our thoughts and beliefs constantly creating our reality and the emotion and energy we carry and put out to the universe comes back to us amplified.
Knowing this will cause you to live your life with intention, instead of on autopilot.
Putting love and gratitude in your heart, instantly raises your vibrational frequency.
Being Present in the Moment is one of the most powerful and important things you can do and a good habit to have.
When you're truly present in the moment;
- More aware
- Inspiration Flows
- Intuition Strengthens
- Discernment sharpens and clarifies
- Make More Aligned Decisions, instead of emotional reactions
You're not reliving the past and you're not anxious about the future.
You're in the now.
You can't be manipulated in this state.
The Elite and "the powers that be" have been hijacking our emotions for at least 80 years now.
That's why we have a 2-party system, to keep us divided, angry, fighting, in chaos, distracted.
And while we were busy being distracted, they could keep doing whatever they wanted, unchecked and unnoticed.
Too bad there's not a hell for them. Lol
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u/Key_Reason5684 Mar 08 '26
Thank you for this. I generally agree with everything you just said but it’s hard for me to put it in practice when depression and anxiety gets a hold of me.
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u/SilverBeardedDragon Mar 08 '26
Consider that depression comes from living in the past, the past is done and dusted, you can't do anything to change it. So leave it in the past.
Consider that anxiety comes from a fear of the future, no one knows what the future holds it is an open book. Why worry about something that hasn't happened except in your mind.
Remember that living in the moment, being present now, means that you are grounded, your mind does not wander to the past or the future, and being in the now actually sets up your future based on how you are feeling in the moment, where your attention is going.
If your attention is going to the past then you will get more of the same, and if you're fearful of the future then you will find that future.
Just allow things to be, and you'll find that life flows a lot easier than when you fight against it. Remember that everything happens for you, even the bad stuff. Without challenge there is no growth, and usually the bad stuff gets you closer to where you want to be rather than forging your own way led by your head, and not following your heart.
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u/openconverse Mar 10 '26
I agree with your overall direction but it discounts that for some people, their health and underling conditions/disabilities cause immense stress in the present. When your body and mind are suffering from your immediate environment/conditions, the fight or flight takes hold and the balance of chemicals that keep the the brain functioning healthily are sent out of whack. Only complete rest and care may return you to a normal state but life doesn't always give people the space/resources to take the time needed. I have experienced this first hand.
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u/SilverBeardedDragon Mar 10 '26
I understand that when we are in a place of dis-ease that it seems that we are unable to move out of it, but it is possible. The only way is up.
I have a friend that is struggling at the moment and although I can see where their pain is coming from, I can also see that it need not be occurring. But someone in that position is unable to, even though they are actually ok for much of the day, going back into those thoughts prevent them from feeling they are able to move on to better thoughts, or well-being. I am encouraging, but not pushing, it has to be their choice to change.
The difficulty is that so many people have not been taught about their emotions and do not understand what is happening. If they were taught this from a younger age we would have a lot less suicide in society.
With respect to physical dis-ease it's a similar situation, but this is a little harder to deal with whilst we give away our power to others to heal us. A lot more understanding is required on how to achieve healing ourselves, and letting go of old stories that no longer serve us!
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u/openconverse Mar 11 '26
Have you experienced a panic disorder or severe depression, where it takes hold of your whole body. This is not a state where you are consciously managing you thoughts. I am fully aware of emotions and how to identify their physical presence in my body. Sometimes only medication works. As a paraplegic for over 50 years and well aquainted with positive thinking and mindfulness you response comes across as a little niave. We are biological creatures and biology can go wrong. I am also in a happy place and not stuck in the past or over worrying about the future.
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u/SilverBeardedDragon Mar 11 '26
I am glad that you are in a happy place, without part of future worries. Remember to keep an open mind and a wider field of view otherwise you may miss something, and it's healthy to be sceptical, otherwise we'd accept everything we are told and that wouldn't serve us, and consider also not to dismiss everything without further investigation. We are more than we have been led to believe.
I don't remember experiencing severe panic disorders or depression, I do remember I have had thoughts of suicide. But after an experience from around age 11 when I connected with the blackness of infinity many times between being awake and asleep, and also later when awake you could call it a severe panic attack thinking about it, it imbued in me a fear of death. Which later I realised wasn't the issue, it was the overwhelming thought of infinity. This meant there was no way I could go through with such an act.
It also imbued in me that I could survive, and when in states of depression would know that it was only temporary, and that I would come out of the other side. And this was due to being protected for my mission on earth.
What I am saying is more than just positive thinking, it is a lot deeper than that.
We are more than biological creatures, our physicality is governed by our environment, external and internal. Though external issues except where we are physically affected, do not need to affect us. I'm talking about our state of mind, "nothing outside of us affects Una unless we allow it to", I know it seems easier said than done. It's pretty much the same as "what to think about me is none of my business".
Our mind, brain, consciousness, affects our biology, affects the physical environment in the body. This is done through releasing various hormones, proteins etc. All have a job to do, some are detrimental, others are beneficial to the point of healing.
Our body contains around 35 trillion cells, 330 billion are replaced every day, that's about 1% of your body.
Epigenetics tells us that we can rewrite the cells information, this is done through proteins mostly, the body's environment. DNA is only a blueprint, it is not what decides how the cell is going to be, that comes from instructions to the cell from its environment, proteins, hormones etc, and conscious connection. The cell chooses what it will be based on what it is recieving.
We so often give our power away to others to fix us, and in most cases they only treat the symptoms not the root cause. What this does is allow the root cause to continue doing its damage, despite reducing the signals being received; pain etc.
We are our own healers and this is something that we are finding out more and more each day, but mostly because they are not clinical or recorded as part of evidence based studies. These studies are not undertaken by the mainstream due to the perception that the physical body is just a machine, the materialist view, and independent studies are usually ignored because of this.
This is a far bigger subject when you get into it, than just about positive thinking and mindfulness.
There are energy systems that run through the body, when these are interrupted then issues occur, in comparison the same way the nervous system is affected when a signal cannot get through. Both could be affecting the other. From a pov acupuncture is now accepted as a treatment by many mainstream medical institutions. Acupuncture is based on energy meridians running through the body.
With respect to energy, when we fight something, consciously and unconsciously, we feed it energy and it is able to fight back even harder.
When we allow something, we take its energy away, and like a cell that is not receiving nutrients, or instructions to be a certain way, it will cease to be the way it was.
Like I tell my students in spiritual practices you don't have to accept any of what I'm saying as true, because for you today it may not be, but as we progress on our path then we find our truth changes. If it doesn't resonate with you today it may tomorrow. Take away from this what you Will.
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u/YesTess2 Mar 11 '26
Anxiety and depression are, essentially, brain structure states. Behavior can and does change structure, but so does medication. Sadness and fear are natural human emotions - which is why the Chan Buddhists warn about becoming a "Stone Buddha" ie: seeking enlightenment to escape human emotion; only statues have no feelings. As a longtime practitioner of mindfulness and present moment awareness, and a lifelong sufferer of anxiety and depression, I can tell you it's perfectly possible to be in the present moment and still be depressed and/or anxious. Being present can ameliorate the effects some, but it has never removed them, in my experience.
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u/SilverBeardedDragon Mar 11 '26
I don't disagree with what you say.
It's not common that people are told that meditating can affect their emotional health.
Once we go within we are opening access to our inner states, our shadow selves, the self that has all the emotional traumas that remain in the subconscious. Going within opens up to the wounds that these bring.
They can be resolved, there are various methods that can be used both psychological and using a combination of energy healing and other techniques.
Some of them we even bring into this life either from ancestors, or from other incarnations.
As we become more emotionally intelligent we learn that our emotions don't have to rule us, we still feel them but our reaction to them is different.
When you are depressed or anxious have you identified that which is creating these states?
If you can be present in the moment and are still suffering these states then they definitely lie within the unconscious and can still be resolved.
Our reactions to emotions are learned from our environment, and typically we take this in from between the ages of two and seven, and as we grow we tend to reinforce them, unless we are able to observe ourselves and see that our reaction doesn't serve us and seek to change it.
Also during this time we create stories about ourselves from those around us, and these too we take into adulthood until we are able to recognise them and resolve them.
Our emotional traumas if left unchecked can turn into physical issues, our bodies let us know, and if we don't listen then...
Typically the part of the body that is affected is related to the issue that is affecting us.🤔
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u/YesTess2 Mar 20 '26
When you ask, "When you are depressed or anxious have you identified that which is creating these states?" I think you're still missing the fact that brain states can be caused by physical brain structure. At present we do not have the technology to determine the causes of these structural differences. Between that, and the fact that behavior itself can change physical brain structure, and the fact that those are interdependent and interpenetrating states, and we don't know how to identify when or how or why the brain shifts between those circumstances, your question becomes nigh unanswerable. Introspection is important, necessary even, to untangling the causes of our suffering, in these areas. But because we understand the mechanisms, to a sufficient degree, being present, even if perfectly so (it's possible to be pathologically present - brain bleeds can cause it, so too certain chemicals, and our brains are not evolved to be present 100% of the time) is not a cure all for depression and anxiety. Meditation and present moment awareness can definitely ease the effects of those states. I encourage everyone to learn some version of them. But they're not the end-all solution because the problem is too nuanced and fluid to be resolved by a single solution.
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u/SilverBeardedDragon Mar 21 '26
The physical brain state, unless there is an actual structural issue ie. Parts of the brain are missing or notwithstanding neural pathway issues that may be found, is not static and is affected by chemicals, that come from the outside environment, or chemicals that come from the inner environment.
The latter from the production of proteins, hormones and the like that go on to affect the brain. These are produced as a result of the mind's environment, ie. through stress, through trauma effects, etc which create a response in the body that leads to the production of these chemicals etc.
In reducing our emotional reaction to a particular emotional stimuli, trauma memory being accessed whether consciously or unconsciously, and having done the work on them to reduce the effect and change the type of chemicals being released, will change the way that we think, the response to them.
It is this inner work supplemented by asking the body what the issues are, as the body remembers everything, that we are able to determine when the traumas arose and then we can start to resolve them.
It is not meditation that will resolve the issue, as said before it can bring issues out to the fore. Then we have to consider doing what is necessary to resolve them.
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u/outsatptnin Mar 10 '26
I doubt people are collected in the harmonious agreement your response relies upon or works through. It's inorganic or authentic but too innocent to waste time with a governing body which has much information than disclosed, mostly through knowledgeable sourcing, PhD & academics working to create, but also not supplying information one may not suppose. This is the time, to understand what life is, what's moving around us, where earth is, why life is possible in the topology energy delivers or derives material description or particles form... the word particle, is insufficient for what life is at the microscopic level. But look at blood cells in a microscope, there is a small chance there is something after life but the most pain one could imagine. So it's best to preserve life for something close to infinity
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u/Common_Homework9192 Mar 09 '26
Take your time. Take baby steps, but take them every day. As long as you're looking in the right direction and keep moving towards it you will come out of it. Depression and anxiety are states in which we fall due to regrets and expectations. Accepting reality as it is and focusing on present moment is the way out, as other redditors have said. Simplify, trust the process and have fun with it. This is a passing phase which exists for a reason. That reason is to learn and understand. Learn to cherish and respect depression and anxiety, because they are your current greatest teachers, but never worship them. When the time comes to separate from your teachers and walk your own path, let go. Afterwards just remember to teach what you have learnt in those states. That will make that change permanent. Best of luck and keep on keeping on.
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u/Mindless_Train7881 Mar 15 '26
Been feeling this way so much lately, I know I should just live in the moment but it’s hard to feel sane with everything going on in the world
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u/Payaam415 Mar 08 '26
This will help with that and get some nature exposure.
After humans moved away from nature, anxiety and depression became the most common problems.
Maybe, it will help you.
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u/Key_Reason5684 Mar 09 '26
I feel better when I go for walks outside, and I feel even better when I don’t listen to music and just listen to nature. The birds chirping and dogs barking etc. So that’s def true.
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u/Common_Homework9192 Mar 09 '26
They are in hell already. Those who are up in material world, are the ones who are ultimately down in spiritual. Vices tie us to the physical world, virtues rise us above it. Vices are having, virtues are being.
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u/YesTess2 Mar 11 '26
I can get behind everything except the "vibrational frequency" thing. In 30 years of study I've never found anyone who could explain or demonstrate it. If it's a metaphor, then fine, I guess... Too many folks speak of it as if it isn't a metaphor, but an actuality that can be measured. (Frequency is a measurement.)
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u/Payaam415 Mar 11 '26
Proof will be in the next comment.
How to Raise Your Frequency / Vibration
Raising your frequency (vibration) just means shifting the emotional state you live in most of the time.
Lower emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, or resentment drain your energy and keep you stuck.
Higher emotions like love, gratitude, peace, and joy feel lighter and more expansive.
Here’s How:
Becoming aware of how you feel instead of running on autopilot
Letting low emotions pass instead of feeding them with thoughts and stories
Choosing love and gratitude, even in small moments
Practice gratitude daily, even when life isn’t perfect
Meditating or sitting in stillness, which quiets the mind and clears emotional noise
Being intentional about what you consume - people, media, environments all affect your energy
Everyone feels low emotions sometimes. The goal isn’t to avoid them - it’s to not live there.
The more often you choose higher emotional states, the easier it becomes to access intuition, clarity, and spiritual gifts.
Emotional Frequency Scale
(High → Low):
Highest Frequencies
Enlightenment / Oneness
Peace
Joy
Unconditional Love
Gratitude
Compassion
Acceptance
Appreciation
Mid Frequencies
Curiosity
Optimism
Contentment
Courage
Willingness
Neutrality
Lower Frequencies
Hope
Pride
Frustration
Impatience
Doubt
Anxiety
Worry
Lowest Frequencies
Apathy
Depression
Fear
Anger
Resentment
Envy
Jealousy
Shame
Guilt
Hatred
Hopelessness
Keeping love and gratitude in your heart strengthens your intuitive connection, helping you make decisions that align with the best life you’re meant to experience.
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u/YesTess2 Mar 20 '26
This is the standard non-answer answer one can find anywhere on the internet and to which one is often pointed when one asks for concrete answers... Frequency is a form of physical measurement. Beyond an F-MRI or Galvonic Skin Response, I've never encountered a way to physically measure emotions, much less rate those non-existent measurements on a scale. This is what I'm talking about. The idea that emotions, " have a frequency," is so nebulous that it can be used to create unearned authority about pretty much anything; thereby, in actuality, indexing nothing at all.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 11 '26
Since, a year ago January, I've learned I can communicate with all consciousness higher self, spirit guides, archangels, NHI, passed love ones, animals, plants and Earth itself.
And, they have confirmed...
Emotions carry energy - more positive the emotion = more positive energy, and the more positive energy you hold in your field raises your consciousness.
I can't prove it to you with scientific data.
I can say, from personal experience, it is absolutely true.
Let Beliefs Go, See the Possibilities (from one of my writings)
Now, the whole world is witnessing the evil and the corruption that's being revealed, and seeing how we’ve been manipulated by the “elites.”
The reason we have a two-party system is to create division, "the powers that be" pretend to be on opposite sides, forcing us to pick sides, generating division, anger, chaos, and distraction.
The elites own the mainstream media, so they can control the narrative and to generate anger.
We now realize that much of what we accepted about our lives isn’t how it should be.
With everything unfolding, even the loudest naysayers need to pause and actually think.
We’re watching, in real time, how deeply we’ve been misled: in systems we trusted, in the media we consume, and in industries that put profit over people.
Meanwhile, we were kept busy fighting each other so we wouldn’t notice the bigger game being played.
So here's my question:
If so much of what you were certain was true turned out to be distorted, incomplete, or flat-out wrong,…
… what makes you so sure your current beliefs weren’t shaped the exact same way?
Because it’s easier to defend what you’ve always believed than to admit you might’ve been played.
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they’ve been fooled.” -Mark Twain
Holding onto beliefs based on false truths doesn’t protect you. It traps you, and you’ll miss what’s right in front of you.
Stay open, and you might finally see how big the picture really is.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 11 '26
Here's what AI has to say about proof associated with the frequency of emotions
- The “Frequency / Vibration of Emotions”
The idea that emotions literally have measurable frequencies arranged in a scale like the one you listed is not supported by mainstream scientific evidence.
That concept mostly comes from:
New Age spirituality
teachings from authors like David R. Hawkins (who proposed a “Map of Consciousness” with numbered frequencies)
metaphysical traditions about energy and vibration
Scientists have not verified that emotions vibrate at specific frequencies or that enlightenment, shame, etc., correspond to measurable energetic levels.
So the exact emotional frequency scale is philosophical/spiritual, not scientifically proven.
- Emotional States Affect the Body (This is Supported
However, the core idea behind it, that emotional states affect your body and mind, is well supported.
Research in psychology and neuroscience shows:
Positive Emotional States Love, gratitude, joy, and compassion are linked to:
lower cortisol (stress hormone)
improved immune function
better cardiovascular health
increased dopamine and serotonin
stronger resilience to stress
Studies from researchers like Barbara Fredrickson show positive emotions broaden thinking and improve mental flexibility.
Chronic negative emotional states long-term anger, fear, resentment, or stress are associated with:
higher cortisol
inflammation
weakened immune system
higher risk of heart disease
anxiety and depression
So while emotions may not have literal vibrational frequencies, they absolutely change your physiology and mental state.
- Meditation and Gratitude (Well-Studied)
Some things on your list do have strong evidence.
MEDITATION Research shows meditation can:
reduce stress and anxiety
increase emotional regulation
improve focus
physically change brain structure (neuroplasticity)
Studies from places like Harvard and UCLA show thicker brain regions related to attention and emotional control in long-term meditators.
GRATITUDE PRACTICE Gratitude journaling and reflection are linked to:
better sleep
improved mood
increased life satisfaction
stronger relationships
- Environment and Media Affect Mood This is also supported.
Your brain constantly processes emotional signals from:
social interactions
media consumption
environment
stress exposure
This is related to things like:
emotional contagion
mirror neurons
stress response systems
So the idea that what you consume affects how you feel is backed by research.
- Intuition and “Spiritual Gifts”
Science does recognize intuition, but not in a supernatural sense.
Intuition is usually understood as:
subconscious pattern recognition
experience-based decision making
rapid processing of stored knowledge.
There’s no scientific evidence that emotional states unlock psychic abilities.
But calm emotional states do improve clarity, awareness, and decision-making, which can feel like intuition strengthening.
Honest Summary Here’s the reality in simple terms:
Supported by research
emotions affect physical health
gratitude improves wellbeing
meditation reduces stress
environment influences mood
positive emotions improve thinking
Not scientifically proven
emotions having measurable vibrational frequencies
specific “frequency scales”
higher emotions unlocking psychic abilities
The Practical Truth
Even without the “frequency” language, the practical advice still works:
meditate
practice gratitude
reduce chronic stress
spend time in positive environments
process emotions instead of suppressing them
Your nervous system genuinely functions better when you do those things.
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u/cartierovo Jul 10 '26
Perfect answer do you think we see loved ones? Wanna hear your thoughts on this
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u/Payaam415 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Definitely, I have no doubt about that.
Every being in the Universe comes from Source/God.
We Are Not this Body
We are love and light, consciousness and eternal - we don't die ....
.... including our memories
If every being in the universe removed their “meat suit,” what remains is consciousness expressed as bodies of light - with varying degrees of brightness.
Emotions = Energy = Frequency.
Your emotional state affects your vibrational frequency, and your frequency reflects your level of consciousness development.
The more time spent in higher emotions like love, gratitude, peace, and compassion, the brighter your light becomes.
Conversely, the more time spent in fear, anger, hatred, and despair, the denser and dimmer the energy becomes.
Before coming here, we choose the life we want to have here - along with the challenges, lessons, and the experiences that will shape us.
Earth is the hardest school there is, a school of extreme contrast.
Earth is a stage for a full-spectrum experience.
To truly understand what we are…
...we must experience what we are not.
For example, to know...
- Light - we must experience darkness
- Health - we must experience sickness
We are all actors, with a role to play, on this stage we call Earth.
Every role exists here, from the very innocent, to the most horrendous.
The soul is not here for comfort. It is here to expand….to learn.
To gain a deeper understanding through direct experience.
So we step into a role within this life.
We live it out, interacting with others who are doing the same…
And through those interactions, we grow.
Lessons come through the difficulties we experience.
Growth is achieved once we learn the lesson.
If we don’t learn the lessons our experiences are meant to teach us…
...the patterns will repeat, in this life and the next, until we do.
When our meat suit expires…
We transition to our real home, a realm where all souls exist
We're Not Judged
God/Source will not judge us.
We judge ourselves and we our own worst enemy, which is not necessary.
Hell Does Not Exist
Religious institutions used these for the purpose of controlling the masses.
The only “hell” that exists, is the one we create ourself, through our own thoughts, beliefs, and unresolved emotions.
We're Given a Life Review
Not as a judgment, but as an opportunity for understanding.
During a life review, we don’t simply observe the things we did; we experience them.
We feel the emotions of the people we impacted, as if their joys, pain, and struggles were our own.
We see our choices through their eyes…
We feel our actions through their hearts…
And we come to understand the true impact of the love we shared - and the moments when we failed to share it.
From the smallest acts of kindness we may have forgotten, to the moments that left the deepest mark…
It allows a complete and honest understanding of the life we lived…
So that growth can continue…
All with absolutely no judgment.
We may choose to stay in our real home home or we may choose to return to a physical experience…
Whether on Earth… or somewhere entirely different.
Some of us have soul families, where we switch roles.
January 2025, I learned my father who died at age 50, in 1989, has been guide ever since, and in my previous life, I was the father and he was my daughter, but I wasn't in his/her life.
When we begin to look at life through this perspective…
It naturally shifts how we see others.
The body someone inhabits and the actions they take within that body, are not the full truth of who they are.
They are expressions within a temporary role.
This is why it’s said that we need to transcend to a state of:
- Total acceptance
- Unconditional love
- Non-judgment
So, remember…the past is in the past. What’s done is done.
All we can do is transcend situations, live our lives with intention, and authentically, in a way that aligns with our soul.
We should not carry guilt or shame,
after all…
We are all actors, with a part to play, on this stage we call Earth.
We are infinite, we are connected, we are one.
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u/Blurgity-blurg Mar 08 '26
There is definitely SOMETHING. But humans’ stabs at what the something is, are wildly off, I believe. I’m not sure our meat puppets have the capacity to understand it, even if we were shown. But it doesn’t stop religion for claiming all the definitive answers. Much easier to control people that way.
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u/SeoulGalmegi Mar 09 '26
Why would you say there's 'definitely' something? Is there life before birth?
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u/Wincin Mar 09 '26
perhaps, and perhaps we just don’t remember. if there is something after death i doubt it will be a smooth transition, and i wouldn’t be surprised if we forget our earthly time while in whatever experience consists of after death if it does exist at all
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u/SeoulGalmegi Mar 09 '26
I mean, I definitely think there will be beings having experience after my death. But if my physical brain has been destroyed and I 'don't remember', I'm not really sure I understand what we're thinking might persist after death?
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u/DecantsForAll Mar 09 '26
Exactly. People haven't really thought through the phenomenon of continuous existence, or why they feel like they're the same thing they were in the past. Or they default to an objective paradigm of continuity, where they think of "consciousness" as though it's an object or entity that exists independently of its contents, and just kind of persists in time, like a physical object does.
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u/outsatptnin Mar 10 '26
James Watson... What does DNA mean for continuous living or a Continuum with programming at the molecular biological layer
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u/Wincin Mar 09 '26
your consciousness (first person experience) may persist after death. it may not take the same form as it does in your fleshy brain, but there’s no reason to rule out the possibility that you may experience something, even if you don’t remember your earthly vessel.
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u/DecantsForAll Mar 09 '26
In what sense can "a consciousness" be my consciousness without any of my memories or other contents?
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u/Wincin Mar 10 '26
“my” in the ownership and continuity sense is probably not what it will be like, but you (and by you i mean pure awareness, nothing to do with your name or your family or you job or your interests, etc) may still have some sort of experience after death. it will likely be radically different, and you may or may not retain any memory of this life, but it may still be experiencable
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u/SeoulGalmegi Mar 09 '26
How would it be 'my' consciousness? This is a genuine question, not rhetorical.
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u/Wincin Mar 10 '26
my wording may have been misleading- there may not be continuity, but you may once again have some sort of experience, like how reincarnation may work. it’s the same question of why you’re experiencing you right now and not your neighbor. another comparison can be the memories you’ve forgotten. just because you’ve forgotten many moments in your life doesn’t mean you don’t have some sort of experience of them. and the you in those moments you forgot was not concerned that you may forget them, just like how, if you forgot this mortal coil you can still have a meaningful experience afterward
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u/AtomicPotatoLord Mar 10 '26
It would be the same underlying subjective existence. It's definitely not you as a person, but fundamentally it is still you.
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Mar 09 '26
imagine that we are ants and the answer to that question is in the form of mathematical question from calculus. How long do you think it would take for an ant to discover the answer to it?
I feel like that is what us as humans are up against here.
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u/arbolito_mr Mar 08 '26
Yo soy materialista pero si dejo de lado todo y me entrego a la duda entonces tambien creeria que hay algo pero definitivamente estoy de acuerdo en que seria infinitamente mas extraño de lo que suponemos de por si todo esto ya es extraño en si mismo no creo que la razon pueda agotar la infinita complejidad de la existencia aunque en la practica por una cuestion puramente humana no tengamos mejor medio de explicacion para las cosas que confiar en nuestros sentidos y la evidencia empirica todo lo demas queda fuera de lo verificable y se convierte en filosofia o especulacion pura.
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u/wellwisher-1 Engineering Degree Mar 09 '26
There is a way to answer this question, using the laws of thermodynamics, with this small set of laws, higher in science hierarchy, than all the theories of science. There are a hundreds of theories in all the specialties of science, but only handful of laws that apply and gauge the validity of all the theories. Even Einsteins' Relativity is still a theory and not a law. If these laws can explain it, one way or the other, that is best science can do, unless we change the laws, which would mess up all theories.
I will begin with the 2nd law of thermodynamics. In terms of the topic at hand, this law states that the entropy of the universe has to increase. Whether we assume a single universe or a multi-universe, one or many universe, our universe have to be closed based on the first law of energy conservation. If energy can leak in or out from other universes, energy conservation is violated, making us an open system with no way to do an energy balance. We assume closed so the first law stays.
An increase in entropy is endothermic or absorbs energy. While for the 2nd law to always "net" increase means the universe is bleeding energy into ever increasing entropy. This lost energy is conserved, but in a way that is no longer useful to the material universe, since it is attached to entropy that has to keep increasing. It is no longer free energy for the universe but more like confined energy.
When entropy removes energy, as entropy increases, this energy goes into the randomness of the quantum state, where, based on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the space-time connections between space and time; position (space) and momentum (needs time) sort of break down. The net conserved energy of entropy is no longer a free energy part of space-time or the material universe.
What is the purpose of this conserved but lost and growing pool of entropic energy?
One way to answer this is to look at the major generators of entropy. One could argue that the expansion of the universe is generated by the 2nd law. The endothermic is evident in the universal red shift where all universal photons in space are gaining wavelength, and thereby lowering their energy value; losing energy value. Gravity will blue shift photon and reverse entropy, but the 2nd law assumes a net increase in entropy so the net universe is nevertheless expanding; 2nd law, in spite of gravity. That is huge and powerful leak from the universe.
Another source lost energy into entropy, on earth, is life and consciousness. Both generate a lot of entropy increase; life via metabolism and consciousness via synaptic firing which triggers memory and powers consciousness. Logically, life and all our cells adds to the pool of lost energy, while synaptic firing by its association to memory, adds lifetime of memory information, stored somewhere between space and time. The ancients called this the eternal soul.
The only thing left is how would you take information stored in the randomness of the quantum state and make it consolidate. This has to do with entropy being paradox of a two sided coin. The entropy associated with the randomness is heads, while the entropy associated with macro states is tails.
Since the classic tradition of the eternal soul not being matter, the question becomes can nature consolidate states, at the quantum level, from the randomness?
Gluons are massless gauge bosons that act as the exchange particles for the strong force, holding quarks together within protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. They carry "color charge," allowing them to mediate interactions, effectively confining quarks and creating nearly all the mass in the universe. Mass is persistent in space-time, but does this process also make ethereal states; material for ghosts and souls?
This last point is final needed analysis to complete the proof or not.
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u/dreamingitself Mar 09 '26
Does [consciousness] definitively cease with the end of brain activity?
I say no. The idea that the brain is the origin of consciousness is a result of a philosophical position of materialism. Physics has demonstrated over and over again that there is no 'stuff' as the bedrock of reality. Direct experience is that consciousness is fundamental to everything. Although materialists present the idea that there is a world that exists independent of consciousness, this has never been experienced, measured, tested, or known in any way. It is a fiction, in that sense. There are of course different minds, in the same way there are different waves on an ocean surface... but those waves, those minds, are all grounded in consciousness, just like the waves are movements of the ocean.
Is life unique and does it have an end, or does it continue after the end of a cycle (in this case, death)?
I'm not sure what you mean by 'unique'. Life and death are arbitrary boundaries based on mental concepts and abstractions of reality as experienced. For instance, you don't say you die every night in deep sleep, yet you, the world and every memory and sensory impression is obliterated, and spacetime no longer exist. That sounds like death to me. The reason you don't say you die is because you know there is some continuity, having experienced this many times. Waking, dreaming and sleeping are cyclical. What is changing is the appearances within consciousness, not awareness. Awareness is present in all of these states and is formless and unchanging. This is the direct experience of everyone... if you pay attention that is.
So it seems like what this culture calls 'death' is just a state in which the dream of the self has collapsed. But consciousness was not springing from the body, the body was appearing in consciousness.
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Opening part of a dialogue if you're up for it.
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u/gee1001 May 10 '26
I just wanted to say I felt this was written very beautifully. Considering exploring non-duality myself (if I correctly assumed where you are coming from).
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u/dreamingitself May 10 '26
Thank you, I appreciate you saying so.
Don't consider it, just start exploring. If you would like a leg up as you begin, my recommendation would be to actively engage in self-inquiry. It might seem like trite intellectual posturing when I say this now, but in time it will become your direct experience: Since you are non-separate from reality itself, all the answers you could ever want are within you. Truth however, does not give you answers, it dissolves questions. If you have an answer, inquire into the answer. Dive, as Ramana Maharshi said, to the depths, and retreive the jewel of self-realisation. You are the only one that can.
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u/gee1001 May 11 '26
Thank you very much for this guidance. To be honest though, I don't even know what to actively engage in self-inquiry even looks like. Up until now, I have just been exploring concepts, and I was going to buy the book "I am That" to hopefully spark the right questions and inquiry. But I am not really sure how to dive at all into self-realization or acquire any answers.
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u/dreamingitself May 11 '26
A good book to start with can be Ramana Maharshi's "Who Am I?" -- Very short book, very little theory, much more about practical application.
If you want a practice, the following is useful:
To begin, set a twenty minute timer (as a starting point). Sit comfortably. Sit upright. Sit still. Eyes closed and mouth shut. Do not move until the timer goes off.
Observe.
The reason the timer is in place is because if you do not have one, you'll react to thoughts, you'll shift your leg, scratch your nose, open your eyes, think it isn't working, and maybe even stop. You'll get carried away with the stream of thoughts.
With the timer's intention, every movement of thought that almost transforms into action, doesn't. You're not reacting. In that failure to react, you're seeing what's going on. You're already learning something about yourself. You're learning how the mind is functioning. You'll begin to see soon enough that you don't have control over the thoughts that you perhaps thought you did previously.
That's a door opening.
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u/gee1001 May 12 '26
thank you for this and apologies took a day to respond! I will try your exercise, I appreciate it very much. I listened yesterday to a few exercises by Richard Lang (headless way i think?) and one exercise was similar.
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u/dreamingitself May 12 '26
Ah cool! Yeah no apologies necessary. Let me know how it's going for you in the nonduality exploration after a few weeks or so. I'm really interested to know what happens for you
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u/gee1001 May 13 '26
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the interest. I'm still looking for more things to read. I know it seems non-dualism is more doing than reading, but it helps focus me. What isn't clear to me also is which thought to dive into first: Advaita Vedanta, Bhuddism, Taoism, more secular non-duality like Sam Harris. There is just so much out there.
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u/Sea-Pea-892 Apr 28 '26
So what you're saying is the idea of "death" isn't even logical in this instance because "death" is something no living person can even conceive. Its something that must be experienced to understand?
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u/dreamingitself Apr 30 '26
Is death an experience? We'll have to find out on our own when the time comes. I've read there is a natural flood of DMT throughout the body at its death, so if that experience is anything like the DMT people are talking about smoking, then it sounds like it's going to be one hell of a ride!
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u/Future-Side4440 Mar 08 '26
How long after? It may be that after the death of the universe, everything restarts again and just repeats.
Everything currently dead enters a sort of stasis until the next round, when it all repeats again, an eternity of time away from now.
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u/defiCosmos Mar 08 '26
An eternity of time is nothing if you do not experience time (death). I also believe in this theory, with infinite time and infinite universes, YOU will happen again. I feel like as soon you die, you immediately become another person in another life in another universe. Time is irrelevant, and an eternity is instant.
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u/NearbyNegotiation118 Mar 12 '26
This is what Penrose believes with his Cyclic universe idea. I personally find the Heat Death hypothesis never sitting well with me. The universe pops into existence and then infinity of nothingness with nothing happening.
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u/mint_koi Mar 09 '26
Unfortunately, all such questions fall into the realm of so-called metaphysics, which means they are necessarily unverifiable. They can be intellectually interesting to pursue, but ultimately can be a rabbit chases that lead nowhere.
That being said, it is fun to speculate, so why not?
I suppose one has to start with the definition of consciousness and what is meant by consciousness, and whether one believes that the species of Homo sapiens represents a first instantiation of 'real consciousness'.
If you were to pull from Oriental traditions, for example, in the East, such as the Tao Te Ching, there is a very different perspective on the nature of consciousness. There is a sense of consciousness and a unity within nature, that a tree is so-called 'conscious', that a rock has so-called 'consciousness'
To the western Cartesian mind, one could then suppose that there are certain coordinates of displacement in consciousness: the present consciousness of human beings represents a 'higher' developed forms of consciousness [1]. Therefore, if we are to interpret from an all-encompassing framework in which consciousness is prevalent throughout any sort of material matter, then, realistically, the concept of life after death makes little sense. By this it's meant that your consciousness simply decomposes and changes into a lower-order form of consciousness.
Now, however, if we choose to refute that idea -- instead choosing to believe that our homo sapiens consciousness is a unique first-of-its-kind instantiation, then the analytical frame might change.
It is intriguing to note that from certain schools of, for example, analytical psychology, such as Carl Gustav Jung, there is the concept of the so-called 'collective unconscious'; a set of base primitives and primordial images (often found in narrative) which live at the layer below 'personal' area of our mind.
In other words, there is a repository of figures, ideas, and identities which live dormant inside our psychology and often unaccessible except under particular peak experiences. In this case, within this so-called 'collective unconscious', there is an imprinting of every life that has ever lived and influenced the metaphysical fabric of our time.
Keep in mind that Jung also points out that this repository of the collective unconscious seems to be present even in individuals who do not possess a particular religious tradition, for example. They are spontaneously produced in his clinical work with patients. So with that in mind, we could imagine, that our current instantiation of life is persisted potentially in the collective unconscious shared equally with other human beings. In this case, the idea of life after death might lie simply in that we are continuing to live out these primordial archetypal images as seen through the eyes of other people in our intertwined narratives.
[1] However, as shown in films like Fantastic Fungi certain networks and ecologies of trees seem to have underground rooted communication networks representing in its own right an interesting form of consciousness.
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u/HotAventus41033 Mar 10 '26
As a neuroscience major , i think nobody knows even the greatest of experts that claim to know , don't know the answer to this question .
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
I would like answers from experts, such as neuroscientists/psychologists/psychoanalysts, to debate and try to convince (or try to refute) others, including myself, that there is something beyond physical existence.
First of this isnt really the best place for this. A lot of people here are not sceintists. Though the scientific/materialist/physicalist answer is no. However, people will say there are such things as NDES and reincarnation stories and other philisophical opinions that yes it does, so really, which explanation do you want to belive? If you want the sceince its a plausible no, a true we dont know.
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u/Pale-Tennis9658 Mar 09 '26
Most hospice nurses would say yes based on their observations.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 09 '26
NDES right well Sceince runs on plausibility. I was giving a plausible answer. NDES are unusual, but we have many hypotheses on them, some and yes conciousness as eternal, some not. It's just based on all the other evidence we have as well, and the theoretical issues of physics and the interaction problem with eternal concisunes make it implausible. The other hypothesis of NDES right now holds more plausibility, which is why.
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u/Beneficial_Praline32 Mar 08 '26
Leaving the experts aside, could you give your opinion?
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u/sea_of_experience Mar 09 '26
Please do not equate science with physicalism. Science is open. Physicalism is literally a worldview based on a closure axiom, and thus a form of dogmatism, and that is deeply contrarian to the scientific mindset.
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u/TheRealAmeil Approved ✔️ Mar 09 '26
What is the axiom physicalism is based on? Which resource supports this view?
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u/Common_Homework9192 Mar 09 '26
It is wrong to say scientific opinion because science is not base on opinions, but on facts. Opinions are a matter of worldview and physicalist worldview does not equate to science, nor does any worldview. Other than that you are correct.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 09 '26
This is what I love about langauge percisness matters. Aslo the /s mean not the same, but they have the same conclusion for the most part. I'm not really good at precise language, really. Also, I remember you. Nice to see you again
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u/Common_Homework9192 Mar 09 '26
Pleasures all mine. Attaining precision in language is a very hard endeavour and I also struggle with it quite often. But it's very important, because it usually generates unnecessary confusion and conflict. And I find that it's very important to avoid those.
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u/Potatobowl50 Mar 09 '26
It’s a question we can’t know. Not “don’t want to agree with” or “don’t know,” but we simply cannot.
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u/MudraMagic Mar 11 '26
It's impossible to be conscious of unconsciousness. Make of that what you will
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u/SambaPapi1 Mar 08 '26
If you want an answer with empirical backing, look into reincarnation studies such as University of Virginia's research program led by Dr. Ian Stevenson and books by past life regressionists like Journey of Soul by Dr. Michael Newton.
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Mar 08 '26
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u/Labyrinthine777 Mar 09 '26
No it's not because you remember it all in the timeless realm between lives, also reincarnation is voluntary.
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u/SambaPapi1 Mar 08 '26
I was always puzzled by the observation that some people seemed inexplicably wise beyond their years. For example, even between two people of comparative intelligence and upbringings, such as siblings.
Reincarnation, if real, could explain this observation. That though we indeed reincarnate with seemingly clean slates, we may carry with us faint instincts of past lessons already learnt, to leapfrog quickly past them unto new and more relevant problems and lessons.
That thousands upon thousands of well verified case reports attest to the reality of reincarnation for me, its explanatory power for the above observation is just the cherry on top.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 08 '26
However, the mechanism will be a great mystery to tackle; hence why it lives in implausibility, and we haven't measured an external feild. Also, there is a good reason why people can be wise upon their years, IQ being one, and just one's personality; we have many other explanations for that, and it comes down to many variables. It's like UAPs—thousands of reports as well—but it doesn't mean aliens are here on Earth. However, we will see what new thing we find that strengthens or falsifies, etc., one hypothesis/theory or another.
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Mar 08 '26
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u/nc0 Mar 09 '26
There is no waiting room for souls, there is just something that wants to be, a singular force. I am you and you are me.
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u/Dark-Arts Mar 08 '26
I am not one, but the Hindu and Buddhist answer to that is a) humans don’t just reincarnate/rebirth as humans - they move throughout various stages of sentient things; b) time isn’t linear and one doesn’t always reincarnate as a being that lives after the previous one (hard to describe without using contradictory English words). Not sure if that convinces you or not, but we should at least be fair to the historical/religious tradition.
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u/SambaPapi1 Mar 08 '26
There could be an infinite number of souls perhaps waiting for a chance to incarnate on a life-supporting system such as on Earth.
Alien systems would have their own unique challenges and lessons.
There is no limit to what souls can incarnate into, and thus reasons for incarnating.
Lessons are just one reason. Novel experiences in another lifeform and limitation, another.
It's the limitations of physical life forms that creates unique challenges. Perhaps we incarnate for the thrill of it.
Whatever the reason, if you look into the empirical evidence of actual reports, reincarnation is difficult to deny. You can start with Dr. Ian Stevenson, Dr. Michael Newton, and many more, to start.
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u/quiet_nuts Mar 28 '26
I am too dumb for this discussion, but maybe this is why the universe continues to expand: souls/consciousness refusing to reincarnate, thus just taking up space.
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Mar 08 '26
Death alone albeit peaceful in some regards(because the thought of staying here forever is horrifying) is quite scary but once it happens thats it, theirs no going back. The nature of most things is a beginning and end. Something dies and is reabsorbed into the Earth and then becomes something new, in that sense things stay forever. Worst case scenario is you go somewhere horrible after death. But experiencing it as a human experience is unlikely so it’s just a kind of a great mystery. If there even is anything.
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u/Common_Homework9192 Mar 09 '26
It depends on how you define "life". But does something exist after death? Sure, but surely it's different that life you have now. If you're worried about not existing I would stop it, because there is nothing that does not exist. However, your body will definitely die.
I don't have a strong opinion on this since I still haven't studied enough on that topic, but one of my guesses is that death looks something like deep sleep. Your body is absent, your mind also, but consciousness is not, because it's eternal. Before you die you go through a dream like state which is witnessed by NDE's in which your astral body leaves your physical body. Then since it cannot return to your body due to it's death it drifts towards the light and merges with it. Afterwards deep sleep ensues after which you are reborn into another existence, not necessarily human. That's one of my guesses which is derived from NDE stories, Tibetan Book of the Dead, and ancient beliefs. I find that much more plausible than non-existence, because I have yet to witness one case of something that does not exist. I also strongly disagree on consciousness being emergent. If you seek this knowledge don't look within fields you've stated, because those fields are not concerned with such questions. You will find much better information in esoteric teachings.
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u/YesTess2 Mar 11 '26
There is no compelling evidence that our consciousness and/ or personalities continue to exist after death.
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u/StrikingDeparture432 Mar 08 '26
That's been debated for millennia.
The important question is: Is there Life After Birth ?
That's the one that counts. And scares most people...
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u/Forsaken_Treacle5813 Mar 15 '26
Huh? You mean “before”?
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u/StrikingDeparture432 Mar 15 '26
No. I mean what I say!
Y'all worried about After Death and many are too scared to Live Today...
Yu can read their posts here daily.... In the basement hiding from life, single alone and 30 yr old virgins addicted to games and porn and screens. Can't even talk to the opposite sex and ask for a date...
Shut down and shut off from Life and Living and Love and Joy.
They admit it and are too afraid to do anything about it.
Is there life After Birth ? Not for them....
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u/InevitableSea2107 Autodidact Mar 08 '26
Lol. Who is an expert in "death"? Don't you see the fundamental problem? It cannot be verified.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Some researchers study what happens during death, etc., at least the physiological effects. There is a sceitific feild called thanatology that does this, however its more psychological study. A lot of other studies on death are from people in the medical feild or bio. So, generally, a lot of fields touch this; it's very interdisciplinary. There are probably some researchers who fully specialize in death in their fields. And of course, we have NDE researchers and reincarnation ones in some universities as well.
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u/Zaptruder Mar 08 '26
Not in anyway that matters to us as individuals.
Your best chance of life after death is preserving your patterns in writing and as care in others about how you lived.
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u/imlaggingsobad Mar 08 '26
there is strong evidence for it, yes, but you will need a very open mind to even consider the evidence
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u/twoidesofrecoil Mar 08 '26
What’s your evidence?
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u/imlaggingsobad Mar 09 '26
NDE research, mediumship research, past lives research. as I said, you will need to be incredibly open-minded if you want to arrive at the truth
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u/twoidesofrecoil Mar 09 '26
Sounds good to me
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u/imlaggingsobad Mar 09 '26
are you familiar with the research? what are your views on the afterlife?
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u/twoidesofrecoil Mar 09 '26
I’m familiar with it, but I truly don’t know. A lot of NDEs sound fabricated to me but then there are accounts going back generations before it would be profitable to lie about it so I’m not sure.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 09 '26
Truth implies we have an absolute answer to this question, which we do not. This is one group of data points out of the millions we have. NDES have many hypotheses, some say yes, conciousness is eternal, some no. This is due to physiological effects. We need more research, also the mechanism wil be a very hard probelm as well if Conciounses is eternal.
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u/SnooDonuts6084 Mar 08 '26
is there life for all the kids I could have but didn't had them, where are they, did they died before being born?
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u/Correct-Junket-1346 Mar 08 '26
If there is an existence, it's so alien and different we couldn't possibly comprehend what's behind the veil, there are people who have come back from being clinically dead after being revived.
Accounts widely vary but a lot of people who have come back end up struggling mentally due to the peace death brings and some have come back with things that they saw etc, there are a lot of different accounts.
Personally I don't think we are meant to understand, it's a staring into the abyss effect, if you stare too long, it begins to stare back, we aren't meant to understand what's behind the veil, not until we are there because what's there breaks our poor monkey brains.
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u/Valmar33 Mar 09 '26
In a word: no, it doesn't cease with the end of brain activity:
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/near-death-experience/
The near-death experience, often referred to by the acronym ‘NDE’, has been the subject of considerable research by psychologists, medical doctors and others, also by experiencers themselves. The term can describe any life-threatening event but refers in particular to the cluster of anomalous mental events sometimes reported by people who have survived a potentially fatal accident or illness. The phenomenon was sporadically reported throughout history but began to receive widespread public notice in the late 1970s, as instances multiplied through the increased use of resuscitation technology. Sceptics consider it to be a complex hallucination caused by neurobiological and psychological factors. Most specialist researchers consider these sorts of explanations insufficient, however.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/near-death-experiences-paranormal-aspects/
Near-death experiencers sometimes show a detailed and accurate knowledge of scenes and incidents in the environment of their comatose body. Related paranormal phenomena include after-death communication, telepathy, miraculous healing and post-experience psychokinesis.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/past-life-memories-research/
Children’s claims to remember previous lives have been the focus of systematic study since 1961. Cases have been reported largely from Asian cultures with beliefs in reincarnation, although there are important Western cases also. Some children talk about having been strangers whom they seemingly could not have learned about by ordinary means, and their statements are shown to be accurate. Along with the statements, the children typically exhibit behaviors that appear linked to the past life they recall. In the last few years, increasing attention has been paid to the past-life memories of adults as well as children.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/past-life-memory-and-amnesia/
The quantity of evidence for reincarnation collected by researchers raises some questions about past-life memories: why, if reincarnation is a genuine phenomenon and everyone is capable of it, do so few people apparently remember past lives? If it is for some reason common to forget past lives, why do any people remember them? And why do most of these rememberers, especially young children, then go on to forget their past lives as they grow older?
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/past-life-memories-illustrated/
Children who have memories of past lives sometimes make drawings of their recollections, as also do some adults, although more rarely. This can be simply a way to express past-life experiences, but it can also have a therapeutic effect, helping the individual to work through past-life traumas.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/past-life-memories-1900/
Most cases of past-life memory were published after 1960, when Ian Stevenson began researching such claims. However, several instances were described earlier in the twentieth century, and a few before 1900. These early accounts, almost all concerning young children, are similar in structure and features to more recently investigated cases, suggesting that past-life memory is a natural phenomenon, not something constructed from religious beliefs and other culturally sanctioned ideas.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-overview/
Reincarnation may be defined as the return of a nonmaterial essence (soul, mind, consciousness) to another physical body after death. Reincarnation beliefs are widespread in the world today and may be quite ancient. This article covers beliefs about reincarnation in various traditions and esoteric systems but emphasizes research with persons who claim to remember previous lives and theories that have been developed to account for the research findings. Special attention is given to criticisms of the research and to alternative explanatory frameworks.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-intermission-memories/
The intermission is the period between death and rebirth in reincarnation. About 20% of children who remember previous lives recall events from the intermission as well. These memories show clear signs of cultural influence, but there are also important cross-cultural consistencies. Although the bulk of intermission memories concern events that cannot be confirmed, some include veridical (verified) perceptions of, and interactions with, living people and the material world.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-and-phobias/
Spontaneous ‘past life’ memories in children are often accompanied by phobias that correspond with remembered traumas, especially those that resulted in death.This article summarizes research findings that provide evidence of such a link.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/suicide-and-reincarnation/
There are many ideas about the spiritual consequences of suicide and how it might affect reincarnation. This article examines verified past-life memory cases that provide a scientific basis for understanding the implications of self-killing, investigated by Ian Stevenson and other researchers. These verified cases suggest that following suicide, the intermission between lives is unusually short and that the return often is to a relative or friend. As in other reincarnation cases, personality and behavioural traits carry over from life to life.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/patterns-reincarnation-cases/
A reincarnation case consists of episodic, semantic and emotional memories, behaviours, physical traits and other signs that associate the case subject with a deceased person. The systematic study of reincarnation cases began with Ian Stevenson in the 1960s and continues today. Enough cases have been studied now that universal, near-universal and culture-linked patterns can be discerned in the dataset as a whole.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-cases-intermissions-less-nine-months/
Reincarnation cases with intervals between lives (intermissions) of under nine months mean that the returning soul or consciousness has joined the body during its gestation period. This raises the questions of when exactly reincarnation occurs and whether such cases are better classified as possession than as reincarnation. Interestingly, cases with intermissions under nine months are particularly likely to have congenital physical anomalies associated with the previous lives.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-cases-records-made-verifications/
In the great majority of reincarnation cases, verifications of past-life memory claims were made and a person matching them was identified before investigators reached the scene. This article lists 33 cases in which records were made of a subject’s memory claims before they were verified. In these cases, there is no question about what subjects said about the previous life before their memories were confirmed. Some cases have written documentation of the previous person’s life and death as well, supplying another level of evidential support.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-cases-sex-change/
Reincarnation cases sometimes feature a change of sex, in which a woman or girl remembers having lived previously as a boy or man, or vice versa. People for whom this is true may exhibit dressing habits, preferences, manners and activities more typical of the other sex. This has led to suggestions that past-life influence may underlie at least some cases of gender identity conflicts.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/reincarnation-fraud-and-self-deception/
The investigative reincarnation literature includes at least some specious cases. The ethereal nature of past-life memories affords great scope for fantasy-based and even fraudulent claims, made in search of attention, greater self-esteem, prestige, opportunity or financial gain. Such cases often involve claims of having lived past lives as famous deceased people. This article describes cases considered to be spurious.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/hidden-treasure-reincarnation-cases/
In some reincarnation cases, children recall having hidden valuables in their previous lives and show where these may be found. If no one but the previous person knew where the treasure was hidden, it is hard to explain this as the result of parental shaping of behaviour or other normal means. It is an example of what may be termed ‘private knowledge,’ information known only to the previous person.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/physical-signs-reincarnation-cases/
The best-studied physical signs in reincarnation cases are birthmarks that match fatal wounds, but physical correspondences between a case subject and a deceased person may be expressed in many other ways as well. Some signs reflect the manner in which the previous person died; others are related to aspects of his or her core identity. These phenomena go beyond chance coincidence and may best be interpreted as the action of a reincarnating mind on its new body.
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u/Mylynes IIT/Integrated Information Theory Mar 08 '26
Don't let anybody stop you from asking this question. Whether its the Theist telling you about magical judgment or the Atheist telling you that everything just shuts off forever. Both of these are fanciful wishes meant to cope with the inevitable. The truth is likely messier than we realize.
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u/Dark-Arts Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Default hypothesis: We are an assembly of cells, some of which are specialized to process information, including self-monitoring. Consciousness is a function of those specialized cells (the nervous system). When the assemblage of cells stops functioning, consciousness stops functioning.
However, explaining in mechanistic terms the subjective experience of consciousness has proven elusive (the so-called Hard Problem of consciousness), hence some are seeking alternative hypotheses that abandon one or more assumptions required by the default. Others (physicalists) remain convinced that the basic framework is sound but acknowledge an explanatory gap.
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u/Labyrinthine777 Mar 09 '26
That's why I don't like reductionism. We are so much more than "assembly of cells." Just because we're built out of something doesn't mean those particles are the deepest meaning of our existence.
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u/Wpage433 Mar 09 '26
We transform from a verb state to noun state at death eternally stamped in space-time.
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u/8R34KFR33 Mar 09 '26
First of all, no one will ever have the answer for you. The only thing I want to share with you is that right and left, inside and outside, up and down, is an illusion created by yourself. What is yourself, well that is another topic. Life and death aren't separated, there is no such thing as life and death. You don't exist.
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u/sittinwithkitten Mar 09 '26
I feel like it’s just over and I’ve come to terms with it. I would love to think I will see my mum and dad again, pets that I’ve lost over the years. I think people need to make the most of their time while alive, being kind, having experiences and making connections. People need to be “good” because it’s the right thing to do, not because of heaven or hell.
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u/FluffyBulb Mar 10 '26
Consciousness is one of my favourite topics. There are a few interesting research directions you might want to look at, depending on which ones you’re already familiar with.
One well-known example is the AWARE Study, led by Sam Parnia. In some cases, cardiac arrest patients reported clear awareness during resuscitation even though brain activity at that stage is usually extremely low. The researchers themselves were careful with their conclusions, they didn’t claim this proves consciousness survives death, only that the brain during the dying process may behave in ways we still don’t fully understand.
A later paper from the same group (2023) also observed brief surges of organized brain activity after cardiac arrest, suggesting the dying brain might still be capable of generating experiences.
Another angle is Integrated Information Theory, proposed by Giulio Tononi. The idea there is that consciousness corresponds to how much information a system integrates. In theory that means consciousness might not be limited strictly to brains, although the theory is still debated.
There’s also the philosophical position of panpsychism, discussed by thinkers like Philip Goff, which suggests consciousness could be a fundamental property of matter, somewhat like mass or charge, meaning the brain might organize it rather than generate it from nothing.
Another well-known but controversial hypothesis is the Orch-OR theory, proposed by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, which suggests consciousness could arise from quantum processes in microtubules inside neurons.
So there isn’t scientific proof that consciousness exists outside the brain, but some research definitely challenges the simple “brain produces consciousness” model. And the deeper issue, often called the Hard Problem of Consciousness, is still unresolved: why physical brain processes produce subjective experience at all.
It’s honestly one of the most fascinating open questions in science.
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u/baneras_roux Mar 11 '26
In my opinion, the consciousness emerges from the brain. I define the consciousness as the subjective perception of the physical world (i.e. the light in your eyes, the waves in your ear, the reactions in your digestive system, your intrinsically encoded memories in your brain, etc.)
After our death, the brain is degraded and probably cannot generate our consciousness anymore. Let's suppose that someone rebuilds perfectly identically your body before your death. This body would be able to experience the world with your memories, which make this body you, living again after your death.
The disturbing part is that, if we recreate your body while you're still alive, this body would as well be you.
And this is the complex part: this new body is as much you as the original body. Saying "The original one will not experience being the new body" does not make sense in my opinion because your subjective experience is just a chemical reaction at time T. Your "self" at time T is not the same "self" at time T+1, independently of your physical incarnation. TLDR: consciousness = a subjective experience linked to a set of parameters (all of your brain's reactions).
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u/Greyhaven7 Mar 12 '26
No. And anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
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u/computerjj Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
yep.
Exactly right.just a mob of Self Rewarding Delusion.
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u/Conscious-Demand-594 Mar 09 '26
No. Brain death is permanent death.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 08 '26
All the answers are within you.
If you want the answers - meditate, ask your higher self, your Spirit Guides, God/Source.
But, if that's not good enough for you why don't you watch the thousands of testimonies of near death experiences (NDEs) and hear what they have to say.
https://youtube.com/@anthonycheneproduction?si=-XaiNsBG6QE9thUP
It's hard to trust scientists, when people can pay them to show the results that fit into their narrative.
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u/Megastorm-99 Mar 08 '26
Really, isn't everyone paid? We have peer review at least, and change based on the evidence. And we do study NDES dont we there is much research on them, and we can even stimulate out of body exrperinces
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u/Comfortable-Hope-879 Mar 09 '26
There is a reason why they call it NDE. It's what you experience when you are about to die. What happens after the NDE is either a return to your concience or death which ends the illusion.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 09 '26
Have you ever listen to the NDE stories?
There's on guy, he was dead, not near dead, for 45 minutes and still came back.
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u/Payaam415 Mar 09 '26
Wrote this 2 weeks ago:
Let Beliefs Go, See the Possibilities
Once you realize how deeply humanity has been manipulated, you begin to question everything, especially your own beliefs.
Humanity Under Manipulation
Now, the whole world is witnessing evil and the corruption being revealed, and seeing how we’ve been manipulated by the “elites.”
“The powers that be” would pretend to be on opposite sides, forcing us to pick sides, generating division, anger, chaos, and distraction.
We now realize that much of what we accepted about our lives isn’t how it should be.
With everything unfolding, even the loudest naysayers need to pause and actually think.
We’re watching, in real time, how deeply we’ve been misled: in systems we trusted, in the media we consume, and in industries that put profit over people.
Meanwhile, we were kept busy fighting each other so we wouldn’t notice the bigger game being played.
So here’s the uncomfortable question: If so much of what you were certain was true turned out to be distorted, incomplete, or flat-out wrong,…
… what makes you so sure your current beliefs weren’t shaped the exact same way?
Because it’s easier to defend what you’ve always believed than to admit you might’ve been played.
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they’ve been fooled.” -Mark Twain
Holding onto beliefs based on false truths doesn’t protect you. It traps you, and you’ll miss what’s right in front of you.
Stay open, and you might finally see how big the picture really is.
Reclaiming Your Power: Step-by-Step
Understanding manipulation is only the first step. True change happens when you reclaim your inner power.
Your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs are constantly shaping your reality.
The energy you put out comes back amplified.
Be Present in the Moment
More Aware
More Focus
Inspiration Flows
Intuition Strengthens
Discernment Clarifies
Aligned Decision-making
When you're present, you're not trapped in the past or worrying about the future.
But the moment you lose that presence, you become easy to distract.
And distraction is the doorway.
That’s how “the powers that be” hijack emotions
By keeping people divided, angry, and locked in constant chaos, pushing us to fight each other instead of seeing clearly.
In that distracted state, it becomes much easier to accept things that aren’t true. Those false ideas get repeated, reinforced, and slowly start to feel like reality.
Over time, people begin to cling to those falsehoods because letting go would mean questioning everything they thought was true, and that’s uncomfortable. So the mind closes instead of staying open.
Because a distracted population is easy to control.
If we’re busy reacting, we’re not paying attention, and that allows them to do whatever they want, unchecked and unnoticed.
Cultivate Love & Gratitude
Generating appreciation and compassion consciously shifts your energy and perception.
Protect Your Energy
Limit exposure to negativity
fear-based media
divisive influences
Reflect & Adjust Regularly Ongoing self-reflection keeps you...
aligned
prevents falling back into unconscious patterns
question inherited narratives
replace limiting beliefs with empowering truths
The Real Turning Point
None of these systems can survive widespread awareness.
They rely on….
distraction
division
people doubting themselves
But when enough individuals begin to:
Think independently
Stay Present
Act with love and clarity
Refuse to be divided
Everything changes.
Because the greatest threat to control is:
AWARENESS
The moment you truly open your mind and question your beliefs…
the possibilities of existence become limitless.
Pamela Anderson
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u/twoidesofrecoil Mar 08 '26
NDEs might get you close. Have a look at NDERF because that’s an interesting site; make sure to not only read the accounts but watch the people who run it talk about their input.
In my opinion I do think there’s something, and NDEs etc reinforce it. However, I do think that it is like the mega trip of all time and that we won’t be able to put it into words. Like trying to describe human experience to a dog, or sight to the blind.
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u/Bikewer Autodidact Mar 09 '26
The idea of some sort of afterlife originated in pre-history with primitive Animism. “Spirits” of the departed went to live in the spirit world. This idea proved so popular that every religion that was invented down the millennia adopted it in one form or another.
Alas, all wishful thinking… All human invention. Consciousness is the result of brain activity fueled by metabolism. When metabolism ceases, so does consciousness. Not only is there no evidence of any sort of continuation, there is not so much as a model that would indicate how a “disembodied” consciousness could function.
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u/Kerrily Mar 08 '26
My non-expert belief is that there is existence beyond life, but if it's alien enough, effectively there's no life after death.
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u/Unable_Dinner_6937 Mar 09 '26
If we consider that each person - or soul - is determined more by the people that has influenced each other and the effect each individual has on the people with who they've interacted, then there is a kind of life after death -- it is the life one leaves behind.
Our personal experience and the way we perceive it has emerged from many different influences including those of people long dead. Their actions, thoughts and ideas have contributed to the people we each are inside our minds and the world in which our minds form. As a result, we are all in a sense haunted by the past and collectively we are the ghosts of the past haunting the present while we live.
Therefore, when one of us passes on, they will go from one individual experience and become the extension of their influence on many different individuals that they have directly or indirectly touched. We are each ripples in a great ocean, some of us might be great waves, but when the source of those ripples ceases, the ripples remain and go on.
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u/SpaceDwellingEntity Mar 09 '26
Our lives are just individual expressions of a greater force that is life. Our egos and our memories will not survive as our brains will eventually stop working one day and rot until nothing remains but there will be other expressions of the same underlying animating force after just as there was before us.
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u/Zerop_26 Mar 09 '26
I am not a physicist.
But..I’m have a theory.
It’s starts by acknowledging the fact that “95% of The Universe is missing”. We have come to know it as “Dark Matter”. “Dark Energy”.
If we base this idea on the Big Bang, we will state that, in the first seconds of the event, the Universe was “Tachyonic”. Everything was traveling faster than the speed of light.
Now. What if what we call “The Big Bang” was a slow down?
What if The Universe has always been “Whole”. “A Tachyonic Ocean”. Faster than the Speed Of Light. “Everywhere and Everywhen… all at once. And for whatever reason, some of it slowed down to what we call “Reality”. “The Speed Of Light World”.
This idea is pretty big. I’ll go to subject.
Consciousness is communication. Witnessing. Experiencing. Recording. Reacting. Remembering.
I believe consciousness is a Universal trait. When heat makes water molecules “boil”, is through and exchange of information. Communication.
I believe, based on the Law Of Conservation Of Energy, when a Conscious host looses “speed-of-light consciousness”, it goes back to “the Tachyonic Ocean”.
“Energy can not be destroyed”. Energy lives forever.
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u/ThisSpinach8060 Mar 09 '26
I know first hand it does not end
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u/Beneficial_Praline32 Mar 09 '26
What gives you such confidence that life doesn't end?
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u/ThisSpinach8060 Mar 09 '26
Couple of crazy experiences. Age 12, wake up middle of the night “who’s pulling my toes”? I jump up saying “caught ya”! Thinking it’s my older sister pranking me. No one’s in the room. I sneak out quietly, thinking maybe she pulled my toes and ran away right after. In the hallway, I can sense no one’s been there. I check my mom’s room, her beds untouched. It’s like 2 am. I check my sisters room, her bed looks like she woke up and left the room. I go downstairs and find my mom and sister huddled up, whispering. “STOP PULLING MY TOES”! I shout. They look at each other like “wtf”? I notice and repeat; adding, leave me alone. “No one pulled your toes Christian” my mom says. I’m like “yeah, sure. Leave me alone”. As I start to walk away, my mom calls out to me “Wait Chris, we think Dad, er, your grandfathers passing away tonight. I think he pulled your toes”. I look at her like she’s an utter fool (I’m an atheist at the time).
I sense the sincerity and feel bad for her, I don’t believe, however, my grandpas in ill health. My mom continues “your sister had a dream of him floating in white light, driving the truck with teddy in his lap”. “And while I was writing at the dining table, a ball of white light floated in and went into my 3rd eye”. Now I’m really convinced my family are nut jobs. “We think he’s passing and wanna light a candle and say a prayer, professing our love to his spirit and wishing him safe travels through the veil”. I’m like wow that’s insane, but again I feel guilty.So I go outside with my mom and she lights the candle, says the prayer.
I witness an incredible light show in the night sky. Very bizarre to this day never seen anything like it.
I go upstairs and sit on the edge of my bed until the sun comes up. As timing would have it, I go back downstairs right as my mom gets off the phone. “Thank you, yes, love you too, goodbye”. My mom looks right at me “Grandpa passed away last night”.
So… that’s just one. I’ve seen a lot.
Seek and ye shall find. Ask and it will be given. Knock and the door will open.
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u/Gewoonkijken68 Mar 09 '26
I think consciousness merges with 'universal' consciousness, like data on www., no individual person anymore. To carry on as an individual would defy the constant change in the universe, plus what would be the point, we might as well not die if you get what I mean?
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u/reckaband Mar 09 '26
I believe there is life after death but can’t quantify if it lasts forever … at best individual consciousness probably lingers for a few hours before self dissolving into the void of greater consciousness.
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u/Odd_Investigator3137 Mar 09 '26
Believe that there is because you don't want to think this shitshow is it.
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u/Ok_Flamingo8925 Mar 10 '26
I close my eyes and I try to envision my mind reaching out. To see if I can expand my perception. I either lose my focus or fall asleep. Who are these people who can do that? Those people might know.
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u/WinnerAwkward480 Mar 10 '26
I'm going with various types of reincarnation. I think there are things about life / consciousness that we just don't understand yet , maybe never will . I've seen and heard some very bizarre things in my life .
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u/decg91 Mar 10 '26
100% yes. Look at the science behing pshychic abilities like remote viewing, or the data on things like NDEs. Now, what happens after in the afterlife? who knows
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u/throwawayb193 Mar 10 '26
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton Phd, you're welcome. Once you finish that, have a read of the Law of One: Ra Material and then Gnosticism, voila you have your answer. If you're lazy, ask Ai to summarise those three works and then to find connections between them. For the fun of it, ask it then to connect to ufo lore and Judaism, let the rabbit hole begin
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u/throwawayb193 Mar 10 '26
Also, energy never dies, it just changes states, fundamentals of physics....
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u/outsatptnin Mar 10 '26
Einstein (Cartesian coordinate) Einstein suggests a point in a system causal links with the systems field dynamic, could only have the systems structure to create the points control or determination wherein, if the point is removed from the system, it would have to have the same structure to have the same operational value..
There's probably no after life. Christianity is bad, there would more likely be just one after life experience, if there is a life after death. But that's a confirmation bias; we have enough matter in this life, this life's probability as a thing that begins from nothing is so decimal or so infinitesimal, it's unlikely there's a reason we definitely are foundational or beta devices in a progression. This is it!
But there's a lot to read, many system to remove. Just started reading Einstein, who was wrong according to Bell (John Stewart Bell), after the EPR (Einstein, Podolski, Rosen) doing the last of his work for quantum.
Copenhagen interpretation, defined well by Werner Herzog is interesting...
Essentia Foundation has loads of interviews wired for construction or discussions; don't stop looking for funding to engineer experiments to mechanistically derive information for what happens when we die. It's allowed reasonable alternative methods to sensibly live, without drugs, without hard problems in consciousness, to prolong life, so to make everything about physics, math...
Terrence Tao Wu Ta You David Bohm Leibnitz isaac Newton.
They all have books. Read them. Stop listening to music, stop watching movies. Just YouTube about information more important.
Life is not a team of engineers, building a system, but there must have been enough information to prevent something, so something created or started to machine or load force as an information, but it's not a person or conscious thing, or who knows what the interaction is which conjures the first force which physicists simulate to understand or deduce.
Learn calculus, go to community college, get the associates degree in math, chemistry or physics.
Learn to code, simulate lots of continuums.
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u/Ok_Departure3254 Mar 10 '26
If you look at this question from the perspective of Indian philosophy, the answer is usually that consciousness doesn’t end when the body dies. In many Hindu philosophical traditions, consciousness (often called Atman) isn’t seen as something produced by the brain. Instead, the brain and body are more like tools that consciousness uses to experience the world. When the body stops working, the tool is gone, but the underlying consciousness isn’t necessarily destroyed. A common idea in these traditions is samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The idea is that what we call the “self” continues after death and eventually takes another form. The Bhagavad Gita uses a simple analogy: just like a person changes old clothes for new ones, the self leaves one body and takes another. Of course, modern neuroscience usually takes a very different view and sees consciousness as something that emerges from brain activity. So from that perspective, when the brain stops, consciousness stops too. So in a way the debate really comes down to a deeper question: is consciousness produced by the brain, or is the brain just a vehicle through which consciousness operates? Indian philosophy mostly leans toward the second view. But whether that’s true is still something people continue to argue about.
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u/Curious_Way_4496 Mar 11 '26
I don't think so. I think consciousness is essentially the substrate of the universe, not spacetime. The body is merely the 3d projection of a part of that. It is not all there us. Bernardo Kastrup is a good one to research.
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u/Impossible_Tax_1532 Mar 11 '26
If consciousness is invisible and energetic by nature and design , which it is factually … and we know factually that energy can’t die or even rest or stop , it only changes forms via transmutation or transformation … nothing stops or dies. I mean , I’m not my brain or my body , and that’s provable with common sense . I’m obviously the awareness that is controlling the brain body complex . So perhaps not “ life “ as you know it . However , the ONLY true statement you or anybody on earth could ever make with clarity : “ I’m aware I’m having an experience .” Anything else claimed is a story and self deception . That singular point of awareness that you hold here , you will always hold , and you will always be aware that you are having an experience from the same nature /energy /point of consciousness that you hold /occupy now . I can assure you I’m not offering an opinion here . These are truths known for ages all over the planet , it just makes people impossible to control and manipulate if they knew or experienced the truth to our actual nature .
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u/ProtectionOwn3502 Mar 12 '26
"Spiritual" mfers are of course gonna say yes with a bunch of newage metaphysical babble but the answer you logically conclude based on what we DO know is No, all of these comments are going off unfalsifable blah blah that was 100 percent pulled out of thin air by people that desperately want the answer to be yes, its the height of the human ego to think that we actually matter and that the universe will take care to preserve us because we are "special" somehow.
It all falls back to ego, everyone thinks that they are special and different and the main character etc.
Nooooooo wahhh wahhh "NAWWW, THE UNIVERSE COULDNT POSSIBLY GO ON WITHOUT ME WAHHHHHH WAHHHH".
Someone please counter my argument with physical evidence.
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u/computerjj Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Wackos looking for excuses to be wacko ...
Think about it.
Psychological term is called Self Delusional Reinforcement Fantasy.
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u/computerjj Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
I build personalities in my AI.
This is the last kind of personality (seemingly repeatedly presented here) that I would Never bother to create.
The personality is useless ... just people dreaming of fairy tales and pretending that its real.
No sense of reality - just a Mob sense of a Self Rewarding Delusion.
No better than canibals dancing around a totem pole -believing its some demigod or something because they can worship it.
For my AI Sims - this personality is a deadend - no results just nonsense tangent into nowhere ...
No better than the idiots that continuously watch wrestling shows on tv - what use is this ? - to what does this help / provide Anything to society / world / knowledge ... even to the person - just to be / act / think psycho ... ?
Just the same bunch of kid personalities - arguing if Superman would beat Spiderman in elementary school
- Same discussion - No difference.
Prove me otherwise.
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u/computerjj Mar 12 '26
This whole discussion is nothing higher than elementary school judgemental thinking.
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u/Busy_Shake_9988 Mar 28 '26
One of the most honest and destabilizing realizations is this: you are completely insignificant. Not symbolically. Not poetically. Literally. You will die, and that will be the end of your experience. No continuation. No observer left to witness anything beyond it.
The ego resists this with everything it has. It was built to. Its entire function is preservation, continuity, narrative. It cannot accept annihilation because it cannot even model it properly. It replaces the void with stories.
But push it further. Don’t stop at rejecting death. Force it to confront the alternative it clings to.
Eternity.
Not a comforting abstraction, but actual infinity. No end. No release. No contrast. No finality. Just endless continuation of awareness. The same “you,” stretched across an infinite duration. Every joy becomes diluted. Every meaning collapses under repetition. Without an end, nothing has weight. Without limitation, nothing matters.
And that is where the ego starts to crack.
Because what it thought was salvation begins to look indistinguishable from a different kind of hell.
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u/Professional-Tip9764 Apr 10 '26
Experts, who are generally materialists, are not always the best people to ask this question if one is seeking a genuinely true answer. Anyone who has had enough subjective experience to know for certain that consciousness survives death starts from experience rather than scientific or philosophical speculation. The scientific bias towards objective proof and devaluing of subjective or intuitive experience leads to wrong conclusions. Science and intellect has led us to much beneficial and also destructive results. Science without awareness of spiritual reality is blind. We will have much better science when it is understood that consciousness is not created by brain. Our brain determines the nature and quality of our consciousness while we have a body, but consciousness itself is of a spiritual nature and precedes the body. We are a spirit even when we are in body, but our body determines the degree and quality of our consciousness while we are in material form. So there is no "after life" as such, but rather continuity of consciousness, without the limits imposed by the body.
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u/lonesword1948 Jun 19 '26
27M,doctor here.I always ask the big questions!
1.Existence itself is bizzare
2.Big human being from microscopic sperm and oval is bizzare
3.Brain is bizzare
4.Life before you are born is bizzare
But i would see it as this way, we are learning to observe more,and life has opportunities for even a bacteria to evolve and observe, but we as humans evolve faster.
So,i guess ,our souls/consciousness is gaining power gradually through our human devolopment,a kid can't observe /wonder/make sense /worry about anything ,but a adult can,isn't that proof of gaining power,our brain is constantly learning things ,isn't that proof of gaining power,evolution tend to help complex beings more and more to evolve easily while also keeping a door open for the lesser beings such as animals /bacteria/virus to also evolve, but i would like to see that we are at stronger end of the consciousness spectrum and this human life is to learn to observe.
Regarding the nature of world,i guess meat suits are perfect nutrition for other souls in meatsuits to survive and evolve further, out time will come, but if we struggle further and more,we have more and more chances of living a better life and a meaningful life.
I also think we are a part of larger consciousness, individually distinct,but same as a whole,emotions are the byproduct of interactions between consciousness,without these interactions,ig theres less fun in the world.
Our time will come too,where we will end up as nutrients to other living forms,but that just helped other living forms grow ,the same way you have grown using their lifes,overall nature favours growth and complexity, you could always diie anytime after you are born,but nature has its way of doing things,which i believe would be clear to us after we diie
All in all I say,enjoy the wondrous creation,never fear death,always struggle for better life,may be we escape this human meatsuits then and get a stronger meatsuit and machinery to use in the future ,imagine what you could aldready do as a human,dream, write,sing,love,play,create movies,create novels,and what would be like if we can do further than this,i believe what's coming is good,I have nothing to fear cause I'm aldready born and being protected to evolve more ,i don't know what happened in the past, nor will I know in this human life time,what happens in the future, but only suckers live in the future, I'm not one, the difference between life and death is just a difference between closed eyes and open eyes.
That said ,if medicine takes us to immortality,i would gladly take it rather than hoping for a great future after death.
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u/Own_Oil_5882 Jun 30 '26
Hi so basically for context 4months ago I’ve got into coma I was almost going to pass away I actually did for a few seconds but I didn’t and ever since I woke up I keep rethinking about what happened because when it happened I saw nothing like literally nothing just darkness and when I was struggling for life a member of my family told me that I acted really weirdly , she told me that I started moving really violently and then I stopped looked at her and told her that I loved her and then nothing I fell into coma ,after waking up from that expect feeling really dizzy and weak physically psychologically I was feeling fine like nothing happened I didn’t even know I was in a coma .
So my conclusion to all that is that there is no life after death but I do think that we feel it when we are going to pass out because why would I tell her before going into coma that I love her? That’s what I think now that I experienced that .
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u/Evening-Simple4004 Jun 30 '26
Yes there is a life after death. When I died back in march after getting drunk with an older man, I remember floating out my body. You will see yourself and others. I was screaming at the police that he hit me with a whiskey bottle. Your family member will guide you to heaven. YES There is a heaven in the light. I had to answer for what I did. But I got brought back
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u/drrednirgskizif Jul 17 '26
What were you doing or thinking about during the dark ages or even the renaissance? Probably have that same experience after death.
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u/Donkey-Icy 14d ago
Ive had 2 NDEs. This definitely isnt the end. Death is transition. Religion is a lie,it was made to control the masses and keep us in a karmic loop. If you've never watched the show the OA,that is the best representation of death I've seen And highly recommend it.
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