Research Alert
ABSTRACT:
News — Defining consciousness in human beings is a challenge; conscious ness in nonhuman animals is even more controversial because animals cannot communicate using human language. Nevertheless, scientists have studied animal consciousness through behavioral tests of their self-awareness. The evi dence from a variety of studies suggests that at least some nonhuman animals may have consciousness analogous to that of humans. Testimony from humans who report encountering deceased pets in their near-death experiences suggests that the consciousness of deceased pets may survive their bodily death. This possibility raises the question of whether animals might have near-death experi ences analogous to those of humans. Behavioral observations of animals on their deathbeds and behavioral changes in animals following close brushes with death suggest that animals may, indeed, have near-death experiences.
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Bruce Greyson
Chester F. Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences Former Editor, Journal of Near-Death Studies
University of Virginia Division of Perceptual StudiesCITATIONS