A monumental question which has intrigued the whole of mankind, throughout history – Is there life / consciousness beyond the physical body?

Science has analysed every element, every organ, every process of the human body, and the evidence suggests that when the body fails, we simply cease to exist.

Yet, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to hand, there remain a large percentage of the population who believe that a human life is more than the sum of its parts and that the consciousness, the spirit or soul transcends the physical form.

Why then, do we find the science so hard to accept?

Is it an arrogant human trait to believe that we are somehow too special to simply die?

Is it fear? Fear driven by an individual’s dread of an incomprehensible nothingness at the end of their lives.

Is it a sub-conscious instinct / a sense that the complexity of our thoughts, emotions, opinions and passions somehow are not fully confined by the “little grey cells”?

It is true that science cannot yet provide a full explanation of every aspect of brain function and capability.

Scientists are still researching in this field, looking at where the subconscious mind is located, how and why there is a necessity to dream, variances between differing the brain structures of different nationalities, males / females, left / right handed people, gay / straight people, why many have the same primal fear reactions, whether species memory exists etc. The list goes on and on.

The more interesting question is – what evidence is there to suggest that there is another plane of existence / life beyond the physical body? Why do so many not believe the science?

I have listed below, areas of thought which may point to life beyond the physical body- the list is not definitive, or conclusive, but until we have all the answers, are areas which are worthy of consideration.

Near-Death Experiences

There have been many reports of individuals, who are resuscitated at the point of clinical death, who relate tales of advancing through a tunnel of light, arriving in off worldly locations, and meeting and communicating with dead loved ones.

Disturbingly, there are also tales of those who arrive in a place of torture and pain.

Many of the descriptions are identical, interest in the subject spread and scientists seriously studied the phenomenon.

The scientific conclusion, up until 2008 was that the tunnel of light was a visual bi-product of the oxygen starved cerebral cortex, endorphins released by the body at the point of death.

In June 2008, an intensive care nurse from Swansea in Wales released an academic book which gave the details of over 10 years work of clinical case studies of near-death experiences.

Her book gives accounts of people who floated out of their physical body and were able to accurately recount what had happened in the room even though their eyes were closed and they were unconscious with their eyes closed.

Some of her patients reported communicating with dead relatives by telepathy.

In one particular case, a patient reported encountering a dead relative who gave a message to pass on to another living family member. The information, when related had stunned the receiver as it had been a secret which the patient had no prior knowledge of.

The clinical evidence presented in the book may instigate a review of the current scientific conclusions in respect of near-death experiences.

Rainforest Shamen

Ethnobotanists – those who study the relationships between plants, people and medicine have produced numerous reports regarding an incredible phenomenon found in many small indigenous rainforest tribes.

There are over 100,000 different types of plant species in rainforests around the globe, yet, individual small tribes could accurately combine any number of plants to produce a medicine to effectively cure the various ills of the tribesman.

Mathematically, the chances of the plant combinations being effective are fractional, however, studies on one tribe in Samoa found that their remedies were 86% effective.

Many different tribes, who have no means of communication with each other, had the same remedy for an illness, with slight regional variations.

When asked how they knew what plants to combine to make their effective medicine, they revealed that the tribe shamen had asked for the information whilst on the spiritual plane and been given precise instruction.

The shamen are considered to be holy, they spend their life in meditation and prayer and provide guidance to the tribe in all matters, including medical problems.

To achieve an out of body experience – elevation to a spiritual plane, many shamen use natural hallucinogenic substances “magic mushrooms” (entheogens) or their local equivalent.

Once on this plane they are able to consult with all-knowing spiritual beings who provide answers to specific questions.

The factual evidence appears to substantiate their claims.

Evidence of Shamanic practices have been found in many great civilisations throughout history. Egyptian hieroglyphs indicate the use by Shamen of a highly hallucinogenic blue Nile Lily’s to transcend the physical body and commune with beings on a higher plane to receive specific information – potentially obtaining information which may explain their highly advanced technological and astronomical understanding.

Re-Incarnation

There are many, well documented cases which appear to provide irrefutable evidence of the reality of re-incarnation, a high number of these relate to children who somehow, are aware, in minute detail, of every aspect of a deceased person’s life – details that they could not possibly know from their own life experiences.

In the case of Cameron McCauley, born in Glasgow in Scotland, from the age of two, Cameron began to talk about his life on the tiny island of Barra – some 220 miles away from Glasgow. He explained that his father on Barra was called Shane Robertson and had been killed when he was hit by a car. He talked about his home in detail and described its location, where he used to play with his dog – a black and white Border Collie.

He missed his old life very much and became so distressed that his family, along with a psychiatrist, made the trip to the Isle of Barr in an attempt to settle him. They located the house and found that it was exactly as described by Cameron, although the house had been modernised and the interior was not familiar to the boy.

Through a genealogist, a Gillian Robertson was traced, who remembered the house and the black and white Border Collie – but they have been unable to trace Shane Robertson.

Many believe that the essence of the individual – the soul, remains intact after death, to be re-born into a new body. Usually, the memories of past lives are not tangible, but may remain as shadows of the mind, the causation of irrational or unusual fears, passions and interests, drawn from the experiences of one soul as it moves through many lives.

Spiritual Paranormal Events

Paranormal investigation, over recent years, has become a hugely popular, multi million pound industry, a new genre of popular media entertainment- the accompanying hysteria and over dramatic effect of presentation styles, in many ways, detracts from genuinely interesting events – and makes it difficult for the observer to determine reality from artistic license.

The “industry” also contains many charlatans who feed upon people’s natural curiosity and use it as an opportunity to make a quick buck.

The intense interest in the topic stems from the fact that a large number of individuals, have at some time in their lives, seen, heard or felt something cannot be rationally explained.

There are many areas of paranormal investigation, but some revolve around the theory that spirits or souls remain in periodic and diverse contact with the living after death.

Conscious Universe Theories

There are a number of growing theories regarding our universe.

Some believe that the universe is a conscious entity, and that the universe only burst into life as a result of conscious thought.

These ideas are supported by some current areas of theory investigation in quantum physics.

Doctor Gerald Schroeder has put forward a theory that the human brain acts as a “radio” – picking up the data of the mind, the mind which is external to the body, and adding individual experiences and feelings back into the collective.

This is supported by experiments conducted by the David Lynch Foundation – whereby where a large collective focus and meditate upon peace and love, the crime level is statistically and dramatically reduced for a short time in that locality.

Quantum Physics

In the realm of quantum physics, the human body, taken down to its most basic atomic level, is energy.

All matter is energy – energy in the form of light waves, part of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

No matter is truly solid, as under the most powerful scrutiny, all matter is composed of electrons whirling around a nucleus and proton.

Einstein’s famous equation E = MC2 (E is energy and M is matter C is the velocity of light) shows that matter and energy are actually one and the same thing.

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy can be transformed from one form to another – but energy cannot be created or destroyed. The total amount of energy in the universe always stays the same.

Based upon this law, the energy from the human body has been in existence for at least 15 billion years (since the big bang) and this universe was created (according to current scientific thinking) and will continue to be in existence until the universe ceases to exist.

The interesting question therefore is if energy can retain information in respect of its previous forms.

In conclusion, the above list is by no means definitive, but outlines a number of interesting events and theories which may point to life beyond the physical.

This is a topic which will continue to be debated for many years to come and a burning question that we will all know the answer to – some day!