Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
February 18, 2022
Sam Parnia, Stephen G. Post, Matthew T. Lee et al.
68 citations
Advances in stem cell research, neuroscience, and resuscitation science have enabled scientific insights into what happens to the human brain in relation to death. Brain cells are more resilient to anoxia than previously assumed, becoming irreversibly damaged over hours to days postmortem. Resuscitation science has restored life to millions after cardiac arrest, and survivors describe a universal set of recollections related to death. This review examines death, recalled experiences during cardiac arrest, post-intensive care syndrome, and related phenomena, discussing potential mechanisms, ethical implications, and methodological considerations. It also addresses controversies in studying consciousness and recalled experiences of cardiac arrest and death in comatose subjects to standardize future research.
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
January 1, 2011
Jeff Levin
47 citations
Energy healing practices can be grouped into four traditions: East Asian, Western professional, bioenergy, and contemporary metaphysical. Core concepts across these systems include the source and transmission of healing, what is transmitted, the healer's actions and state of consciousness, and client requirements. Technique is less important than three key factors: focus, intention, and compassion. The paper argues that formal training is not necessary for effective energy healing.
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
January 1, 2008
Jeff Levin
38 citations
This paper provides the first comprehensive scholarly overview of eight major esoteric healing traditions: kabbalistic, mystery school, gnostic, brotherhoods, Eastern mystical, Western mystical, shamanic, and new age. It describes each tradition's beliefs and practices related to health, healing, and medicine, then identifies commonalities in anatomy, physiology, nosology, etiology, pathophysiology, and therapeutic modalities. The survey concludes by discussing implications for clinicians, biomedical researchers, and medical educators.
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
January 1, 2021
Jeff Levin
This article introduces a framework for understanding Western esoteric healing. It first provides background on Western esotericism and its healing traditions. The concept of therapeutic knowledge, drawn from philosophy of medicine and medical anthropology, is then explained and applied to esoteric healing. A taxonomy is proposed that categorizes sources of therapeutic knowledge in esoteric healing systems into channeling, initiation, and empirical observation or validation. The second part of the series will offer examples for each category and suggest directions for further research.