30 practice makes perfect Advanced English Reading and Comprehension
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1 We know for certain what happens to our bodies when we die, but is physical death the end
of our existence, or does some part of us—our spirit or our soul—go on living? What shape or
form do we take, and how does our life continue? Are we transported to another place called
heaven or hell, nirvana or paradise? Do we await judgment before we can return to an earthly life,
or do we move on to a higher level of consciousness? Must we sufer for sins we have committed
in the past, or are we rewarded for our good deeds? hese questions have preoccupied human
beings almost as long as we have been able to think and ponder the meaning of life and death.
Religions have evolved to relieve people of their fear of death, and philosophers have contem-
plated the perplexing nature of our human existence. Regardless of the theories, beliefs, and
explanations, death remains the greatest unsolved mystery.
2 Despite resurrections, the appearance of ghosts, and other reports of the dead returning to
visit Earth, death is irreversible; that is, no one can physically die and come back to tell their tale.
hroughout history, however, there have been numerous incidents in which people have been
pronounced dead as the result of a serious illness, an accident, or a suicide attempt, but have not
actually died. While they hovered between life and death, many claim to have let their bodies and
caught a glimpse of what it is like on the other side. hese near-death experiences (NDEs) have
been extensivelydocumented, and there is plenty of scientiic proof to conclude that NDEs do in
fact occur.
3 he phenomenon of NDEs goes as far back as ancient Greece and Rome, but it is only since
the 1970s that these rare experiences have become the subject of scientiic research. In his book
Life Ater Life, published in 1975, Dr. Raymond Moody introduced 50 cases of individuals who
described having vivid out-of-body experiences ater almost dying. Dr. Moody coined the term
near-death experience, deining it as “any conscious perceptual experience which takes place dur-
ing... an event in which a person could very easily die or be killed (and even may be so close as
to be believed or pronounced clinically dead) but nonetheless survives and continues physical
life.” Dr. Moody’s best seller resulted in lively interest in the topic, and research-based books and
publications in prestigious medical journals followed. In the early 1980s, reputable organizations
such as the International Association for Near-Death Studies and the Near Death Experience
Research Foundation were established to carry out clinical investigations into NDEs.
4 Death occurs when a person’s breathing stops and the heart goes into cardiac arrest long
enough to prevent blood from lowing to the brain. Ater 10 to 20 seconds, brain activity ceases,
consciousness is lost, and the person is pronounced clinically dead. here are cases, however, of
people who have been revived, and it is these survivors who have reported consistently similar
experiences, regardless of age, gender, religion, race, marital status, education, occupation, cul-
tural background, social class, geographic location, and medical condition. According to research,
ive percent of Americans have had an NDE, but because people will oten not tell doctors out of
fear of not being taken seriously, the percentage could be higher. A 1980 Gallup poll determined
that eight million adults in the United States had had an NDE; by 1990, the number had increased
to twenty million. It is also estimated that 35 percent of all people who have a close brush with
death will have an NDE.
5 Although NDEs can difer in speciic content and intensity, they follow a common pattern
and contain any of 10 to 12 elements that have been compiled from historical reports, experi-
ments, and extensive interviews and surveys. An NDE does not have to include all elements to be
classiied as an NDE.- Out-of-body experience he person leaves the physical body and hovers in the room or is
transported to another location. - Elevated sensual awareness he person’s senses are sharper, and the person experiences
intense colors, sounds, feelings, and perceptions. hinking is also clearer, and the person can
experience three-dimensional awareness.