All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes

by Sue Black

Science has alternative explanations. All of the phenomena reported can occur normally if the right biochemical conditions or neurological stimuli exist to impact on brain activity. Stimulation of the temporo-parietal junction on the right side of the brain will generate a sense of floating and out-of-body levitation. Vivid imagery, false memories and the replaying of real scenes from the past can be induced by fluctuating levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which interacts with the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus. Depletion of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide can cause the visual hallucination of bright light and tunnel vision, as well as a feeling of euphoria and peace. Stimulation of the fronto-temporo-parietal circuitry of the brain can convince us that we are dead – even that we are drained of blood, devoid of internal organs and decomposing, in the case of sufferers of the rare psychiatric disorder Cotard’s syndrome.