The Self-Conscious Mind (updated 09/04/24 --»What's new)
Recent interviews, news articles, papers
and presentations
When Does Human Life Begin? (Part
2) Continuing
from Part 1, we present evidence of the etheric body, the factors
involved in embodiment in a physical body, and the "etheric extract"
that is carried from one incarnation to the next. Embodiment can occur
only when brain development begins at 24 weeks, so the soul cannot be
considered an incarnated human being until then. Communication with the
soul during pregnancy is critical to prevent or lessen trauma to the
soul, especially in cases of in vitro fertilization (IVF). (2024
IANDS Conference, Sept 2024; video 56 min, Q&A 5 min)
When Does Human Life Begin? (Part
1)
Evidence from NDEs, children's prebirth memories, and other sources
shows that the individual nonmaterial soul generally does not unite
with the developing fetus until later in gestation. We discuss the
factors involved with the question of when human life begins. (2023
IANDS Conference, Sept 2023; video 52 min, Q&A 5 min)
NDE Evidence and Mind-Brain
Research: The concept of an autonomous mind entity can serve as
a new conceptual framework for explaining consciousness. What is needed
now is a research program to validate this model of mind-brain
interaction (2022 IANDS Conference, Sept 2022; video 50 min, Q&A 10
min).
Afterlife Evidence Panel:
Future Research Directions: Results of Bigelow essay contest
and future directionsin afterlife research. Featuring BICS
essay winners Jeffrey Mishlove and Robert & Suzanne Mays; Jan
Holden is moderator (2022
IANDS Conference, Sept 2022; summaries, discussion 72 min, Q&A 10
min)
NDE Evidence of the Localized,
Individuated Mind Entity: We argue that the mind entity is
individuated
and localized, rather than "non-local", and that the notion of the
universal, collective One Mind refers to the all-pervasive transcendent
realm (2022 IANDS Symposium, February 2022; video 35 min, Q&A 10
min).
Debate on mind-brain
interaction with Kenneth Arnette, PhD: A friendly debate with
our friend Kenny Arnette on the mechanism of mind-brain interaction, moderated
by Darren McEnaney of Seeking-I.com.
(April
20, 2022, video: initial statements to 25:00;
discussion to 1:25:00; Q&A to 2:10:00).
How NDEs Deepen Our Understanding of Anthroposophy:
NDErs
frequently report meeting a Being of Light in their NDE and many NDErs,
notably George Ritchie, identify this Being as Christ. In 1910, Rudolf
Steiner predicted that -- beginning in the 1930s -- more and more
people would encounter Christ in a spiritual or "etheric" form in a
kind of Damascus event. NDEs appear to be the fulfillment of Steiner's
prediction. (January 21, 2022, presentation 30 minutes, Q&A 30
minutes).
Tribute to Tibor Putnoki:
2021 ISGO presentation to honor the memory of Hungarian NDEr Tibor
Putnoki's life and the Light of Love Foundation he founded (video, 63
min; Q&A 60 min).
Interview on P.E.E.P.
Podcast with Nicolle Morock about our research: our mind-entity
theory, shared-death experiences, life reviews and previews, prophetic
visions, Tom Sawyer's vision of L-1011 crash, the purpose of life on
earth (audio, 84 min).
NDE Evidence that there is No Death:
the main
evidence from NDEs, shared death experiences (SDEs), and after-death
communications (ADCs) that There is No Death. 2021
IANDS Conference presentation, September 2021 (video, 50 min).
NDEs,
Consciousness and Reality: the main results of the past 15 years of
our research -- the mind-entity hypothesis and the transcendent realm
hypothesis, Sept. 2020 (video, 80 min).
The Mission & Message of NDErs:
interviews
of NDErs who have received visions of future world events -- their
insights into the deeper meaning of the current challenges facing
humanity, Sept. 2020 (video series).
When Does Human Life Begin? (Part 1) We
present the evidence from NDEs and children's prebirth memories to
address the question of when human life begins. 2023 IANDS Conference.
When Does Human Life Begin? (Part 2)The
soul cannot be considered an incarnated human being until after brain
development begins at 24 weeks, supporting physical embodiment.
2024 IANDS Conference.
NDE Evidence
and Mind-Brain Research: The concept of an autonomous mind
entity can serve as a new conceptual framework for explaining
consciousness.
2022 IANDS Conference.
Tribute
to Tibor Putnoki: 2021 ISGO
presentation to honor the memory of Hungarian NDEr Tibor Putnoki's life
and the Light of Love Foundation he founded.
NDE
Evidence that there is No Death: the main evidence from NDEs, shared
death experiences (SDEs), and after-death communications (ADCs) that
There is No Death.
Insights about
the pandemic--There
is No Death: An
interview with Rabbi Stephen Robbins. Those who are grieving lost loved
ones, those who have survived the pandemic all need to know that There
is No Death
NDEs, Consciousness
and Reality: the main
results of the past 15 years of our research -- the mind-entity
hypothesis and the transcendent realm hypothesis.
The Mission &
Message of NDErs: interviews
of NDErs who have received visions of future world events -- their
insights into the meaning of current challenges.
This book presents 104
reliable, often firsthand accounts of perceptions during NDEs
that were later verified as accurate by independent sources. These
near-death experiencers were everyday people from all over the
world—many of whom were clinically dead, unable to see or hear, and yet
able to perceive new vistas of a world beyond the senses and even
beyond death.
This English edition was translated from Dutch. Robert and Suzanne
suggested a number of the new cases, helped with the editing of the
book and wrote the foreword to this edition.
Now available on Amazon
in paperback and Kindle versions.
2019 study "NDE
Visions of the World's Future" -- We are seeking NDEr
participants in a study:
Study objectives: (1) identify and,
if possible, verify cases of significant world events that were
accurately predicted by near-death experiencers (NDErs); (2) identify
similarities in future world events received by different NDErs; and
(3) identify what significance the visions of future world events have
for NDErs.
World events are
occurrences that involve or impact a large number of people, such as
tragic accidents, terrorist attacks, large-scale social disruptions or
conflicts, large-scale natural or environmental disasters, and so on.
Criteria to participate: (1) have
had an NDE or NDE-like experience; (2) during the experience or at some
other time, received information about a future world event.
The mind-entity hypothesis: IANDS NDE Radio interview (Lee Witting) on the mind-entity hypothesis and the
neural correlates of consciousness, 10/23/17 (30 min).
Presentation
at the 2016 Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies Conference:
NDEs and the Mystery
of Memory, June 2016 (slides and audio, 61 min).
The Epoch Times mentions our
research: in part 3 and part 4 of the 5-part article by Stephanie Lam
(September - October 2011).
Welcome! This web site is dedicated
to explaining and discussing our ideas on the self-conscious mind. Briefly,
we propose that:
The human being consists of (1) an energetic, spatially extended, non-material
“mind” that is united with
(2) a material brain and body.
The mind is a “field
of consciousness”, that is, a structured,
energetic region of space.
The mind is non-material
(does not consist of material atoms or particles) but has extension and
location in space..
The field of the mind can interact with physical processes.
The mind is united and co-extensive with the brain and body
and interacts directly with brain neurons.
The basic
evidence for this proposal derives from near-death experience (NDE)
phenomena and various neurological phenomena especially phantom limbs.
NDE phenomena
The human being is the integration or union of a self-conscious mind with a physical
body
Phantom limb phenomena
Forearm amputation without sensations
of the missing limb
Phantom "mind
limb" extending
beyond the body, with sensations
Phantom limbs are exposed “mind limbs” extending beyond the physical
body which exhibit subtle
interactions
with objects and other persons
For
more information, please read our Introduction. We invite you to read
through our ideas and would be pleased to hear
any comments you may have
about them.
Robert
and Suzanne Mays
Web
site contents
The Introduction
consists of a short introduction to
the ideas we have developed about the self-conscious mind
through our
research
The Research Papers page
lists the abstracts of our research
papers and includes links to the full text of the papers
The Other Writings
page lists our additional writings
with links to the full text
Our different research projects include:
Verification
of George Ritchie's report of the out-of-body experience
(OBE) portion of his near-death experience (NDE), including locating
the all-night cafe in Vicksburg and the hospital ward building at Camp
Barkeley near Abilene
Research on phantom limbs which explores the idea
that a phantom limb could have the same properties as the
self-conscious mind: an objective spatial reality, that has a subtle
interaction with physical objects and a subtle interaction with another
person's body
Collecting cases of apparent physical interaction
during NDE OBE: reports of interactions with physical processes
and objects, including interactions with another person's body and
"merging" with another person
Verification of other reports of veridical
perceptions during NDE OBE
Research requests:
we are seeking two types of cases that will assist our research. If you
have had any of these sorts of experiences or sensations, please contact us!
NDE
cases that involve physical interactions during the OBE phase of
the NDE. Interactions might include (1) light (like seeing a
light bulb or readout from a medical monitor), (2) sound (like
hearing lights humming, monitors beeping), (3) smells or tastes,
(4) touch (like sensations when passing through a physical
object), (5) the body of another person (like sensations in touching or
passing through a person), (6) the body of another person where your
touch appeared to be "felt" (when touching the person, the person
“felt” it in some way), (7) "merging" with another person (where
you could see and hear with their eyes and ears), or (8) anything
resembling these kinds of interactions
Phantom limb cases involving (1)
sensing the touch of another person, including massage over your
phantom limb, (2) being able to feel an object when you touch it with
your phantom, (3) touching another person with your phantom which they
can feel, (4) relief of phantom limb pain due to Therapeutic Touch or
other type of energetic work on your phantom, or (5) seeing your
phantom limb as a faint glow.
