Interestin' state of affairs indeed!! My opinion, FWIW, CLuin, is that the telephone analogy is very nice but way oversimplified; the actual pattern is more of a complex network communication with lots of variables coming together to make the 3D envisionment we consider consciousness.

Mind you I am not saying "unconsciousness" does not happen -- people do black out things under conditions of duress, drugs and the like, but in many cases this information is blacked out but available underneath the blackness. Same thing that happens when you remember some image or conversation from twenty years ago that you hadn't thought about since. Sometimes an unusual smel;l or sound can trigger it, for example. All of a sudden there's a picture you haven't looked at in twenty years, just as if you had remembered it all along.

So we're talking about a volatile thing here, not an on-or-off switch.

Spaw -- the cases where out-of-your-body events are reported in near-death experiences are a minority. The vast majority of cases either don't experience them or say nothing, thinking it was part of the dreamscape, or forgetitng th ewhole thing rapidly. I suspect -- FWIW -- that in the actual event, once you get over the surprise, you'll find yourself aware of things to a remarkable degree. If so, look me up and tell me about it! I'll try to tune in and hear ya!

A