Adding Sara’s thoughts to the original article.
Reena Saxena, you have managed to write on a very complex topic in a way that is possible for individuals holding perspectives across the board to find something to connect with, to identify with. No matter if one “believes” or not, you wrote in a language of universal thought; man’s ability to question who are we and what exists beyond our immediate boundaries. Every discipline does this, mathematicians, scientists, artists, philosophers, and more. I don’t think any one can deny these experiences or phenomenons you discuss, all we can do is place them within a framework that makes sense to us. It is also not possible to deny that every generation and culture has had some form of narrative and explanation of these experiences. For me, we are sensory based biological units that share much with other species and our natural environment. Yet, we transcend those commonalities and are able to form belief systems that include aspects of spacetime continuum. Inner space and time exists just as objectively as outer space and time. Carl Sagan said, “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” Then there are American Dr Stuart Hameroff and British physicist Sir Roger Penrose who have developed a quantum theory of consciousness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeh001ptDgo
Again for me, along with being sensory based biological units we are also conscious beings; with the ability to alter our state of consciousness. I see H. G. Wells, “The Time Machine”, as his depiction of an external means through which to travel through time but it is our ability to alter our conscious states that is our internal time machine.
I appreciate Azar Nafisi’s quote very much. Finally, just a note; it is possible to have an OBE without it being related to near death.
Thank you Reena for a very provocative, thoughtful and well written article.
Creative Experiments and More 