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Yet the people who have literally died, then minutes later, (between 10-30 minutes) have been revived, tell of the most amazing experience. They are able to recall tools used in their operation, movement's of doctor's and conversations.
And it could be that the brain has such low activity that it is unable to be measured. As far as I know, they are using electrodes on the surface of the skull. To fully measure the lack of brain activity you need electrodes directly on the brain matter in question. It could be that these people's brains are active and are capable of registering stimuli from the outside world. Hence, they are able to remember what was going on in the operating room. Most times, NDE's of this type (10-30 minutes without revival) involve some type of hypothermic trauma, so that the metabolism is dramatically slowed by not altogether stopped. For instance, in Soviet Russia they actually used hypothermia to stop a person's heart for open heart surger instead of using a heart/lung machine. People undergoing this procedure often report NDE's.
Also, NDE's may be an artifact of oxygen deprivation. People often report very similar responses from oxygen deprivation, including tunnel vision and "seeing stars". There is no reason that commonalities between NDE's could not be caused by a similar mechanism.
I won't challenge the fact that these experiences can change one's life. Even conscious near death experiences tend to alter one's life forever. The thought that you almost died tends to shock one's psyche and make one realize what is so dear about being alive.