Cardiac arrest survivors may experience ‘new dimensions of reality’

Cardiac arrest survivors may reach a new dimension of consciousness (Image: Getty) People who suffer cardiac arrests may go through ‘new dimensions of reality’ once they’re saved via CPR for an up to an hour after their hearts stop, according to findings from researchers. A recent study has shown brain activity amongst those slipping away has revealed a transcendental state individuals appear to enter. The studies, including one published in February 2022, may provide some explanation for reports from people claiming to see their lives flash before them during near-death encounters. Now a study in the journal Resuscitation has amped up the evidence supporting the idea that those that cheat death after a cardiac arrest go through a dream-like phase where their existence up to that point is played out in their minds. Academics at New York University Grossman School of Medicine analysed reports from cardiac arrest survivors who said lucid death experiences occurred while they appeared to be unconscious. Researches conducted a study of more than 500 people (Image: Getty) A staggering 40 per cent of the 567 patients studied that survived the ordeal reported some type consciousness while they were receiving CPR that could be recorded using standard measures. Of this 40 per cent, four in 10 had brain activity that nearly returned to normal levels from a ‘flatline’ state even 60 minutes into CPR. Scientists conducting scans that revealed certain types of brain waves which are associated with higher levels of mental function, supporting the theory that they have been recalling memories. Despite cardiac arrest survivors often reporting some sort of out of body episode, scientists believe their research indicates that the patients are not simply having hallucinations, illusions or dreams but rather they’re accessing ‘new dimensions of reality’. These dimensions, the experts believe, may include childhood experiences and other encounters in patients’ lives up to the present moment. Researches claim their work ‘opens the door to a systematic exploration of what happens when a person dies’. Study author from NYU Sam Parnia said: ‘Although doctors have long thought that the brain suffers permanent damage about 10 minutes after the heart stops supplying it with oxygen, our work found that the brain can show signs of electrical recovery long into ongoing CPR. ‘This is the first large study to show that these recollections and brain wave changes may be signs of universal, shared elements of so-called near-death experiences.’