{Near-Death Experiences [continued (3)]}[19th June 1988]

[Redbook5:179-181][19880619:1707k]{Near-Death Experiences [continued (3)]}[19^th June 1988]

19880619.1707

[continued]

So far as tunnel experiences are concerned, I note that the visual-cortex-excitability explanation produces four familiar patterns.

Pattern*	Familiarity*
Grating (or Lattice)	Early recurrent nightmare/occasional edge-of-sleep experience of parallel lines moving.**
Cobweb	Circles and Crosses
Spiral	Version of Circles (cf [2])
Tunnel	I have twice (198011*** and 1985?11c****) recounted dreams where the tunnel image – which differed – was explicitly connected# with other people's deaths which actually occurred – in one case shortly after, in another that night {(unknown to me until the day after)}. Why should my visual cortex become excited about someone else's death? Co-incidence, I suppose, until we can find a better connection.

Footnote (P.I) <880621>

Ref N[ew ]S[cientist], ibid [9880505,1611,43ff]: 'The centre of the visual field uses up far more neurons than the edges, & the whole “picture” is mapped from retina to brain by a complex mathematical function. Cowan shows that because of this mapping,#* the stripes of activity in [the] cortex would appear as though there were concentric rings, tunnels or spirals in the world outside. Movement of the stripes would produce expansion or shrinking.

'So it seems that the tunnel is a natural consequence of the way in which the visual cortex represents the visual world.[']

Footnote (PII)

The question arises:

What is the origin of the mathematical mapping?

By approaching it mathematically, do we account for it, or just describe it?

Is it 'hard-wired'? If so, why?

And if not, why does it arise?

*<880621>

**[See [Redbook5:142][19880607:2045]{Mr. Underhill*}[7^th June 1988], 3rd fn]

***[[Redbook2:176-177][19801126:0050]{A Dream of Teaching: The Tunnel … }[26th November 1980]f;

& [Redbook2:179][19801202:2320]{Joy}[2nd December 1980]]

****[[Redbook2:366-371[19850806:2138]{A Dream: Return through the Tunnel}[6^th August 1985], &3ff]

#[subsequently]

#*(My emphasis)

[PostedBlogger12072018]