Sometimes people who have completely lost their minds, suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dementia, before death gain a clear consciousness. Their memory, personality and mind, shattered by disease, manifest for the last time. This phenomenon is known as suicide clearing.
Some believe that this phenomenon contradicts the view that "soul" is simply a function of the brain.
The philosopher Paul Edwards has formulated the "Alzheimer's argument against the soul." In 1995, he used the example of Ms. D. She was a generous and benevolent woman who often helped others. Alzheimer's disease completely changed her personality.
“All her goodwill was gone. She no longer recognized her children, and when the disease began to progress, she became very aggressive. She, who was always trying to help others, started beating other elderly patients,”writes Dr. Robert Mays, a near-death researcher.
Mace gave a talk on dying clarification at the IANDS conference on August 30 on behalf of Dr. Alexander Bathiani, professor of cognitive sciences at the University of Vienna.
Edward believed that Ms. D.'s example proved that the mind or soul does not exist apart from the brain. When the brain ceased to function normally, the person's personality collapsed. Ms. D. was a kind person when her brain was functioning normally, but this personality of her disappeared after her brain failed. This proves that the brain forms the human mind.
Bathiani said Edwards' argument sounds "comparatively convincing." However, the dying clarification suggests that consciousness is not destroyed along with the brain, says Bathiani.
If the mind was completely dependent on the brain, it becomes unclear how a person is able to regain his personality before death, which has a memory and can calmly and rationally communicate with others. If the brain has been so badly damaged by the disease, then only fragments of its personality should remain.
Promotional video:
The diagram on the right shows the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease. The diagram on the left shows the brain of a healthy person. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Upstairs is the brain of a person with Alzheimer's. Below is the brain of a healthy person. Photo: Hersenbank / Wikimedia Commons
Bathiani wonders if Edwards' arguments sounded so compelling if the loss of reason was temporary. What if Ms D. was in this condition due to medication? Or did she have an Alzheimer's twilight mental confusion? Would Edwards change his mind if Mrs D's sanity returned?
With a dying clarification, the mind seems to distance itself from the deceased brain, but this happens for a short time and only before death, Bathiani explains. Studying such cases gives the impression that the mind is being held back by the brain and consciousness is obscured by the brain, he says: “It's like a solar eclipse when the moon obscures the sun. In the same way, the brain obscures the person's "I".
Data
In the study, which involved 800 guardians, 32 people responded. These 32 nurses were caring for 227 patients suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease. About 10% had a sudden and brief mental clarification. These respondents participated in the research on their own initiative.
Such a small response may be due to the fact that this phenomenon is rare, because almost all the responding guardians are witnesses of the dying mental clarification in dying patients. It is currently unknown how common this phenomenon is. Most of the patients suffering from dementia die insane. However, the suicide clearing cases made a strong impression on the people who witnessed it.
One nurse said, “Before this happened, I developed a rather cynical attitude towards the 'vegetable people' that I had to look after. And now I understand that I am looking after the seedlings of immortality. If you saw what I faced, you would understand that dementia affects the soul of a person, but does not destroy it."
The research was conducted by Michael Nam and Bruce Grayson. One of these studies, published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease in 2010, was based on documented cases 100 years ago. More information is needed for a full analysis, says Bathiani.
Thanks for all
Bathiani's report cited several cases, including this: “An elderly woman with dementia has become practically dumb. She stopped recognizing people and did not express emotions. One day she unexpectedly called her daughter and thanked her for everything. She also spoke to her grandchildren on the phone, said goodbye and died shortly thereafter.
In another study, the patient did not speak or recognize people, and she seemed to be unconscious when her husband Urs died. A few months after her husband's death, she, sitting on the bed, stretched out her arms and said: “Urs! Yes, yes, I'm ready. She died shortly thereafter.
Although this case was somewhat controversial, Bathiani believes that it was not similar to the characteristic hallucinations sometimes seen in patients with Alzheimer's, because this behavior was based on a memory of the patient's previous life, which she did not observe for a long time.
It is also similar to near-death experiences, where people who were on the verge of death experienced clinical death but were resuscitated. They often report loved ones helping them “make the transition”. Almost all near-death experiences report hovering outside the physical body, beings or scenes from the afterlife, a feeling of euphoria, and so on.
Philosophical approach
When seeking further information, Bathiani also turns to philosophers. He quoted Spinoza's quote: "Light can exist without a shadow, but a shadow cannot exist without light."
Clarity, the normal state of consciousness, is light. Dementia and loss of mind is a shadow.
Bathiani also stated: "Truth can be without error, but error is impossible if there is no truth." Error is deviation. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are abnormalities in the brain. However, behind the distorted shadow of the disease, there may be light or real consciousness.
Bathiani does not make final conclusions. Dying clarification is a new area of research, and one cannot jump to conclusions based on the small amount of data that is currently available. We still do not know what really happens in this state, and how patients who have lost their minds are able to regain consciousness.
Bathiani's research notes that episodes of near-death clarity are usually very short-lived (30 minutes to 2 hours) and are easy to miss. The only conclusion is that we must pay attention to dying patients, regardless of whether they suffer from mental loss or not. The phenomenon of suicide clarification is powerful and comforting to family, friends, and caregivers.