{"id":8118,"date":"2017-02-15T20:49:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T02:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/?p=8118"},"modified":"2017-02-15T20:49:23","modified_gmt":"2017-02-16T02:49:23","slug":"not-an-awful-malfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/2017\/02\/15\/not-an-awful-malfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"Not An Awful Malfunction"},"content":{"rendered":"

NewScientist<\/strong><\/em> (4 February 2017) reports<\/a> on progress in communicating with people with “locked-in” syndrome, which can be brought on by ALS<\/strong><\/em> and other neurological diseases. This caught me by surprise:<\/p>\n

The team used the device to ask\u00a0the four people if they were happy. \u201cThey say that life is wonderful,\u201d says Birbaumer.<\/p>\n

Many people, including some medical professionals, assume that paralysed people have a low quality of life. Birbaumer says that in his experience, this isn\u2019t true<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some research suggests locked-in people are unable to process negative emotions, says Chaudhary. \u201cThey\u2019re only processing positive emotions, and if that happens, you\u2019re basically happy all the time,\u201d he says. \u201cWe don\u2019t know why that is, but it seems as though the brain is trying to protect itself.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve often felt – along with many other scientific types – that Near Death Experiences (NDEs) are merely the result of a malfunctioning brain. I had never thought of a malfunction which simply kept the consciousness happy, though.<\/p>\n

Here’s a quick summary of the story:<\/p>\n