American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine

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Mysterious “Wave of Death” Could Mark Critical Divide Between Life and Death

Received: 20 August 2022    Accepted: 05 September 2022    Published: 16 September 2022
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Abstract

Despite modern advances in medical science, the critical divide between life and death remains a mystery. The ability to more accurately determine when death occurs would be of enormous clinical and practical benefit in the care of dying patients. In both animals and humans, a peculiar spike of highly coherent electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during the dying process has been observed by several research groups. Some researchers believe that this spike of activity could be the brain’s last burst of normal signaling prior to death and may also provide a neuropsychological explanation for the puzzling phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs). This analysis offers an entirely new perspective on end-of-life electrical surges. Based on available clinical and electrophysiological evidence, it contends that the so-called "wave of death" is not initiated by the brain but rather mediated by the brain as the departing soul leaves the body at the time of death. Hypothetically, the head of the soul (the mind), upon separating from the dying brain, experiences a burst of enhanced awareness, and the associated magnetic fields drive a corresponding burst of neurological activity until the soul passes outside the physical proximity in which its electromagnetic activity can induce neuronal signals. To my knowledge, this is the first anatomically, psychophysiologically, and electrophysiologically-based explanation that links end-of-life EEG activity to NDEs without discounting the seeming extracorporeal nature of those experiences. If this hypothesis is correct, then end-of-life electrical surges could be highly precise objective markers of the transition from life to death. Beyond the benefits that this would offer to dying patients and their caregivers, it would offer a new form of scientific validation for near-death and end-of-life experiences, which have increasingly become a source of inspiration, wisdom, and hope for the dying, their loved ones, and people all over the world.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12
Published in American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Volume 10, Issue 5, September 2022)
Page(s) 115-123
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

End-of-Life Electrical Surges, Wave of Death, Determination of Death, Science of Near-Death Experiences, Psychophysiology of NDEs, Mind-Brain Duality, Dying Brain, Life After Life

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Psychiatry, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Highland Park Hospital, Highland Park, USA

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  • APA Style

    Michael Raymond Binder. (2022). Mysterious “Wave of Death” Could Mark Critical Divide Between Life and Death. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 10(5), 115-123. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12

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    ACS Style

    Michael Raymond Binder. Mysterious “Wave of Death” Could Mark Critical Divide Between Life and Death. Am. J. Clin. Exp. Med. 2022, 10(5), 115-123. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12

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    AMA Style

    Michael Raymond Binder. Mysterious “Wave of Death” Could Mark Critical Divide Between Life and Death. Am J Clin Exp Med. 2022;10(5):115-123. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12,
      author = {Michael Raymond Binder},
      title = {Mysterious “Wave of Death” Could Mark Critical Divide Between Life and Death},
      journal = {American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine},
      volume = {10},
      number = {5},
      pages = {115-123},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20221005.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcem.20221005.12},
      abstract = {Despite modern advances in medical science, the critical divide between life and death remains a mystery. The ability to more accurately determine when death occurs would be of enormous clinical and practical benefit in the care of dying patients. In both animals and humans, a peculiar spike of highly coherent electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during the dying process has been observed by several research groups. Some researchers believe that this spike of activity could be the brain’s last burst of normal signaling prior to death and may also provide a neuropsychological explanation for the puzzling phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs). This analysis offers an entirely new perspective on end-of-life electrical surges. Based on available clinical and electrophysiological evidence, it contends that the so-called "wave of death" is not initiated by the brain but rather mediated by the brain as the departing soul leaves the body at the time of death. Hypothetically, the head of the soul (the mind), upon separating from the dying brain, experiences a burst of enhanced awareness, and the associated magnetic fields drive a corresponding burst of neurological activity until the soul passes outside the physical proximity in which its electromagnetic activity can induce neuronal signals. To my knowledge, this is the first anatomically, psychophysiologically, and electrophysiologically-based explanation that links end-of-life EEG activity to NDEs without discounting the seeming extracorporeal nature of those experiences. If this hypothesis is correct, then end-of-life electrical surges could be highly precise objective markers of the transition from life to death. Beyond the benefits that this would offer to dying patients and their caregivers, it would offer a new form of scientific validation for near-death and end-of-life experiences, which have increasingly become a source of inspiration, wisdom, and hope for the dying, their loved ones, and people all over the world.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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