Can Near Death Experiences Prove There is Life After Death?
While psychology has long employed the scientific method to help determine cause-and-effect relationships, the experience of near death may not be so easily studied. For many, the chief question of near death experiences is whether there is part of us that is distinct from the body. Questions about the spiritual world, life after-death, and the existence of a “soul” become a proved reality in the minds of some near death survivors. Yet, some scholars continue to wonder, question, and explore whether the near death survivor’s experience is valid or simply the result of sedation or expectation. Those who favor verifiable proof might use the scientific method by forming a hypothesis and then using one or more techniques to test the hypothesis: 1) naturalistic observation, 2) systematic assessment, and 3) experimentation.1 Clearly, the use of naturalistic observation cannot be used in the study of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). For obvious reasons, there is no means by which an experimente
