According to radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long, there is more scientific evidence for the reality of near death experiences (NDEs) than there is for effective treatments of certain forms of cancer. He joined guest host Connie Willis (email) to present his strongest argument yet for the underlying truth of those who have died and returned to share their tales. "We continue to find lines of evidence all converging on the concept that near death experiences are, in a word, real," he said, noting several convincing points for the reality of NDEs. The people that having them are physically unconscious or clinically dead, and either state should preclude this from happening, he explained.

Realistic out-of-body experiences often accompany NDEs, and what people report seeing and hearing while unconscious is almost always accurate, Long continued. NDEs occur in patients under general anesthesia as well, which should not happen, he added. Long also pointed to the striking similarity of the content of NDEs across cultural/religious groups. NDEs are almost always positive with less than one percent described as hellish by the experiencer, he explained, suggesting even a frightening NDE can lead to transformational personal growth. Two common concepts used to describe NDEs are 'peace' and 'love,' Long disclosed, citing 58 percent of people who have reported feeling an overwhelming transcendent love. He also spoke about shared NDEs in which two people having a simultaneous life-threatening event participate in the same near death experience.

Bigfoot Update

First hour guest, Cliff Barackman, currently serving as the host of Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet, provided updates on the elusive creature. "Bigfoot [live] in a very thinly-peppered but widely-spread range all throughout North America," he explained, noting Oregon as a particularly good place to find them. Barackman shared what he believes may have been an actual sasquatch sighting he had while filming his television show. An upright figure with an unusual gate was spotted by thermal imager deftly navigating a brush-filled hillside in the dark, Barackman reported. After it disappeared from view, vocalizations were heard on that same hillside, he added. Barackman also spoke about what it is like to work on Finding Bigfoot with the various cast members. "What you see on the screen is real, we're not scripted," he said.