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That's ALLLBI rds dot com. Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane smith. For the weeks in between episodes, we look at the stories that, for one reason or other, didn't make it into the show. In last week's episode, Come Talk to Me, we looked at the work of Friederich Jerkinson, who, in nineteen to fifty eight, while trying to record birdsong in his garden, inadvertently recorded a mysterious
human voice. Though Jurgenson assumed this to be a simple radio transmission, similar voices later caught on tape led him ultimately to believe he had found a way to receive communications from the Dead, as explored in season three's episode eight Extra. Some consider Jurgenson's recordings to be early examples of instrumental transcommunication, the apparent capturing of the voices of
the dead on electronic devices. For me, Jurgenson's story is particularly fascinating because, unlike many others who have carried out similar paranormal endeavors, Jurgenson had not set out to prove anything in particular, nor was he trying to validate any religious belief. It is also, of course teasingly compelling, since, like many people, I would like nothing more more than
to see irrefutable proof of a life after death. Humans have long speculated on the concept of an afterlife, whether we believe in it through a genuine religious conviction, or whether we consider it merely an invention to dilute the fear of death, or as a means to shape morality. However, it is only fairly recently that we have attempted to
study the possibility of it scientifically. The oft mentioned Society of Psychical Research, perhaps the first formal approach to such matters, was established in eighteen eighty two for more or less this precise reason. Interestingly, what motivated founding member Henry Sidgwick, who was predominantly concerned with the validity of mediumship, was his own in a turmoil at what proof of that
would mean. Having been raised an Anglican Christian, Sidgwick was torn between his faith and his rational mind that knew only too well there was no scientific evidence to validate Christian doctrine. It was through his work with the SPR that Sidgwick hoped to finally find evidence to support his
religious convictions. No doubt, for many of those early members of the SPR, many scientific revelations of the day, from the discovery of electromagnetism to radio waves and the thrill of seeing a light bulb for the first time, did much to stir the imagination at what worlds might yet
exist beyond the senses. Today, however, despite all the technological advancements of the last one hundred and fifty years, it might be surprising or revealing, even depending on how you look at it, that the anecdotal evidence of the near death experience has emerged as the key area of interest for advocates of some form of life after the material death of the body. Are you always taking care of your family? Do you often take care of others and
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get started. That's teladoc dot com slash Unexplained Podcast. What makes ndease so compelling as evidence of an afterlife is not only that they appear to have been recorded as far back as ancient times, and that, as one two thousand and five studies suggests as many as ninety five percent of world cultures are familiar with them, but also that regardless of time or culture, the many described experiences
appear so remarkably similar. Most NDEs will involve some form of outer body experience, with the experiencer claiming to have witnessed their dying bodies from above before finding themselves being taken towards a bright light or to an unfamiliar but
calming place populated by dead friends and family members. Though the ubiquity and uniformity of ndees isn't by any means evidence of an afterlife, it has however provided researches, such as Janice Holden, editor of the Journal of Near Death Studies, a platform from which to base their research. In particular, the apparent phenomenon of the outer body experience has had some researches looking for ways to validate the claim that
this is more than a mere hallucination. Writing in the two thousand and nine Handbook of Near Death Experiences Thirty Years of Investigation, Holden notes thirty five cases out of roughly a hundred that she claims were verified as having accurately described events The individuals couldn't possibly have been aware of one well known case of an apparently legitimate out of body NDE was said to have taken place in
the United States in nineteen seventy six. It was in April of that year that Kimberly Sharp, a social worker at Harbor View Hospital in Seattle, Washington, was introduced to a patient who had just survived a massive heart attack. The woman, known only as Maria, was in an agitated state and desperately wanted to share something with Kimberly. The woman, according to Sharp, claimed that at some point, while she was being resuscitated, she became aware that she was no
longer in her own body. Moments later, she began floating upwards into the corner of the room, at which point she was able to observe not only her prostrate body on the hospital bed below her, but all the medical staff too, as they tried to resuscitate her. Finding that she was able to control her movements, she then floated out at the building, where she apparently saw a scuffed up, light blue canvas tennis shoe perched on a ledge outside a window. Desperate to know if this had really happened,
Maria begged Kimberly to search for the mystery item. Although Kimberly was familiar with reports of near death experiences, she had never heard anything quite so specific, and was more than happy to test out the theory. After scaring a number of floors for any sign of the shoe, Kimberly had all but given up when she wandered into a ward on the third floor and approached the window at the far side. Realizing with increasing certainty what she was seeing.
As she drew closer and closer, Kimberly was stunned to find a light blue, scuffed up canvas tennis shoe perched on the ledge outside the window, just as Maria had described it. Due to the credibility of the witness, Kimberly Shah, who later went on to join the faculty of the University of Washington, the story has gained a lot of traction. Detractors, however, have not unreasonably noted that the mysterious Maria was apparently never heard from again, having never gone on record herself
to confirm the story. Whether we believe Maria's experience or not, there are no shortage of people lining up to present after life affirming accounts of their own endase, eager to share their positive experiences of what awaits us after death. Far less common, however, as pointed out by Gideon Lichfield in a two and fifteen article for the Atlantic, are those accounts as many as twenty three percent that were
wholly unpleasant experiences as suggested by Friedrich Jergensen's research. If there were such a thing as an existence beyond the material experience of life as we know it that didn't, as many increasingly believe, it wouldn't conform to any religious ideals. Would we be prepared for what that might mean exactly? For example, in the most basic sense of what many hope and after life to be, it would be somewhere
that conformed to our sense of self in life. After all, what comfort would an after life be if you had no recollection of your previous self, and yet granted such a space existed, it would presumably be the fate of all people that had ever lived, from those we consider to be the most saintly to those whom we consider to be the most depraved, and any other sentient animal
for that matter. Furthermore, presumably any artificially created intelligence that had become self aware might also exist in that space, not any of them having any compulsion to alter their ways of life, attitudes, or opinions of both you and themselves. At the end of his nineteen forty four play No Exit, Jean Paul Sartre depicts the arrival of three characters into a drawing room, from where they believe they will be
led into hell. As they wait, the characters are trying to figure out just what they have done exactly to deserve such a fate, when an awful realization dawns on them. They are not waiting to be led into hell. They are already there, trapped for eternity with each other and in turn by the way they see each other. As the character Garcan declaims, so this is hell, I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture chambers, the fire and brimstone old wives tales.
There's no need for red hot pokers. Hell is other people. A warning perhaps that, as ever, we should always be careful what we wish for. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to help supporters, you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations, no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain smith.
Please subscribe and rate the show on I tune. Feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com or on Twitter at Unexplained Pod. Now. It's time to take care of yourself. To make time for you, teledoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you
get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or visit telldoc dot com, Forward slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t e l a DC dot com Slash Unexplained Podcast