Pam Reynolds case
Pam Reynolds Lowery (1956 – May 22, 2010), from
Within the field of
Diagnosis and operation
Pam Reynolds reported to her physician that she was experiencing symptoms of
Claimed NDE
Reynolds reported that during the operation she heard a sound like a
At some point during the operation, she says she noticed a presence and was pulled towards a light. She says she began to discern figures in the light, including her grandmother, an uncle, other deceased relatives and people unknown to her. According to Reynolds, the longer she was there, the more she enjoyed it, but at some point she was reminded that she had to go back. She says her uncle brought her back to her body, but she did not want to go, so he pushed her in, and the sensation was like that of jumping into ice water.[1]
Reception
Reynolds' near-death experience has been put forward as evidence supporting an afterlife by proponents such as cardiologist Michael Sabom in his book Light and Death. According to Sabom, Reynolds' experience occurred during a period in which her brain had completely ceased to function.[6]
Critics say that the amount of time during which Reynolds was "flatlined" is generally misrepresented and suggest that her NDE occurred under general anesthesia when the brain was still active, hours before Reynolds underwent hypothermic cardiac arrest.[7][8][9]
Anesthesiologist Gerald Woerlee analyzed the case, and concluded that Reynolds' ability to perceive events during her surgery was a result of "anesthesia awareness".[10]
According to the psychologist Chris French:
Woerlee, an anesthesiologist with many years of clinical experience, has considered this case in detail and remains unconvinced of the need for a paranormal explanation... [He] draws attention to the fact that Reynolds could only give a report of her experience some time after she recovered from the anesthetic as she was still
intubated when she regained consciousness. This would provide some opportunity for her to associate and elaborate upon the sensations she had experienced during the operation with her existing knowledge and expectations. The fact that she described the small pneumatic saw used in the operation also does not impress Woerlee. As he points out, the saw sounds like and, to some extent, looks like the pneumatic drills used by dentists.[2]
In popular culture
BBC (Bristol) made a 1-hour documentary about the Pam Reynolds case titled The Day I Died.[11]
See also
- 23 Minutes in Hell
- 90 Minutes in Heaven
- Eben Alexander
- Heaven is for Real
- Howard Storm, author of the book My Descent Into Death
- The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven
References
- ^ a b J.E. Geshwiler (May 28, 2010). "Pam Reynolds Lowery, noted for near-death episode". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ PMID 16186035.
- ^ Geshwiler, J. E. "Pam Reynolds Lowery, noted for near-death episode". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
- ^ "Decoding The Mystery Of Near-Death Experiences". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
- ISBN 978-0-7425-4792-6. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ISBN 0-310-21992-2.
- ]
- ^ Keith Augustine (2007). "Does paranormal perception occur in near-death experiences?" (PDF). Journal of Near-Death Studies. 25 (4): 203–236, pages 217–218.
- ^ Carroll, Robert Todd. "The Skeptic's Dictionary". www.skepdic.com. Robert Todd Carroll. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-231-53831-2.
- ^ "The Day I Died". IMDb.
Further reading
- French, Chris. (2009). Near-Death Experiences and the Brain. In Craig Murray. Psychological Scientific Perspectives on Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences. Nova Science Publishers. pp. 187–203. ISBN 978-1-60741-705-7
- ISBN 0-310-21992-2
- Woerlee, G. M. (2005). An Anaesthesiologist Examines the Pam Reynolds Story. Part. 1. Background Considerations. Skeptic (British version), 18.1 (in press).
- Woerlee, G. M. (2005). An Anaesthesiologist Examines the Pam Reynolds Story. Part 2. An Explanation. Skeptic (British version), 18.2 (in press).
- Woerlee G. M. (2011). "Could Pam Reynolds Hear? A New Investigation into the Possibility of Hearing During this Famous Near-Death Experience". Journal of Near-Death Studies. 30: 3–25.