Near-death is all in the mind

NEAR-death experiences are not paranormal but triggered by a change in normal brain function, say psychologists.

Researchers from Edinburgh University who reviewed a range of phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, visions of tunnels of light or encounters with dead relatives say they are tricks of the mind rather than a glimpse of the afterlife.

They say that most of the experiences can be explained by a reaction in the brain prompted by a trauma. And many near-death experiences could be the brain’s attempt to make sense of unusual sensations.