A detailed case study of a physician who had a near-death experience during childbirth provides evidence that some aspects of NDEs cannot be explained by materialist theories that attribute consciousness solely to brain activity. The subject reported sensory perceptions that would be impossible under that framework. The experience also led to a lasting shift in her understanding of consciousness and the role of the sacred in her life.
Three types of spiritually transformative experiences—near-death experiences, psilocybin experiences, and meditative experiences of cosmic consciousness—share common features including expanded awareness, profound lasting life changes, and reduced neural activity in major brain centers such as the Default Mode Network. The authors propose that decreased activity in brain regions that normally act as a filter or reducing valve allows expanded awareness, which is linked to lasting transformation. This synthesis draws on case studies, controlled clinical research, and neurophysiological data.