Part of this podcast is about test pilots being subjected to up to 12 Gs of force.  To give you an idea of what that’s like – normally on roller coasters we are subjected to 2 Gs.  It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to feel 6 times that amount of pressure. 
 
Actually the test pilots experience different stages of blackout – first something called a “gray out” where everything gets hazy, next they experience tunnel vision, then they blackout with consciousness.  Finally, they blackout with complete unconsciousness.  As the G forces increase, the blood leaves the brain and pools mostly in the abdomen.  During these blackouts, some of the subjects reported strange phenomena – visions called “dreamlets”, the well-known “white light at the end of the tunnel”, and various out-of-body experiences.  One subject said that after the tests, as he walked down the hall to the recovery area, his perception hovered several feet above himself.  This effect lasted for several minutes after regaining consciousness.
 
The program drew no conclusions on these phenomena, and merely said, “The brain does strange things to create meaning when it loses connection to the body.”