Overload
Hypothermia
Category: Illness or disabilities
Type
Involuntary and voluntary
Introduction and description

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions.
Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant 36.5–37.5 °C (98–100 °F) through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation. If exposed to cold and the internal mechanisms are unable to replenish the heat that is being lost, a drop in core temperature occurs. As body temperature decreases, characteristic symptoms occur such as shivering and mental confusion. The lowest documented body temperature from which anyone has recovered was 13.0 °C (55.4 °F), in a drowning incident involving a 7-year-old girl in Sweden in December 2010.
The temperature bands are as follows
- Normal 36.5–37.5 °C (97.7–99.5 °F)
- Hypothermia <35.0 °C (95.0 °F)
- Fever >37.5–38.3 °C (99.5–100.9 °F)
- Hyperthermia >37.5–38.3 °C (99.5–100.9 °F)
- Hyperpyrexia >40.0–41.5 °C (104–106.7 °F)
Hypothermia is subdivided into four different degrees, mild 32–35 °C (90–95 °F); moderate, 28–32 °C (82–90 °F); severe, 20–28 °C (68–82 °F); and profound at less than 20 °C (68 °F)
Background
In a number of largely shamanic societies and also in religions such as Shinto, it is not uncommon for the rituals of initiation or priesthood to contain ‘purification’ ceremonies that involved bathing in extremely cold water.
Siberian shamans and a number of Eskimo tribal shamans were sometimes made to undergo a rite of passage that involved breaking holes in the ice and then swimming underwater between the holes.
In Shinto, priests often perfomed ritual bathing in extremely cold water in winter.
All of these processes effectively work via hypothermia.
Symptoms

Mild
Symptoms of mild hypothermia principally involve the sympathetic nervous system. A person may get intense shivering, their blood pressure may increase as blood vessels are constricted in order to conserve heat. The heart may pound trying to pump blood round to enable the body to warm up. Even at this mild stage, there will be the beginnings of mental confusion and the liver is affected. Glucose consumption by cells and insulin secretion both decrease.
Moderate
As the body temperature lowers, the shivering becomes more violent. Because the muscles are not being supplied with energy in the form of oxygen or glucose [as glucose production is slowed], muscle mis-coordination becomes apparent. The person will have great difficulty doing anything requiring much movement or co-ordination. Mental confusion may increase. Surface blood vessels contract further as the body focuses its remaining resources on keeping the vital organs warm. The person will become pale. Lips, ears, fingers and toes may become blue.
Severe
The mental confusion increase far more at this stage and the person will have difficulty in speaking, difficulty in reasoning and amnesia will start to appear; the muscle and co-ordination problems will get worse. Cellular metabolic processes shut down. Below 30 °C (86 °F), the person will show marked incoherent/irrational behavior. Pulse and respiration rates decrease significantly, but fast heart rates (ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation) can occur. Major organs fail. Clinical death occurs. Because of decreased cellular activity in stage 3 hypothermia, the body will actually take longer to undergo brain death.
How it works
Physically
Hypothermia produces hypoxia. The body constricts the blood vessels and the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced. Heart rate and respiration rate increase as the heart attempts to supply enough oxygen to the body, but after some time this will be ineffective. It is at this point that spiritual experience may occur ranging from hallucinations to full out of body experiences. If the hypothermia is very severe, the person may get a near death experience.
Logically
It may be helpful now to refer to the Model of the Mind and to have read the generic description of How spiritual experience works.
Cold of this nature is a threat. Much of our Reasoning and Memory are not essential functions. Thus these two functions are actually suppressed.
What takes the place of these functions is an overwhelming input of messages from the sensory systems – all of them – that says HELP HELP HELP – we are being deprived of oxygen – all of us, we are dying DO SOMETHING.
But the Will, is unable to do something – it has no learnt function with which to counter the Threat and it is struggling all the time to ensure the Autonomic systems keep going.
Eventually the Will exhausted by the battle, gives in and the Composer takes over and we have our spiritual experience.
Related observations
Healing observations
- Andrija Puharich - Siberian shamans - The Tests of Bodily function control 001086
- Knud Rasmussen - The story of Igjugarjuk 001165
Hallucination
- Arctic and Antarctic 001362
- Byrd, Admiral Richard 001087
- Climbing the DiBona 004976
- Fairy hill with treasure 004088
- Hallucinations after operations 013005
- Kinshofer, Toni 003435
- Lame Deer - Native American Indians - The Vision pit 000585
- Leonard Crow Dog - Native American Indians - The Vision pit 000587
- Lindemann, Hannes - Alone at Sea - December 16th 015876
- Loyola, Ignatius of - Auditory hallucinations from fasting 000401
- Ritter, Christiane - The Trolls of Bock Bay 004978
- Robertson family 000409
- Saint Peter of Alcantara - from The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila 001035
- Single handed transatlantic yacht race 001050
- St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi - Fasting and penance 012803
- Stranded Russian climber 'hallucinated' during Pakistan ordeal 027489
- Torpedoed 001363
Wisdom, Inspiration, Divine love & Bliss
- Bogoras - Living in the tundra 001283
- Dr Alexander King - Walking the tundra 001281
- Dr Yvonne Kason and the plane crash onto the ice 011243
- Jochelson - Living in the taiga 001282
- Maid and poesy 004092
- Peter Panagore's NDE and Why He Regretted Coming Back 029575
- Watson, Lyall - Cold fronts and warm fronts 020340
Out of time
- Andrew Lang - Jonka Dyneis sees a tragedy 004643
- Arctic and Antarctic 001362
- Deliberate surgical hypothermia 001082
- Dr Yvonne Kason and the plane crash onto the ice 011243
- Hamilton, Dr Allen - Sarah's out of body experience when clinically dead 011904
- Kishi, Akinobu - Furube rebirth 002525
- Knud Rasmussen - Caribou Eskimo Initiation rite 000589
- Lame Deer - Native American Indians - The Vision pit 000585
- Peter Panagore's NDE and Why He Regretted Coming Back 029575
- Scottish fasting 004089
- Scottish remote viewing 004087
- Six year old has out of body from meningitis 013044
- World War I trenches 001084
Enlightenment
- Carsolio, Carlos - Helped by the spirits of the mountain 008377
- Dr Yvonne Kason and the plane crash onto the ice 011243
- Knud Rasmussen - Caribou Eskimo Initiation rite 000589
- Shackleton, Sir Ernest 000431
- Shackleton, Sir Ernest 001081
In time
- Andrew Lang - Jonka Dyneis sees a tragedy 004643
- Armies eating barlie 004091
- Byrd, Admiral Richard 001087
- Carsolio, Carlos - And the descent of Nanga Parbat 011246
- Carsolio, Carlos - Helped by the spirits of the mountain 008377
- Fairy hill with treasure 004088
- Floating in the North Sea 001083
- Gustav Holm - The Angmagsalik Eskimo 001161
- Harner, Michael 000588
- Haston, Dougal 003584
- Lame Deer - Native American Indians - The Vision pit 000585
- Leonard Crow Dog - Native American Indians - The Vision pit 000587
- Maid and poesy 004092
- Paul Devereux - Shuar [Jivan] Indians of Ecuador 011578
- Peter Panagore's NDE and Why He Regretted Coming Back 029575
- Robertson family 000409
- Scottish fasting 004089
- Shackleton, Sir Ernest 000431
- Sheridan, Clare –The Initiation of Plenty-Coups, the famous Crow Chief 023704
- St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi - Fasting and penance 012803
Prophecy
- Alarming prophecy 004080
- Andrija Puharich - Siberian shamans - The Tests of Bodily function control 001086
- Armies eating barlie 004091
- Sheridan, Clare –The Initiation of Plenty-Coups, the famous Crow Chief 023704
Dying
Environmental Influence
- Andrija Puharich - Siberian shamans - The Tests of Bodily function control 001086
- Cheyenne - Native American Indians - Roman Nose's protective medicine 000530