Experiências de fim de vida
A consciência de que a vida terá inevitavelmente um fim parece ser exclusiva do ser humano. A morte é, provavelmente, a única experiência verdadeiramente universal. É também singular, pois é uma experiência que marca uma transição irreversível. As experiências de quase morte, contudo, deixam uma marca profunda em quem as vivenciou. Estas experiências levantam muitas questões: devemos pensar na morte como um instante ou como um processo? Como podemos - ou devemos - preparar-nos para a morte? O que sabemos sobre os mecanismos biológicos que conduzem à morte e que ocorrem durante o processo de morrer? Como é que diferentes culturas abordam a morte? E será que a experiência da morte pode alterar a forma como pensamos a realidade? Apesar do caráter universal da morte, estas questões têm permanecido, em larga medida, fora do âmbito da investigação científica - uma lacuna que o 15.o Simpósio "Aquém e Além do Cérebro" da Fundação Bial procurará colmatar, reunindo proeminentes neurocientistas, psicólogos e filósofos num profundo diálogo interdisciplinar ao longo de um programa multifacetado que se estende por três dias.
Abertura
O Simpósio terá início no final da tarde do dia 8 de abril com uma palestra de abertura proferida pelo eminente neurocientista Christof Koch (Seattle, EUA), que recorrerá a experiências extraordinárias, como as experiências de quase morte, para questionar o fisicalismo, a perspetiva segundo a qual a consciência pode ser totalmente reduzida a partículas materiais e às suas interações. Em oposição a esta visão, Koch defende o idealismo e o panpsiquismo, que descreve como compatíveis com o naturalismo e com o método científico.
Primeira Sessão
A primeira sessão, dedicada aos “Processos de fim de vida”, terá lugar na manhã de 9 de abril. Moderada por Helané Wahbeh (Novato, EUA), abordará os múltiplos processos que ocorrem à medida que a morte se aproxima. Contará com intervenções de Michael Rera (Paris, FR), Daniel Kondziella (Copenhaga, DK) e Marjorie Woollacott (Eugene, EUA). Rera centrar-se-á na biologia do processo de morrer. Kondziella explorará a origem evolutiva das experiências de quase morte. Woollacott dedicar-se-á ao fenómeno surpreendente da lucidez terminal. A sessão encerrará com uma conferência magistral de Michael Nahm (Freiburg, DE), que fará uma síntese dos fenómenos invulgares associados às experiências de fim de vida.
Segunda Sessão
A segunda sessão, intitulada “Momentos de fim de vida”, decorrerá na manhã de 10 de abril e será dedicada às experiências de quase morte (EQMs). Moderada por Etzel Cardeña (Lund, SE), terá início com uma intervenção de Janice Holden (Denton, EUA), que abordará as experiências anómalas relatadas por quem viveu uma EQM. De seguida, Charlotte Martial (Liège, BE) oferecerá uma perspetiva neurocientífica sobre as EQMs. Bárbara Gomes (Coimbra, PT) questionará sobre o que será mais importante para as pessoas nos seus últimos momentos de vida. Por fim, a conferência magistral será proferida por Jim Tucker (Charlottesville, EUA), que analisará relatos intrigantes de memórias de vidas passadas em crianças e questionará como deveremos interpretar este fenómeno.
Terceira Sessão
A terceira sessão, na manhã de 11 de abril, será dedicada às “Crenças e impactos de fim de vida” e será moderada por Veena Kumari (Londres, UK). Procurará documentar como o contexto cultural em que a morte ocorre molda a sua experiência. Mira Menzfeld (Zurique, CH) desenvolverá uma abordagem etnográfica para estudar a perceção e vivência da morte em diferentes culturas. Allan Kellehear (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) mostrará como uma abordagem antropológica da experiência da morte pode ajudar a compreender as condições que tornam o morrer uma experiência significativa. Marieta Pehlivanova (Charlottesville, EUA) fará uma síntese do impacto das experiências de quase morte e da necessidade de apoio das pessoas que as vivenciam. A manhã encerrará com uma conferência magistral de Fanny Charrasse (Bruxelas, BE), que se centrará nas interpretações xamânicas e psicológicas das experiências de quase morte, relatadas por pessoas que participaram em rituais com Ayahuasca.
Apresentações orais
Para além da organização do seu simpósio bienal, a Fundação Bial também apoia investigação básica relevante para o estudo da mente. Na tarde de 9 de abril, os investigadores apoiados pela Fundação Bial terão oportunidade de apresentar oralmente o seu trabalho, dando uma visão geral, em 2 minutos, do seu poster, que estará exposto durante o simpósio. Esta sessão empolgante será moderada por Mário Simões (Lisboa, PT).
Workshops
O Simpósio será ainda fortemente enriquecido por um conjunto notável de quatro workshops participativos, que decorrerão em paralelo, na tarde de 10 de abril. No Workshop 1, Rainer Goebel (Maastricht, NL) e Stefan Schmidt (Freiburg, DE) irão dialogar com o convidado Yesche Regel (Bonn, DE) sobre a forma como a tradição budista concebe a morte e como as suas práticas ajudam as pessoas a prepararem-se para ela. O Workshop 2, moderado por Chris Roe (Northampton, UK), contará com Etzel Cardeña e Marieta Pehlivanova, que farão uma exploração aprofundada das experiências de quase morte. O Workshop 3, conduzido por Rui Costa (Seattle, EUA) e com a participação de Julia Verne (Londres, UK), será dedicado às dimensões pessoais e sociais dos cuidados paliativos. Finalmente, o Workshop 4, moderado por Miguel Castelo-Branco (Coimbra, PT), terá Bárbara Gomes a conduzir uma sessão íntima e interativa, em que os participantes poderão (de forma anónima) partilhar o que mais valorizam no fim de vida e comparar as suas escolhas com as de outras culturas. A seguir aos workshops terá lugar um encontro informal, com queijo e vinho, oferecendo aos participantes a possibilidade de, no final do dia, partilharem as suas experiências e reflexões.
Mesa-redonda final
O Simpósio encerrará na tarde de 11 de abril com uma mesa-redonda final, moderada por Axel Cleeremans (Bruxelas, BE), que contará com a participação de Etzel Cardeña, Janice Holden, Christof Koch, Charlotte Martial e Marieta Pehlivanova. Esta será uma oportunidade para continuar a refletir e a partilhar as principais conclusões do simpósio, oferecendo ao público um último momento para interagir com os oradores convidados.
Com o seu 15.o Simpósio, a Fundação Bial espera envolver os oradores e o público em torno de uma reflexão profunda e interdisciplinar sobre aquela que é uma das experiências centrais da vida humana: a consciência de que ela terá um fim.
Comissão Organizadora, Participantes, Programa & Inscrições
AXEL CLEEREMANS (Bruxelas) - Presidente
ETZEL CARDEÑA (Lund)
MIGUEL CASTELO-BRANCO (Coimbra)
RUI COSTA (Seattle, WA)
RAINER GOEBEL (Maastricht)
VEENA KUMARI (Londres)
CHRIS ROE (Northampton)
STEFAN SCHMIDT (Freiburg)
HELANÉ WAHBEH (Novato, CA)
ETZEL CARDEÑA (Lund)
MIGUEL CASTELO-BRANCO (Coimbra)
FANNY CHARRASSE (Bruxelas)
AXEL CLEEREMANS (Bruxelas)
RUI COSTA (Seattle, WA)
RAINER GOEBEL (Maastricht)
BÁRBARA GOMES (Coimbra)
JANICE HOLDEN (Denton, TX)
ALLAN KELLEHEAR (Newcastle upon Tyne)
CHRISTOF KOCH (Seattle, WA)
DANIEL KONDZIELLA (Copenhaga)
VEENA KUMARI (Londres)
CHARLOTTE MARTIAL (Liège)
MIRA MENZFELD (Zurique)
MICHAEL NAHM (Freiburg)
MARIETA PEHLIVANOVA (Charlottesville, VA)
YESCHE REGEL (Bonn)
MICHAEL RERA (Paris)
CHRIS ROE (Northampton)
STEFAN SCHMIDT (Freiburg)
MÁRIO SIMÕES (Lisboa)
JIM TUCKER (Charlottesville, VA)
JULIA VERNE (Londres)
HELANÉ WAHBEH (Novato, CA)
MARJORIE WOOLLACOTT (Eugene, OR)
17:00-18:00 - Entrega de documentação
18:00-18:30 - Abertura
18:30-19:15 - Conferência Inaugural
Chairman | Axel Cleeremans: Research Director with the F.R.S-FNRS (Belgium); Director of the Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles; Member of the Royal Academy of Belgium. Scientific interests: consciousness; unconscious cognition; computational modelling of cognitive processes; agency; affective neuroscience.
Beyond physicalism - Looking at the world with fresh eyes
Christof Koch: Meritorious Investigator, Allen Institute, Seattle; Chief Scientist of the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, Santa Monica. Former president, Allen Institute for Brain Science; former professor, California Institute of Technology, USA. Scientific interests: the biophysics of electric fields in the brain, the cortex and its circuits, detecting consciousness in behavioral unresponsive patients, consciousness and its substrate.
Abstract: The dominant metaphysical belief of modernity is physicalism/materialism, the thesis that at rock-bottom everything is reducible to observer-independent quantities and interactions among them, such as mass, spin etc. Physicalism goes together with a systematic devaluation of first-person subjective experiences. However, two challenges threaten physicalism. Firstly, physicalism has failed to explain how consciousness emerges from mechanisms (i.e., the explanatory gap or the Hard Problem). Instead, much of modern analytic philosophy argues that people are confused about their subjective experiences and that these do not exist in any meaningful manner (illusionism). Yet consciousness refuses to be cancelled. Secondly, defining the physical has become challenging with the rise of quantum mechanics. A primary characteristic of physical quantities is that they have definite values that do not depend on any observer. Furthermore, reality is assumed to be local, such that only nearby events can influence each other. Both precepts are now being rejected by many physicists (entangled EPR pairs). Defining physicalism with respect to a future physics is a promissory note devoid of content. Indeed, it might even subsume the mental as a fundamental constituent. A third source of unease with physicalism derives from the existence of extra-ordinary experiences – whether religious-conversion experiences, near-death experiences, terminal lucidity, or mystical experiences – from which subjects return with deeply held pantheistic or idealistic views of reality. Subjects routinely describe these as among the most meaningful in their lives. This trilemma suggests the need to reconsider older metaphysical views of reality, such as idealism or panpsychism, that assume the evolution of the world is determined by causal powers entirely within the world and accept the validity of the scientific method as a powerful operational tool.
1ª sessão - End-of-life processes
09:00 - 09:15 | Abertura
Moderator | Helané Wahbeh: Director of Research, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Novato, California, USA. Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA. Former President and current Board Member of the Parapsychological Association. Scientific interests: complementary and alternative medicine, mind-body medicine, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder, extended human capacities, and channeling approached through a noetic framework.
09:15 - 09:45 | Studying ageing as a two-phase process: the biology of dying
Michael Rera: Research Director, CNRS, Principal Investigator of the research group UTELife (Understanding The End-of-Life), Department of Adaptive and Functional Biology, Université Paris Cité, France. Scientific interests: mathematical modeling of ageing, human health applications and ethics of the two-phase model, evolution of ageing and associated theories.
Abstract: Aging is a complex, multifaceted process influenced by genetic, molecular, and environmental factors that is generally defined as a time-dependent decline of an organism’s physiological functions, ultimately leading to its death. In the past ten years, the breakdown of intestinal barrier function, as demonstrated in Drosophila melanogaster, serves as a critical indicator of systemic aging. The loss of gut integrity dubbed “Smurf phenotype” predicts hallmarks of ageing such as inflammatory responses and metabolic dysregulation better than chronological age, as well as ultimately mortality. Its broad evolutionary conservation across Caenorhabditis elegans, Danio rerio and mice has led us to propose a model of ageing being a two-phase process and assess its role on the evolution of an “ageing function”. Together, these studies illustrate the importance of considering the two-phase model of ageing for better understanding healthspan and identify potential targets for therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing resilience against age-related diseases, in model organisms and beyond.
09:50 - 10:20 | The evolutionary origin of near-death experiences
Daniel Kondziella: Consultant neurologist at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, and Professor of Neurology with special focus on Acute and Critical Care Neurology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lead author, the European Academy of Neurology guideline on the Diagnosis of Coma and Disorders of Consciousness; Co-chair, the European Academy of Neurology Scientific Panel Coma and Disorders of Consciousness; Fellow, the European Board of Neurology (FEBN); Board-certified physician in Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Scientific interests: coma and disorders of consciousness and acute and critical care neurology.
Abstract: Near-death experiences are known from all parts of the world, various times and numerous cultural backgrounds. This universality suggests that near-death experiences may have a biological origin and purpose. We used a pre-registered, systematic and multilayered protocol to investigate the hypothesis that thanatosis, also known as death feigning or tonic immobility and a last-resort defence mechanism in animals, is the evolutionary origin of near-death experiences. First, we constructed a cladogram, ranging from insects to humans, based on NCBI taxonomy. We then systematically reviewed the scientific literature to show thanatosis exists in species from all branches of the cladogram, which suggests that it is a highly preserved phylogenetic trait in living beings ranging from insects to humans. We then showed that thanatosis is associated with a survival advantage in animals as well as modern humans. Finally, we showed that humans under attack by big animals, other humans or ‘modern’ predators can both exhibit thanatosis and have near-death experiences, suggesting that these two conditions not only share important features but are related. We hypothesize that the greater sophistication of the human brain and the acquisition of language enabled humans to record and share their experiences in detail with others, thereby transforming these events from relatively uniform tonic immobility into the rich perceptions that form near-death experiences and extend to non-predatory situations. In summary, we have built a line of evidence suggesting that thanatosis is the evolutionary foundation of near-death experiences and that their shared biological purpose is the benefit of survival.
10:25 - 10:55 | The puzzle of terminal lucidity in dying children and adults: Exploring permissive vs. productive hypotheses for brain function
Marjorie Woollacott: Professor and member, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, USA. Past chair, Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon; President of the Academy for the Advancement of Post-Materialist Sciences, Science Committee of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS); Co-Director, Galileo Commission; Research Director, International Association of Near-Death Studies. Scientific interests: the nature of conscious awareness, neural filters to conscious awareness, and the effects of meditation and end-of-life experiences on these filtering capacities.
Abstract: One key strategy for better penetrating the essential characteristics of consciousness, is to augment our understanding of paradoxical phenomena occurring at the end of life. Terminal lucidity (TL), the unexpected return of mental clarity, often in the minutes to hours before death, is one of these paradoxical phenomena. This phenomenon is paradoxical because it often occurs in a child or adult whose mental and physiological deterioration is thought to be irreversible, according to medical diagnosis. For example, in a previous case study, a 3-year-old girl, with an immune disorder and liver and pulmonary failure was no longer speaking or responding to her parents or providers. One evening she awoke, regained the ability to sit up in bed, and spoke with her parents about the important people in her life, indicating her awareness that she was transitioning. She then asked to go to bed, returned to her comatose state and later died peacefully of cardiac arrest in her parents' arms (Rohrs et al, 2023). Thus, both the nature of and the factors underlying TL are not well understood. Though valuable, case studies have not been systematically collected, and this makes the identification of key factors contributing to TL difficult to determine. Our current series of studies explores this phenomenon further, with the aim of identifying both psychological and physiological factors associated with TL in a medically diverse sample of adults and children. Our results suggest that an identified medical diagnosis or physiological condition did not appear to account for the emergence of TL or the characteristics of the episode. The data give support for the hypothesis that the brain is a permissive organ rather than a productive one.
11:00 - 11:30 | Café, sessão de posters e contactos
11:30 - 12:15 | Conferência - On the Banks of the River Styx: An overview of the spectrum of end-of-life experiences
Michael Nahm: Research Associate, Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany. Scientific interests: end-of-life experiences including terminal lucidity, near-death experiences, coma experiences, reincarnation cases, physical mediumship, theories of parapsychology and their philosophical implications, and the history of parapsychology.
Abstract: Unusual phenomena that occur in near-death states have been reported since centuries. Nevertheless, they have barely been investigated in academic settings until recently. Apart from near-death experiences (NDEs), which were studied increasingly from the 1970s onward, phenomena belonging to the spectrum of end-of-life experiences (ELEs) have only caught the interest of research teams in academia since about the turn of the century. These phenomena include near-death visions, terminal lucidity, the last rally, unusual dreams and premonitions indicative of transition, crisis telepathy and crisis apparitions, shared death experiences, physical anomalies occurring around the time somebody dies, as well as unusual lights, mists, and music perceived by bystanders at the bedsides of the dying. Similar ELEs have also been reported from dying animals. In this lecture, I will introduce examples of these phenomena and demonstrate that they are all interlinked with each other, forming a continuum of experiences with often overlapping phenomenology. Furthermore, the spectrum of ELEs overlaps with aspects of other death-related phenomena such as NDEs, coma experiences, and reincarnation cases. This interrelation between different kinds of ELEs and also between other death-related phenomena signifies that explanatory models for ELEs need to take these interconnections into account. Treating ELEs as different kinds of unconnected death-related oddities is likely to result in an incomplete understanding of their nature.
12:30 - 13:00 | Discussão
13:00 - 14:30 | Almoço
14:30 - 16:00 | Apresentações orais posters - Investigadores apoiados
Moderator | Mário Simões: Retired Professor of Psychiatry and Mental Health and Introduction to Consciousness Sciences, Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon (FML), Portugal. Past Director of LIMMIT - Laboratory of Mind-Matter Interaction with Therapeutic Intention - and of the Post-Graduation Course in Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, FML. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Bial Foundation. Research interests: psychology and psychophysiology of altered states of consciousness, parapsychology, ethnic medicine, human exceptional experiences (NDE) and spirituality.
16:00 - 17:00 | Café, sessão de posters e contactos
2ª sessão - End-of-life moments
09:00 - 09:15 | Abertura
Moderator | Etzel Cardeña: Thorsen Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology (CERCAP), Department of Psychology, Lund University, Sweden. Scientific interests: the psychology of anomalous experiences/non-ordinary mental expressions, including parapsychological phenomena; neurophenomenology of hypnosis, meditation and dissociation; stream of consciousness.
09:15 - 09:45 | Anomalous cognition / Veridical perception during NDEs
Janice Holden: Professor Emerita of Counseling, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA. Past president, International Association for Near-Death Studies. Scientific interests: counseling implications of near-death and related transpersonal experiences, including philosophical and cosmological implications, with particular focus on apparently non-physical veridical perception in NDEs and implications for the relationship between mind and brain.
Abstract: Although most near-death experiences (NDEs) are private subjective experiences, some experiencers’ perceptions can be assessed for their objective accuracy. Under certain circumstances, accurate perceptions indicate apparently non-physical veridical perception (AVP) that point to mind or consciousness functioning lucidly and complexly in the absence of brain function normally considered necessary for such functioning. In this presentation, Dr. Holden will summarize the history and current status of the study of AVP and its implications for the relationship between mind and brain and for the question of the existence of consciousness prior to and following physical life.
09:50 - 10:20 | Neurosciences confronting near-death experiences
Charlotte Martial: Researcher in Biomedical Sciences, GIGA Research Institute, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Belgium. Scientific interests: human consciousness, focusing on conditions in which individuals are outwardly unresponsive such as during general anesthesia or cardiac arrest, with a particular interest in near-death experiences.
Abstract: Near-death experiences (NDEs) are vivid, profound, and transformative mystical experiences that typically occur at the threshold of death. These experiences may initially appear to challenge conventional models of consciousness by demonstrating the occurrence of rich conscious experiences during extreme physiological crises - situations where we would not typically expect consciousness to persist. However, emerging neuroscientific models are offering compelling psycho-neurochemical frameworks for understanding how NDEs arise. In this lecture, Dr Charlotte Martial examines neurophysiological and cognitive markers underlying NDEs, drawing on neurobiological and phenomenological evidence from various neuroscience fields, alongside emerging theoretical models. Building on her recent evolutionary hypothesis, her research challenges the conventional view on NDEs, proposing that they may represent naturally occurring mental states with adaptive functions that enable individuals to better cope with extreme conditions and potentially facilitating profound psychological transformation.
10:25 - 10:55 | Are we failing to provide choice and peace at life’s end?
Bárbara Gomes: Researcher specialized in palliative, end of life and bereavement care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal. ERC Grantee developer of the International Classification of Dying Places. Scientific advisor of the “la Caixa” Foundation Programme of Comprehensive Care for People with Advanced Diseases in Portugal. Scientific interests: dying places, preferences and priorities at the end of life, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in advanced illness, person-centred care, palliative care in different contexts, bereavemen.
Abstract: What matters most to people in their last moments of life? Where are these spent, how and with whom? Dr. Barbara Gomes approaches these questions from an evidence-based and holistic perspective, considering our life’s end is personal, relational and contextual. Grounded on research findings on the livedexperiences of patients with life-threatening illnesses in advanced stage and their caregivers, and routinely collected health data such as death certificates, she queries if we as societies and care systems are failing to provide choice on where to die and a peaceful death. She weights the impacts on patients and also on family caregivers, considering their presence at time of death and bereavement.
11:00 - 11:30 | Café, sessão de posters e contactos
11:30 - 12:15 | Conferência - Children’s reports of past-life memories: A global phenomenon
Jim Tucker: Bonner-Lowry Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, USA. Retired director, Division of Perceptual Studies. Research interest: children’s reports of past-life memories. Clinical interests: child and adolescent psychiatry, ADHD, childhood mood and anxiety disorders.
Abstract: Children’s reports of past-life memories have been the subject of systematic study for the past 60 years. The cases typically involve very young children who spontaneously begin speaking of a life they say they experienced before their current one. Over 2,500 cases of this worldwide phenomenon have been investigated. In numerous examples, the children have given details that proved strikingly accurate for an individual who lived in the past, sometimes at a great distance from the child’s family. This presentation will provide a review of the features seen in the cases, including the types of evidence suggesting an anomalous connection between the child and the deceased individual. Explanations for the phenomenon will then be considered.
12:30 - 13:00 | Discussão
13:00 - 14:30 | Almoço
14:30 - 16:30 | Workshops Paralelos (W)
W1 - Dying within the Buddhist tradition and how to prepare for death
Room Medicoteca; sem tradução.
Moderators | Rainer Goebel and Stefan Schmidt
Rainer Goebel: Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Founding director of the Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (M-BIC). Scientific interests: neuronal representations in the brain and how they are processed to enable specific perceptual and cognitive functions; neural correlates of visual awareness; clinical applications in brain computer interfaces (BCIs) and neurofeedback studies.
Stefan Schmidt: Professor of Systemic Family Therapy and Head of the Academic Section of Systemic Health Research, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany. Scientific interests: systems approaches in health research, psychophysiology, consciousness research, mindfulness meditation, experimental parapsychology, exceptional experiences and placebo research.
Invited presenter | Yesche Regel: Buddhist meditation teacher and lecturer, Bonn, Germany. Involvement with Buddhist meditation centers in Germany and Europe since 1978. Ordained Buddhist monastic from 1980-1997. Disciple of Tibetan lamas and absolvent of a 3-year-meditation retreat. Interested in Tibetan Bardo-teachings (after-death i.e. cycle of life-and-death-teachings) and specialized in mindfulness, mental calm, and compassion trainings in meditation. Guided many retreats and meditation courses; meditation instructor for physicians and the nursing staff in projects in both cancer and palliative care units in German hospitals.
Abstract: Like other Asian religions, Buddhism considers the mind or consciousness not to be dependent on a physical framework. But the Buddha’s view was special in that he did not consider the mind to be an individual soul or personal unit. The view of a stream of consciousness that enters the body during or after conception, the togetherness of mind and body during a lifetime, and the separation of the two in the process of dying, and even a description of post-mortal states of mind, is unique in Buddhism, particularly in its Tibetan expression as laid down in the Bardo-teachings by Padmasambhava that evolved more than 1000 years after the life of the historical Buddha. These teachings have been presented to Western readers in many publications such as versions of the “Tibetan Book of the Dead” and to meditation students by Tibetan lamas upon encountering Western audiences and have sparked a lot of interest in recent decades. If one does not discard them as mere religion or spiritual phantasies, they may form a challenge to theories of mind and consciousness that are entirely based on the presumption of a functioning brain to be the basis for them. But beyond all teachings and theories, the main purpose and benefit of these teachings may be found in their application when preparing for the actual experience of death and the spiritual and emotional care one may offer to a dying person, both in the process of a terminal illness as well as beyond the moments when a body has stopped its functions. In this workshop, we will first look at the teachings and views that Buddhism can provide here. Then we may have a glance at meditations and actual methods of spiritual support for the time of death and the days and weeks that follow the end of a lifespan.
W2 - Living fully: The wisdom of near-death experiences
Room Braga; sem tradução.
Moderator | Chris Roe: Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Centre for Psychology & Sociology, University of Northampton, UK. Past-President of the Society for Psychical Research and Parapsychological Association, and past chair of the British Psychological Society Transpersonal Psychology Section. Scientific interests: understanding the nature of anomalous experiences, including experimental approaches to test claims for extrasensory perception and psychokinesis, particularly where they involve psychological factors.
Invited presenters | Marieta Pehlivanova and Etzel Cardeña
Abstract: This workshop will explore some of the fascinating features of near-death experiences and the profound life changes they may elicit. Through first-person accounts from everyday people and artists, as well as exposure to creative works such as songs inspired by near-death experiences, participants may reflect on the lessons of these experiences. Guided reflections on themes like the life review and reduction in the fear of death, combined with discussions in small groups, will illustrate how these experiences can enrich everyday living, deepen one's sense of purpose, and impact one’s relationship with mortality. We will also discuss experiential similarities between near-death experiences and other alterations of consciousness produced by hypnosis, psychedelics, and meditation.
W3 - Enabling everyone to die well - what are the gaps and who is responsible for addressing these?
Room Conferências; sem tradução.
Moderator | Rui Costa: President and CEO, Allen Institute, Washington, and Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology, Columbia University, New York, USA. Scientific interests: molecular, cellular and systems mechanisms of action generation, sequence and skill learning, goal-directed actions versus habits, across-level approach to study cognitive and sensorimotor disorders (PD, OCD, and autism).
Invited presenter | Julia Verne: Visiting Professor of Public Health approaches to Palliative Care and Hepatology, Dame Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King’s College, University of London, UK. Honorary Assistant Chaplain, King’s College University Hospital - hoping to bring spiritual comfort to people approaching the end of their lives. Doctor with special interest in: preventing and ameliorating suffering; palliative care, leading work to improve the quality of end-of-life care - physical, psychological, social and spiritual - through a Human Rights Approach to addressing inequality in access, especially for the most vulnerable groups in society.
Abstract: This workshop will start from the point that comprehensive Palliative and End-of-Life Care is a Human Right. It will examine the four domains of suffering classically described in Palliative Care as: physical, psychological, social and spiritual/existential and how suffering in these domains may impact on each other. The workshop will then consider how governments together with partners in civil society can deliver services which support the dying across these domains. The workshop will also highlight personal responsibility to consider and prepare for our own dying drawing on the works of stoic philosophers and others. During this part of the workshop, participants will be invited to discuss their own reflections and preparations (if any) for approaching death. Finally, the workshop will discuss the inequalities in access to care for marginalised groups in society and how these might be addressed.
W4 - “End-of-life landscapes” in different cultures and contexts
Room Auditório; haverá tradução simultânea - traga o seu telemóvel.
Moderator | Miguel Castelo-Branco: Full Professor, University of Coimbra, Portugal. Affiliate Professor, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, where he has held a Professorship in Psychology in 2000. Before, Postdoctoral fellow, Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research. Director of IBILI and Scientific Coordinator of the National Functional Brain Imaging Network. Director of CIBIT and former Director of ICNAS, University of Coimbra. Scientific interests: sensory and perceptual neuroscience, and neurobiology of decision-making; social cognition and reward in health and disease, with a focus on autism research.
Invited presenter | Bárbara Gomes
Abstract: End-of-life moments are deeply personal but also culturally shaped and dependent on circumstances. This interactive workshop uses guided visualisation, drawing, and digital polling (via Slido) to explore how participants imagine, understand, and prioritise aspects of death and dying. Slido questions will invite participants to anonymously indicate what they value most at the end of life - such as feeling at peace, control of symptoms, family presence - and what their preferences are - for example for where to die -, allowing real-time visualisation of collective patterns. Participants will then externalize their personal “end-of-life landscapes” through brief sketching and paired reflection, before collaboratively mapping shared imaginings and priority clusters. These will be placed in dialogue with research on end-of-life from four contrasting countries (Portugal, the US, the Netherlands and Uganda), collected recently in a systematic and comparative manner as part of an ERC-funded project. The session aims to create a reflective, inclusive, and scientifically grounded space in which participants construct meaning and wishes around the end of life, and how these constructions might inform future research, policy and care.
17:00 - 18:00 | Get-together Cheese & Wine
3ª sessão - End-of-life beliefs and impacts
09:00 - 09:15 | Abertura
Moderator | Veena Kumari: Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (CCN), Brunel University, London, UK. Scientific interests: cognitive aberrations in psychosis, mood and personality disorders, and the evaluation of current and potential therapies for these disorders; the impact of social and environmental factors on brain function and mental health across the life span.
09:15 - 09:45 | What it takes to die. Intercultural intuitions and ideas on life’s endings
Mira Menzfeld: Principal investigator, University Research Priority Program “Digital Religion(s)”, and senior researcher, Department of Religious Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Religious studies scholar and cultural anthropologist. Scientific interests and main areas of expertise: fieldwork with dying persons in different cultural contexts, heterogeneous concepts of dying, European Salafism, digital religiosities with a special focus on Islam-related conspiracy theories.
Abstract: Dying holds quite different meanings for different groups of people. Our cultural, socioeconomic, gender, historical, and personal experiences all shape the ways we envision our own mortality and the possibilities of what may follow. Drawing upon ethnographic studies from diverse regions and cultural contexts, this presentation seeks to illuminate the rich tapestry of human understandings of "dying." It explores how the process of life's end begins, evolves, and ultimately concludes within varying cultural contexts, offering a glimpse into the many ways death is perceived and experienced across the world.
09:50 - 10:20 | Culture, context, and the mystical: Some anthropological notes
Allan Kellehear: Professor of end-of-life care, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Scientific interests: interdisciplinary study of dying conduct and experiences, anthropology of mystical experiences near-death, sociology of health & illness, public health/health promotion approaches to palliative and end-of-life care, and health humanities.
Abstract: Mystical experiences commonly associated with death - near-death experiences and dreams, terminal lucidity, deathbed visions, and visions of the bereaved - may or may not be hallucinations or glimpses of the afterlife. What is certain however, is that people who have these experiences must make some sense of them, must draw some meaning from them. An anthropological examination of these encounters reveals the importance of two social conditions that must be met in order for such experiences to make sense to a percipient. These prerequisite conditions are: (1) the presence and persistence of cultural rules of engagement and (2) the important role of context in creating perceptual preparedness. When these two conditions are not in place, disbelief, shock, cognitive dissonance, trauma, or anxiety are likely outcomes.
10:25 - 10:55 | Near-death experiences: Glimpses beyond death and the journey back to life
Marieta Pehlivanova: Research Assistant, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia School of Medicine, USA. Member of Expert Advisory Board of International Association for Near-Death Studies. Scientific interests: near-death experiences and children’s purported memories of past lives, including cognitive, personality, and genetic factors contributing to their occurrence, veridical perceptions reported by experiencers, impact and correlates of these experiences, cross-cultural comparisons, and the development of support resources within healthcare settings for those who have such experiences.
Abstract: Although most near-death experiences (NDEs) are described as deeply positive, many individuals struggle afterward to make sense of these profound events and to integrate them into their daily lives. Despite decades of academic research and growing public interest, formal recognition of the need for support - as well as the availability of appropriate resources - remains limited within healthcare settings. This talk draws on key insights into NDEs, including their common features, prevalence across clinical contexts, and their powerful and enduring psychological and spiritual effects. It also examines the clinical and therapeutic implications of NDE-related transformations and why support for experiencers is essential and how clinicians and mental health professionals can more effectively respond to individuals processing these life-altering events.
11:00 - 11:30 | Café, sessão de posters e contactos
11:30 - 12:15 | Conferência - To be or not to be that is not the question. Near-death experiences in ayahuasca ceremonies
Fanny Charrasse: PhD in Sociology from the EHESS - "École des hautes études en sciences sociales". She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Université UCLouvain Saint-Louis, Brussels, Belgium. She has published several articles in academic journals, as well as an essay entitled “Le retour du monde magique. Magnétisme et paradoxes de la modernité” (La Découverte, 2023). Scientific interests: contemporary legitimisation of magical practices, the Western interpretation of paranormal experiences and the therapeutic use of psychedelics.
Abstract: Ayahuasca, or ‘liana of the dead’ in Quechua, is a psychedelic Amazonian beverage. Its main component, DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine), was classified by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, coordinated by the United Nations (UN) in 1971, as a dangerous substance with no real therapeutic value. Its use is prohibited in most European countries. However, over the last two decades there has been a resurgence of interest in it, particularly in disciplines that claim to work on the psyche and mind (psychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychology, etc.). To understand under what conditions these disciplines can consider the use of ayahuasca as therapeutic, this lecture will compare the shamanic and the psychological interpretations of near-death experiences people have lived while taking the beverage. It will conclude with the type of translation required for the European therapeutic use of the “liana of the dead”.
12:30 - 13:00 | Discussão
13:00 - 14:30 | Almoço
14:30 - 16:30 | Mesa Redonda - Beyond the threshold: Perspectives on experiences surrounding death
Moderator | Axel Cleeremans
Participants | Etzel Cardeña, Janice Holden, Christof Koch, Charlotte Martial, Marieta Pehlivanov
A tradução simultânea será assegurada em inglês/português e português/inglês, excluindo os workshops.
Secretariado
Fundação Bial
Av. da Siderurgia Nacional
4745-457 Coronado (S. Romão e S. Mamede)
Portugal
Tel.: +351 22 986 6150
info@bialfoundation.com
Local de realização do Simpósio
Casa do Médico
Rua Delfim Maia, 405
4200-256 Porto
Portugal
Tel.: +351 22 507 0100
Hotéis
Efetuar reserva diretamente com o Hotel, indicando a Fundação Bial e o Simpósio.
Tel: +351 22 619 4100
https://15simposiofundacaobial.hfhotels.com/
HF Ipanema Porto ****
Rua do Campo Alegre, 156/172
4150-169 Porto, Portugal
Tel.: +351 226 075 059
E-mail: hfipanemaporto@hfhotels.com
HF Fénix Porto ****
Rua Gonçalo Sampaio, 282
4150 - 365 Porto, Portugal
Tel.: +351 226 071 800
E-mail: hffenixporto@hfhotels.com
Transfer de autocarro
Será providenciado transporte de autocarro dos hotéis oficiais do Simpósio para a Casa do Médico, e vice-versa.
O 15º Simpósio será organizado apenas em formato presencial.
Inscrições disponíveis aqui
€200
€80 - para estudantes universitários até aos 25 anos e estudantes de doutoramento (anexar, por favor, fotocópia do cartão de estudante e/ou declaração da universidade/orientador).
Estes valores incluem o acesso a todas as sessões do Simpósio, coffee breaks e certificado de participação. Não inclui refeições. Inscrições limitadas.
Haverá tradução simultânea de inglês para português e vice-versa.
Os Simpósios
Para que os investigadores apoiados pela Fundação Bial pudessem ter um espaço alargado de discussão e de apresentação dos seus projetos, a Fundação criou, em 1996, os simpósios “Aquém e Além do Cérebro”.
Com periodicidade bianual, estes encontros reúnem os investigadores apoiados pela Fundação Bial e conceituados investigadores nas áreas das Neurociências e da Parapsicologia.
Alguns dos temas já analisados nos Simpósios Aquém e Além do Cérebro:
“Efeitos de placebo, Curas e Meditação”, “Interações mente-matéria”, “Sono e Sonho”, “Intuição e Decisão”, “Memória”, “Vivências excepcionais”, “Emoções”, “Potenciar a mente”, “O Mistério do Tempo", ou o mais recente “Criatividade".
Participação de conferencistas de renome tais como:
Miguel Castelo-Branco (Coimbra), Axel Cleeremans (Bruxelas), António Damásio (Los Angeles), Hoyt Edge (Flórida), Peter Fenwick (Londres), Eberhard Fetz (Washington), Fernando Gil (Sorbonne), Allan Hobson (Harvard), Jerome Kagan (Harvard), Irving Kirsch (Boston), Stephen Kosslyn (São Francisco), Stephen Laberge (Stanford), Dietrich Lehmann (Zurique), Fernando Lopes da Silva (Amesterdão), Edwin May (Palo Alto), Robert Morris (Edimburgo), Dean Radin (Nevada), Alcino Silva (Los Angeles), Ian Stevenson (Virgínia), e Robert Stickgold (Harvard).
Como resultado dos trabalhos desenvolvidos, a Fundação Bial publica os respetivos livros de Atas dos Simpósios.