How Your Brain Filters Out Reality

The wild paradox of human consciousness

Photo by David Matos on Unsplash

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Bruce Greyson, one of the world's leading Near Death Experience experts. For me, the most fascinating topic that we discussed is the possibility that the human brain does not produce consciousness and may actually limit it. It would appear that the brain's function (sensibly) is mainly to navigate the here and now—to pay attention to what is currently in front of us and how it can be of use. As French philosopher Henri Bergson said, "The brain maintains consciousness fixed on the world in which we live; it is the organ of attention to life."

Is there any evidence to back up this claim that the brain is a reality filter? In fact, there is.

One interesting data point comes from the rare but real phenomenon called "Terminal Lucidity." What happens is that someone who has an irreversible brain disease like Alzheimer's—who is unable to recognize family members or even communicate suddenly regains their original state of awareness and can interact normally for a few hours before they die. There is no apparent neurological reason for this to happen. Dr. Greyson suggests that in cases like this, "the deteriorating brain has lost its ability to filter the mind, which is briefly free to express itself." In other words, the brain needs to be sufficiently degraded to allow for an enhanced consciousness.

Another good example is what occurred to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor—a neuroanatomist who had a massive stroke that temporarily shut off the left hemisphere of her brain. Counterintuitively, what she experienced was a dramatic enhancement of her ordinary consciousness. This enhancement may sound remarkably familiar to those who are aquainted with states of mind that are brought about through mystical experiences, psychedelics, and near-death experiences.

As she said after her stroke:  

"To the right mind, no time exists other than the present moment, and each moment is vibrant with sensation. Life or death occurs in the present moment. The experience of joy happens in the present moment. Our perception and experience of connection with something that is greater than ourselves occurs in the present moment. To our right mind, the moment of now is timeless and abundant."

Compare this to the account of Lynn, who a drunk driver hit while she was riding her bike. As she described in “After,” Dr. Greyson's book on Near Death Experiences:

"There were no walls or boundaries or anything solid, just light and beings. The light was like a magnet too. You just cannot be apart from it; you want to be with it more than anything you've ever wanted. Everyone loved each other more than can be comprehended here because of what we were, not who we were. We're limited, but they are not."

Lynn reported having this experience while paramedics were performing CPR on her. This means that her heart had stopped beating, and as no blood was flowing to her brain, she fully lost consciousness after 10 to 20 seconds. Here we have a case of a total failure of brain function that nonetheless produced a vivid, intense, lucid (and conscious) experience. This, along with thousands of cases like it, would suggest that the brain is not necessary to produce consciousness and, in fact, only impedes it. Lynn's first thought after the accident was, "I remember opening my eyes, and all I could think about was "Shoot! All I have is a human brain."

Much as a cell phone that is damaged or has stopped working does not indicate that a signal is not being sent but only that the receptor is faulty, so too does the compromising or cessation of brain function only suggest that the body has lost its ability to receive. Paradoxically, when we consider some of the exuberant accounts of what it's actually like to lose brain function, there is good reason to take heart and consider that the consciousness that lies beyond the brain may hold the key to the most profound awareness that we may ever experience.

To hear two fist hand accounts of NDE survivors Stephanie Arnold and Maureen Kinsey, along with explanations from NDE experts Dr. Jeffrey Long and Dr. Jeff O'Driscoll, see the following live panel discussion.