What do you experience after decapitation?

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Picard

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What do you think is a person's experience if his/her head is severed from the body?

If stumbled across this link and wondered what you people would speculate. Is death sudden and immediate or do you think that you still keep on living until your brain passes out from a lack of oxygen ... which could take a number of seconds?

EDIT: After thinking about it ... I would say that it would depend on the anxiety and stress you experience just before your head is cut off. I've seen a stupid game being played by people where people would squat down, hyperventilate and then if they stand up suddenly (so that alot of blood drains downward) with an added accelerated heart rate and somebody squeezes shut their main neck arteries, they would pass out instantly. I say that the same would happen if the victim is severly stressed before decapitation.

On the other hand if the person is quite relaxed and the head falls to position where the blood doesn't drain as quickly as otherwise, then a person would be consious for some time I would think.

DOUBLE EDIT: But what about the countless observations that people seem to be dead instantly when shot with a gun through the heart??? I'm doubting my own explanation of above.

Could it be that your brain shuts off instantly if it experiences enough nerve trauma ... like being shot in the heart or if your head is cut off ...?
 
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I suppose we'd be like headless chickens. Would be interesting to know If you can still see for a bit after being decapitated.
 
Picard said:
What do you think is a person's experience if his/her head is severed from the body?

If stumbled across this link and wondered what you people would speculate. Is death sudden and immediate or do you think that you still keep on living until your brain passes out from a lack of oxygen ... which could take a number of seconds?

EDIT: After thinking about it ... I would say that it would depend on the anxiety and stress you experience just before your head is cut off. I've seen a stupid game being played by people where people would squat down, hyperventilate and then if they stand up suddenly (so that alot of blood drains downward) with an added accelerated heart rate and somebody squeezes shut their main neck arteries, they would pass out instantly. I say that the same would happen if the victim is severly stressed before decapitation.

On the other hand if the person is quite relaxed and the head falls to position where the blood doesn't drain as quickly as otherwise, then a person would be consious for some time I would think.

DOUBLE EDIT: But what about the countless observations that people seem to be dead instantly when shot with a gun through the heart??? I'm doubting my own explanation of above.
Click to expand...

I would imagine it's like any major trauma, unless you're knocked unconscious or vaporised you'll always be alive for a few seconds after the traumatic event.
 
Picard said:
I tried to formulate my post to avoid reactions like this.
Click to expand...
In a serious reply, I would say that it would NOT be a number of seconds, rather a number of milli-seconds before your brain/body shuts down after the nervous system is disconnected. It will take longer for your heart to stop beating...

PS. could not resist!
 
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Interesting to read about "Internal Decapitation", where the head is not severed from the body, rather the skull separates from the spinal column - typically by hanging.
/still fatal.
 
MickeyD said:
Interesting to read about "Internal Decapitation", where the head is not severed from the body, rather the skull separates from the spinal column - typically by hanging.
/still fatal.
Click to expand...

Yeah quite a few videos on YouTube about that too, seems a few people have survived it although I'm not sure if I personally would want to (irreversible spinal/nerve damage). My respect goes out to those who have.
 
Survivor, just after:

[video=youtube;PWmJ1m3Jvhc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWmJ1m3Jvhc[/video]

More recently:

[video=youtube;D8SnVJt9S38]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8SnVJt9S38[/video]
 
MickeyD said:
In a serious reply, I would say that it would NOT be a number of seconds, rather a number of milli-seconds before your brain/body shuts down after the nervous system is disconnected.
Click to expand...

"Nervous system disconnected" from what? Your head is a nervous system onto it's own.

If you cutoff your leg, you're still alive.
If your intestines are blown out (if you happen to be in an ICU) you could still be kept alive for a while.
Thusly it can also be said that your head can function autonomously if it weren't for the need of constant oxygenated blood.
 
Picard said:
Could it be that your brain shuts off instantly if it experiences enough nerve trauma ... like being shot in the heart or if your heat is cut off ...?
Click to expand...

My heat was cut off the other day. I was livid because it was quite cold in the morning. Turns out the geyser's element had gone. :D
 
Picard said:
"Nervous system disconnected" from what? Your head is a nervous system onto it's own.

If you cutoff your leg, you're still alive.
If your intestines are blown out (if you happen to be in an ICU) you could still be kept alive for a while.
Thusly it can also be said that your head can function autonomously if it weren't for the need of constant oxygenated blood.
Click to expand...
Using the same analogy, the leg you cut off would walk next to you if it were not for the need of constant oxygenated blood and a nervous system.
 
It's actually an interesting question, I've wondered about it a lot myself.. I guess the only way to find out would be if someone who just had their head cut off could tell you.. which can't happen..

We have a conundrum..
 
Wonder if they would one day have the technology to cut off the head and place it on a robot body :p
 
Bobbin said:
Wonder if they would one day have the technology to cut off the head and place it on a robot body :p
Click to expand...

I hope not, can you imagine the horror that would be Justin BieberBot, Lady Gagomatic or Julius Malemotron?
 
TJ99 said:
It's actually an interesting question, I've wondered about it a lot myself.. I guess the only way to find out would be if someone who just had their head cut off could tell you.. which can't happen..

We have a conundrum..
Click to expand...

EEG, ERP, MEG, MRI might shed some light on the issue. You will just have to contain the head when chopping it off.
 
Maybe the answer lies in the fact that when when you chop of the head of a chicken and immediately set him "free" the body would jump up and run a short distance and the heads eyes would blink and the beak still open and close to scream, obviously with no sound.

But to answer the original question "What do you experience after decapitation?" ... a feeling of lost ....... losing something?

Sweet dreams!
 
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