Adaptive regression and intense religious experiences

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Adult
• Ego
• Humans
• Male
• Regression (Psychology)
• Religion and Psychology
• Rorschach Test
• Thinking

Do prevailing societal models influence reports of near-death experiences?: a comparison of accounts reported before and after 1975

Tags:

• Adult
• Cultural Characteristics
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Models, Psychological
• Narration
• Reproducibility of Results
• Research Design
• Retrospective Studies
• Terminology as Topic

Notes:

• Transcendental near-death experiences show some cross-cultural variation that suggests they may be influenced by societal beliefs. The prevailing Western model of near-death experiences was defined by Moody’s description of the phenomenon in 1975. To explore the influence of this cultural model, we compared near-death experience accounts collected before and after 1975. We compared the frequency of 15 phenomenological features Moody defined as characteristic of near-death experiences in 24 accounts collected before 1975 and in 24 more recent accounts matched on relevant demographic and situational variables. Near-death experience accounts collected after 1975 differed from those collected earlier only in increased frequency of tunnel phenomena, which other research has suggested may not be integral to the experience, and not in any of the remaining 14 features defined by Moody as characteristic of near-death experiences. These data challenge the hypothesis that near-death experience accounts are substantially influenced by prevailing cultural models.

Phenomenology of near-death experiences: a cross-cultural perspective

Tags:

• Adult
• Cross-Cultural Comparison
• Culture
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged

Notes:

• Near-death experiences (NDEs) include a set of subjective experiences encountered by people who were close to death or were faced with life-threatening situations. Reports have suggested that the phenomenology of NDE might differ across cultures. This article is aimed at providing an updated phenomenological perspective by comparing NDEs in a cross-cultural context. We compared the various descriptions of NDEs from a phenomenological perspective. There were similarities between particular cultures, which differed from typical western European experiences. This article concludes that although there are common themes, there are also reported differences in NDEs. The variability across cultures is most likely to be due to our interpretation and verbalizing of such esoteric events through the filters of language, cultural experiences, religion, education and their influence on our belief systems either shedding influence as an individual variable or more often perhaps by their rich interplay between these factors.

Near-death experiences

Tags:

• Anoxia
• Death
• Endorphins
• Humans
• Parapsychology
• Temporal Lobe
• Thanatology

Notes:

• Reactions to claims of near-death experiences (NDE) range from the popular view that this must be evidence for life after death, to outright rejection of the experiences as, at best, drug induced hallucinations or, at worse, pure invention. Twenty years, and much research, later, it is clear that neither extreme is correct.

Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe

Notes:

• Many studies in humans suggest that altered temporal lobe functioning, especially functioning in the right temporal lobe, is involved in mystical and religious experiences. We investigated temporal lobe functioning in individuals who reported having transcendental “near-death experiences” during life-threatening events. These individuals were found to have more temporal lobe epileptiform electroencephalographic activity than control subjects and also reported significantly more temporal lobe epileptic symptoms. Contrary to predictions, epileptiform activity was nearly completely lateralized to the left hemisphere. The near-death experience was not associated with dysfunctional stress reactions such as dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse, but rather was associated with positive coping styles. Additional analyses revealed that near-death experiencers had altered sleep patterns, specifically, a shorter duration of sleep and delayed REM sleep relative to the control group. These results suggest that altered temporal lobe functioning may be involved in the near-death experience and that individuals who have had such experiences are physiologically distinct from the general population.

Near death experiences: critical care nurses' attitudes and interventions

Tags:

• Adult
• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Attitude to Death
• Critical Care
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Nursing Staff, Hospital
• Questionnaires

Notes:

• A patient is successfully resuscitated after a trauma or serious illness. It is increasingly common for such a patient to report having experienced a feeling of calm and peace, a feeling of being separated from the body, and/or a sense of moving through a dark tunnel ending at a bright light. Such experiences are known as near death experiences. What are critical care nurses to make of such accounts reported to them by their patients? This article explores critical care nurses’ interests in, knowledge of, and attitudes towards the near death experience, and it identifies nursing interventions that critical care nurses can use during and after the patient experiences near death.

Helping patients who've had near-death experiences

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Death
• Humans
• Nursing Care
• Parapsychology
• religion

Death-related sensory experiences

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Attitude to Death
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Death
• Dissociative Disorders
• Female
• Hallucinations
• Humans
• Life Change Events
• Male
• Nursing Research
• Sensation

Notes:

• A death-related sensory experience (DRSE) is a spiritually transforming experience occurring with the appearance of a messenger beyond the visible observable universe to guide a dying person through the dying process. DRSEs have been reported to occur among those who are dying, most commonly individuals with terminal illness. Known dead family members are most commonly seen, followed by religious beings. Communication takes place between the dying individual and the apparition. Feelings of peace and comfort are reported by the majority of individuals experiencing DRSEs. DRSEs can occur over a period of hours to months before death. They have been referred to as veridical hallucinations, visions of the dying, deathbed visions, and predeath visions. Reported throughout time, among people of all cultures, religions, races, ages, genders, socioeconomic status, and educational levels, DRSEs are intense spiritual experiences. Validating a child’s DRSE provides a way to start a dialogue regarding death. Research is needed to more fully understand DRSEs from the perspective of the dying child.

End-of-life experiences: reaching out for compassion, communication, and connection-meaning of deathbed visions and coincidences

Tags:

• End of life experiences

Near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Brain
• Death
• Dissociative Disorders
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Models, Neurological
• Models, Psychological

Notes:

• Near-death experiences (NDEs) have become the focus of much interest in the last 30 years or so. Such experiences can occur both when individuals are objectively near to death and also when they simply believe themselves to be. The experience typically involves a number of different components including a feeling of peace and well-being, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), entering a region of darkness, seeing a brilliant light, and entering another realm. NDEs are known to have long-lasting transformational effects upon those who experience them. An overview is presented of the various theoretical approaches that have been adopted in attempts to account for the NDE. Spiritual theories assume that consciousness can become detached from the neural substrate of the brain and that the NDE may provide a glimpse of an afterlife. Psychological theories include the proposal that the NDE is a dissociative defense mechanism that occurs in times of extreme danger or, less plausibly, that the NDE reflects memories of being born. Finally, a wide range of organic theories of the NDE has been put forward including those based upon cerebral hypoxia, anoxia, and hypercarbia; endorphins and other neurotransmitters; and abnormal activity in the temporal lobes. Finally, the results of studies of NDEs in cardiac arrest survivors are reviewed and the implications of these results for our understanding of mind-brain relationships are discussed.

"False positive" claims of near-death experiences and "false negative" denials of near-death experiences

Tags:

• Death
• False Negative Reactions
• False Positive Reactions
• Humans
• Predictive Value of Tests
• Reference Standards
• Reproducibility of Results

Notes:

• Some persons who claim to have had near-death experiences (NDEs) fail research criteria for having had NDEs (“false positives”); others who deny having had NDEs do meet research criteria for having had NDEs (“false negatives”). The author evaluated false positive claims and false negative denials in an organization that promotes near-death research and in psychiatric outpatients. The frequency of false positives and negatives varied in samples that differed in prevalence of, and knowledge about, NDEs. The influence of participants’ knowledge about NDEs on the findings of near-death research makes it critically important to use standardized criteria for identifying NDEs.

Dissociation in people who have near-death experiences: out of their bodies or out of their minds?

Tags:

• Consciousness Disorders
• Death
• Dissociative Disorders
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Stress, Psychological

Notes:

• Background: Some people who come close to death report having experiences in which they transcend the boundaries of the ego and the confines of time and space. Such near-death experiences (NDEs) share some features with the phenomenon of dissociation, in which a person’s self identity becomes detached from bodily sensation. This study explored the frequency of dissociative symptoms in people who had come close to death. Methods: 96 individuals who had had self-reported NDEs, and 38 individuals who had come close to death but who had not had NDEs completed a mailed questionnaire that included a measure of “depth” of near-death experience (the NDE scale) and a measure of dissociative symptoms (the Dissociative Experiences Scale). Median scores in the two groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U tests. The association between depth of NDE and dissociative symptoms was tested by Spearman’s rank-order correlation between scores on the NDE scale and the dissociative experiences scale. Findings: People who reported NDEs also reported significantly more dissociative symptoms than did the comparison group. Among those who reported NDEs, the depth of the experience was positively correlated with dissociative symptoms, although the level of symptoms was substantially lower than that of patients with pathological dissociative disorders. INTERPRETATION: The pattern of dissociative symptoms reported by people who have had NDEs is consistent with a non-pathological dissociative response to stress, and not with a psychiatric disorder. A greater understanding of the mechanism of dissociation may shed further light on near-death and other mystical or transcendental experiences.

Biological aspects of near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Death
• Depersonalization
• Humans
• Hypoxia, Brain
• Memory
• Psychophysiology
• Visual Perception

Near-Death Experiences in a Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic Population

Notes:

• Near-death experiences, or mystical experiences during encounters with death, are reported to have beneficial effects despite their phenomenologic similarity to pathological states. This study explored the prevalence of near-death experiences and associated psychological distress by using a cross-sectional survey of 832 psychiatric outpatients. Standardized measures of near-death experiences and psychological distress were administered via questionnaire at clinic intake. A total of 272 patients (33 percent) reported encounters with death, and these patients were found to have greater psychological distress than other patients. Sixty-one of the patients who had been close to death (22 percent) reported having near-death experiences, and these patients were found to have less psychological distress than patients who did not have near-death experiences after brushes with death.

Consistency of near-death experience accounts over two decades: Are reports embellished over time?

The near-death experience as a focus of clinical attention

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Attitude
• Comorbidity
• Death
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Female
• Humans
• Life Change Events
• Life Style
• Male
• Mental Disorders
• Psychotherapy
• Religion and Psychology
• Stress, Psychological
• Terminology as Topic

Notes:

• Near-death experiences (NDEs) often produce profound changes in attitudes and behavior that can lead to psychosocial and psychospiritual problems. The diagnostic label of religious or spiritual problem, included in DSM-IV under the category of other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention, was originally proposed to encompass NDEs and their aftereffects. Four cases are discussed in which patients presented with NDE-related problems, and differential diagnosis and current treatment strategies are reviewed. The inclusion of this new diagnostic category in the DSM-IV permits differentiation of NDEs and similar experiences from mental disorders and may lead to research into more effective treatment strategies.

Varieties of near-death experience

Tags:

• Adult
• Affect
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Awareness
• Female
• Humans
• Illusions
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Parapsychology
• Reality Testing

Notes:

• Near-death experiences are profound subjective events frequently reported by individuals who have come close to death. They are of importance to mental health professionals, not only because they often happen to patients under our care, but because they have been reported to produce widespread and long-lasting changes in values, beliefs, and behavior that dramatically affect the experiencers’ attitudes toward living and dying (Bates and Stanley 1985; Bauer 1985; Flynn 1982; Greyson 1983b; Noyes 1980; Ring 1984). Several studies, including surveys of recently resuscitated hospitalized patients (Ring 1980; Sabom 1982) and a nationwide poll of the general population (Gallup and Proctor 1982) have estimated that near-death experiences are reported by 30%-40% of individuals who come close to death, or about 5% of the adult American population.

Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit

Tags:

• Affect
• Attitude to Death
• Cardiology Service, Hospital
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Cognition
• Death
• Female
• Heart Arrest
• Hospitals, University
• Humans
• Incidence
• Intensive Care Units
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Myocardial Infarction
• Quality of Life
• Virginia

Notes:

• Near-death experiences, unusual experiences during a close brush with death, may precipitate pervasive attitudinal and behavior changes. The incidence and psychological correlates of such experiences, and their association with proximity to death, are unclear. We conducted a 30-month survey to identify near-death experiences in a tertiary care center cardiac inpatient service. In a consecutive sample of 1595 patients admitted to the cardiac inpatient service (mean age 63 years, 61% male), of whom 7% were admitted with cardiac arrest, patients who described near-death experiences were matched with comparison patients on diagnosis, gender, and age. Near-death experiences were reported by 10% of patients with cardiac arrest and 1% of other cardiac patients (P<.001). Near-death experiencers were younger than other patients (P=.001), were more likely to have lost consciousness (P<.001) and to report prior purportedly paranormal experiences (P=.009), and had greater approach-oriented death acceptance (P=.01). Near-death experiencers and comparison patients did not differ in sociodemographic variables, social support, quality of life, acceptance of their illness, cognitive function, capacity for physical activities, degree of cardiac dysfunction, objective proximity to death, or coronary prognosis.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Questionnaires
• Severity of Illness Index
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Notes:

• Persons who report “near-death experiences” (NDEs) acknowledge more intrusive symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who came close to death without NDEs, but not more avoidance symptoms, suggesting a nonspecific stress response. Although dissociation generally increases vulnerability to PTSD, the positive affect that distinguishes NDEs from other dissociative experiences may mitigate subsequent PTSD symptoms.

Distressing near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adult
• Arousal
• Attitude to Death
• Child
• Fear
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Mental Recall
• Parapsychology
• Sick Role

Notes:

• Most reported near-death experiences include profound feelings of peace, joy, and cosmic unity. Less familiar are the reports following close brushes with death of experiences that are partially or entirely unpleasant, frightening, or frankly hellish. While little is known about the antecedents or aftereffects of these distressing experiences, there appear to be three distinct types, involving (1) phenomenology similar to peaceful near-death experiences but interpreted as unpleasant, (2) a sense of nonexistence or eternal void, or (3) graphic hellish landscapes and entities. While the first type may eventually convert to a typical peaceful experience, the relationship of all three types to prototypical near-death experiences merits further study. The effect of the distressing experience in the lives of individuals deserves exploration, as the psychological impact may be profound and long-lasting.

Risk management in hypnotic recall of near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adult
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Female
• Humans
• Hypnosis
• Life Change Events
• Male
• Mental Recall
• Middle Aged
• Regression (Psychology)
• Risk Management

Notes:

• A substantial number of people facing physical and/or psychological crisis report having a near-death experience (NDE) involving a subjectively real experience of an alternate reality. Where NDE content is associated with positive emotions, benefit might be gained by hypnotic recall of the NDE, yet such recall might involve possible risk in the form of reactivation of the original crisis. In this article we describe a study involving hypnotic recall of positive NDEs by one male and five female subjects. We describe in detail some procedures to minimize risk, including a hypnosis protocol.

The near-death experience as status passage

Tags:

• Cultural Characteristics
• Death
• Humans
• Life Change Events
• Role
• Self Concept
• Social Behavior

Notes:

• Near-death experiences are identity transitions with many of the major social features of status passage as these were originally formulated by Glaser and Strauss (Status Passage, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1971). These features are described and then compared with the similar experience of being a castaway after shipwreck. In this way, the clinical near-death experience can be analysed as one of a number of social near-death experiences. Viewed as status passage many of the psychological reactions can be usefully seen as context dependent processes rather than simply defence mechanisms or products of neurophysiology.

Culture, biology, and the near-death experience. A reappraisal

Tags:

• Anthropology, Cultural
• Australia
• Brain
• China
• Cross-Cultural Comparison
• Culture
• Death
• Depersonalization
• Guam
• Humans
• India
• Models, Biological
• New Zealand
• Oceanic Ancestry Group
• Temporal Lobe
• Thanatology

Notes:

• Life review and tunnel sensation in near-death experiences appear to be culture-bound phenomena, confined largely to societies where historic religions are dominant. The clinical literature postulating biological theories for life review and tunnel sensations, therefore, may have been developed somewhat prematurely. The present review argues that social and historical explanations are more persuasive in the context of the available evidence presented here.

Near-death experiences with reports of meeting deceased people

Tags:

• Death
• Hallucinations
• Humans
• Interpersonal Relations
• Parapsychology
• Survival

A Rasch scaling validation of a 'core' near-death experience

Tags:

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Likelihood Functions
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Models, Psychological
• Parapsychology
• Questionnaires
• Religion and Psychology
• Reproducibility of Results
• Stress, Psychological

Notes:

• For those with true near-death experiences (NDEs), Greyson’s (1983, 1990) NDE Scale satisfactorily fits the Rasch rating scale model, thus yielding a unidimensional measure with interval-level scaling properties. With increasing intensity, NDEs reflect peace, joy and harmony, followed by insight and mystical or religious experiences, while the most intense NDEs involve an awareness of things occurring in a different place or time. The semantics of this variable are invariant across True-NDErs’ gender, current age, age at time of NDE, and latency and intensity of the NDE, thus identifying NDEs as ‘core’ experiences whose meaning is unaffected by external variables, regardless of variations in NDEs’ intensity. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences were observed between True-NDErs and other respondent groups, mostly revolving around the differential emphasis on paranormal/mystical/religious experiences vs. standard reactions to threat. The findings further suggest that False-Positive respondents reinterpret other profound psychological states as NDEs. Accordingly, the Rasch validation of the typology proposed by Greyson (1983) also provides new insights into previous research, including the possibility of embellishment over time (as indicated by the finding of positive, as well as negative, latency effects) and the potential roles of religious affiliation and religiosity (as indicated by the qualitative differences surrounding paranormal/mystical/religious issues).

Depth of near-death experiences and confounding factors

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Age Factors
• Death
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Male
• Mental Recall
• Middle Aged
• Perceptual Distortion
• Sex Factors

Notes:

• In a sample of 51 near-death experiences, the depth of the reported experience was not related to the years since the experience.

Major dimensions of near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adult
• Aged
• Cluster Analysis
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Individuality
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Parapsychology

Notes:

• Data from 71 near-death experiences indicated that there were four independent clusters of elements to the experience and that personal and circumstance-related variables were associated with some of these clusters.

Impact of near-death experiences on dialysis patients: a multicenter collaborative study

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Death
• Female
• Humans
• Kidney Failure, Chronic
• Life Change Events
• Middle Aged
• Questionnaires
• religion
• Renal Dialysis
• Uremia

Notes:

• Background: People who have come close to death may report an unusual experience known as a near-death experience (NDE). This study aims to investigate NDEs and their aftereffects in dialysis patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. SETTING & Patricipants: 710 dialysis patients at 7 centers in Taipei, Taiwan. PREDICTOR: Demographic characteristics, life-threatening experience, depression, and religiosity. OUTCOMES: NDE and self-perceived changes in attitudes or behaviors. Measurements: Greyson’s NDE scale, Royal Free Questionnaire, 10-Question Survey, Ring’s Weighted Core Experience Index, and Beck Depression Inventory. Results: 45 patients had 51 NDEs. Mean NDE score was 11.9 (95% confidence interval, 11.0 to 12.9). Out-of-body experience was found in 51.0% of NDEs. Purported precognitive visions, awareness of being dead, and “tunnel experience” were uncommon (<10%). Compared with the no-NDE group, subjects in the NDE group were more likely to be women and younger at life-threatening events. Both frequency of participation in religious ceremonies and pious religious activity correlated significantly with NDE score in patients with NDEs (P < 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively). The NDE group reported being kinder to others (P = 0.04) and more motivated (P = 0.02) after their life-threatening events than the no-NDE group. LIMITATIONS: Determining the incidence of NDEs is dependent on self-reporting. Many NDEs occurred before the patient began long-term dialysis therapy. Causality between NDE and aftereffects cannot be inferred. Conclusions: NDE is not uncommon in the dialysis population and is associated with positive aftereffects. Nephrology care providers should be aware of the occurrence and aftereffects of NDEs. The high occurrence of life-threatening events, availability of medical records, and accessibility and cooperativeness of patients make the dialysis population very suitable for NDE research.

Heaven can wait: near death experiences

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Death
• Humans

Notes:

• People who have been resuscitated often describe phenomena which have a profound effect on them. Do these experiences have a physiological origin?

Enchanted journeys: near-death experiences and the emergency nurse

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Critical Illness
• Death
• Emergency Nursing
• Humans
• Hypoxia, Brain
• Male
• Organizations

Near-death-experiences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. Meaningful phenomena or just fantasy of death?

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Brain Ischemia
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Fantasy
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Questionnaires
• Registries
• Thanatology

Notes:

• Frequent criticism concerning the investigation of near-death-experiences (NDEs) has been the lack of uniform nomenclature and the failure to control the studied population with an elimination of interfering factors such as administration of sedatives and nonspecific stress responses. Greyson’s NDE Scale is a 16-item questionnaire developed to standardize further research into mechanisms and effects of NDEs. Using this scale, we interviewed good out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, with documented time-intervals between call for help and restoration of spontaneous circulation, yet without obvious brain damage or known, psychiatric history. The incidence of such experiences appeared to be extremely low among survivors of genuine cardiac arrest events. Alteration of information processing under the influence of hypoxia and hypercarbia only occurs after several minutes of brain ischaemia. International multicentric data collection within the framework for standardized reporting of cardiac arrest events will be the only satisfying method to address this fascinating and intriguing issue.

Near death experiences and death-related visions in children: implications for the clinician

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Attitude to Death
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Counseling
• Death
• Fantasy
• Female
• Hallucinations
• Humans
• Male
• Parapsychology

Notes:

• Near death experiences (NDEs) have been reported throughout human history in a wide variety of cultures. In the past 20 years an explosion of accounts of such experiences occurring to those surviving coma, cardiac arrest, and noninjurious near fatal brushes with death has been reported. Such events occur to a broad cross section of society, including children, and are variously estimated to occur in between 10% and 90% of near-death situations. A number of similar elements are common to NDEs, including out-of-body experiences (OBEs), hearing buzzing or rushing sounds, entering into a void or a tunnel, seeing or entering into a bright spiritual light, encountering a border or limit, and the subjective perception of making a conscious choice or being forced to return to the body. Anecdotal cases exist in which the reality of the out-of-body perceptions can be independently verified by external conditions, situations, people, and objects. Childhood experiences are often compelling because children have a different perception of death than adults. Their experiences are simple and reveal a core NDE that is universal to the human dying experience.

A near-death experience in a 7-year-old child

Tags:

• Child
• Counseling
• Death
• Drowning
• Female
• Humans
• religion
• Resuscitation

Notes:

• Near-death experiences occurring to persons who have survived near-terminal events, such as cardiac arrests or profound comas, have been widely reported in the lay literature; however, there is little documentation of such events in the medical literature. These experiences generally have a consistent core of euphoric affect, an out-of-the-body state, encountering a being of light, meeting others (especially dead relatives), and going from a dark tunnel to a world of light. This core remains consistently present despite wide variations in the religious or cultural background of the person. Such an event occurred to a 7-year-old near-drowning victim. Pediatricians should be alerted to the potential need for counseling in children who have survived near-fatal events.

Childhood near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Critical Care
• Death
• Humans
• Intensive Care Units
• Narcotics
• Parapsychology
• Prospective Studies
• Respiration, Artificial
• Stress, Psychological
• Synaptic Transmission
• Temporal Lobe

Notes:

• We nonselectively interviewed 11 patients aged 3 through 16 years who had survived critical illnesses, including cardiac arrests and profound comas. Any memory of a time they were unconscious was considered to be a near-death experience (NDE) and was recorded. Seven of these children had memories that included being out of the physical body (six patients), entering darkness (five patients), being in a tunnel (four patients), and deciding to return to the body (three patients). We also interviewed 29 age-matched survivors of illnesses that required intubation, narcotics, benzodiazepines, and admission to an intensive care unit. None of them had any memories of the time they were unconscious. In our study population, NDEs were clearly associated with surviving a critical illness. The elements of NDEs reported are similar to those previously described in adults. No children described elements of depersonalization as part of their NDEs. A core NDE, triggered by the process of dying or resuscitation efforts, may be a natural developmental experience. We present a neurophysiologic hypothesis as to the cause of NDEs.

Near-death experiences and the elderly

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Geriatric Nursing
• Human Development
• Humans
• Male
• Questionnaires

Life satisfaction, life review, and near-death experiences in the elderly

Tags:

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Attitude to Death
• Consciousness
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Memory
• Middle Aged
• Personal Satisfaction
• Quality of Life
• Questionnaires

Notes:

• When 145 senior citizens living independently in the community were surveyed for incidence of near-death experiences (NDEs), 46 of the seniors believed they had had a “close call” with death. Twelve of those reported that they had had an unusual experience during their close call and were subsequently interviewed. Their stories were evaluated using research criteria to document sufficient number of characteristics of an NDE for inclusion in research data and if that set of characteristics of the NDE included a life review component. They were also compared to a non-NDE group on the Life Satisfaction Index, to determine if life review in the context of an NDE helped older people feel more satisfied with life. There was no correlation, because surprisingly, although older people do have NDEs at least as often as other groups, the life review does not seem to be a part of it. So the reasons for scores on the LSI-A are not attributable to the life review. Reasons for this finding are discussed.

The meaning of survival: the early aftermath of a near-death experience

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Death
• Female
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Parapsychology
• Respiratory Insufficiency
• Stress, Psychological
• Survival

Notes:

• An estimated 9 million adults in this country may have had a near-death experience (NDE), yet little research has been focused on the early aftermath of this extraordinary phenomenon. The purpose of this interpretive study was to appropriate and make visible how patients who had an NDE during a cardiac or respiratory arrest understood and experienced this early period of survival. Gadamerian hermeneutics (1975/1990) informed and guided the study. This interpretation demonstrates that NDEs and their early aftermath can be the positive, life-enhancing experiences that the common lore and most research tend to depict, yet they can also be unpleasant and distressing experiences fraught with emotional pain and angst.

Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death

Tags:

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Child
• Cognition
• Death
• Emotions
• Evaluation Studies as Topic
• Female
• Humans
• Light
• Male
• Medical Records
• Memory
• Middle Aged
• Perception

Notes:

• The medical records of 58 patients, most of whom believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and all of whom later remembered unusual experiences occurring at the time, were examined. 28 patients were judged to have been so close to death that they would have died without medical intervention; the other 30 patients were not in danger of dying although most of them thought they were. Patients of both groups reported closely similar experiences but patients who really were close to death were more likely than those who were not to report an enhanced perception of light and enhanced cognitive powers. The claim of enhancement of cognitive functions despite the likelihood that brain function had probably become disturbed and possibly diminished, deserves further investigation.

Near death experiences in cardiac arrest: visions of a dying brain or visions of a new science of consciousness

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Brain
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Consciousness
• Fantasy
• Female
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Male
• Mental Recall
• Parapsychology
• Vision, Ocular

Notes:

• Very little is known about the dying process and in particular the state of the human mind at the end of life. Cardiac arrest is the final step in the dying process irrespective of cause, and is also the closest physiological model of the dying process. Recent studies in cardiac arrest survivors have indicated that although the majority of cardiac arrest survivors have no memory recall from the event, nevertheless approximately 10% develop memories that are consistent with typical near death experiences. These include an ability to ‘see’ and recall specific detailed descriptions of the resuscitation, as verified by resuscitation staff. Many studies in humans and animals have indicated that brain function ceases during cardiac arrest, thus raising the question of how such lucid, well-structured thought processes with reasoning and memory formation can occur at such a time. This has led to much interest as regards the potential implications for the study of consciousness and its relationship with the brain, which still remains an enigma. In this article, we will review published research examining brain physiology and function during cardiac arrest as well as its potential relationship with near death experiences during this time. Finally, we will explore the contribution that near death experiences during cardiac arrest may make to the wider understanding of human consciousness.

Near death experiences, cognitive function and psychological outcomes of surviving cardiac arrest

Tags:

• Cardiac arrest
• Cognition
• Near death experiences
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Psychological

Notes:

• Cardiac arrest is associated with a number of cognitive processes as well as long term psychological outcomes. Recent studies have indicated that approximately 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors report cognitive processes, including the ability to recall specific details of their resuscitation from the period of cardiac arrest. In addition it has been demonstrated that these cognitive processes are consistent with the previously described near death experience and that those who have these experiences are left with long term positive life enhancing effects. There have also been numerous studies that have indicated that although the quality of life for cardiac arrest survivors is generally good, some are left with long term cognitive impairments as well as psychological sequelae such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This paper will review near death experiences, cognitive function and psychological outcomes in survivors of cardiac arrest.

A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features and aetiology of near death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Death
• Female
• Great Britain
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Incidence
• Male
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Prospective Studies
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Survivors

Notes:

• AIM: To carry out a prospective study of cardiac arrest survivors to understand the qualitative features as well as incidence, and possible aetiology of near death experiences (NDEs) in this group of patients. Method: All survivors of cardiac arrests during a 1 year period were interviewed within a week of their arrest, regarding memories of their unconscious period. Reported memories were assessed by the Greyson NDE Scale. The postulated role of physiological, psychological and transcendental factors were studied. Physiological parameters such as oxygen status were extracted from the medical notes. Patients’ religious convictions were documented in the interviews and hidden targets were used to test the transcendental theories on potential out of body claims. Those with memories were compared to those without memories. Results: 11.1% of 63 survivors reported memories. The majority had NDE features. There appeared to be no differences on all physiological measured parameters apart from partial pressure of oxygen during the arrest which was higher in the NDE group. Conclusions: Memories are rare after resuscitation from cardiac arrest. The majority of those that are reported have features of NDE and are pleasant. The occurrence of NDE during cardiac arrest raises questions about the possible relationship between the mind and the brain. Further large-scale studies are needed to understand the aetiology and true significance of NDE.

The reality of death experiences. A personal perspective

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Brain
• Consciousness
• Death
• delusions
• dreams
• Electroencephalography
• Humans
• Hypoxia, Brain
• Parapsychology
• Psychoses, Substance-Induced
• Religion and Psychology

Notes:

• In recent years, there has been a marked increase in reports of the subjective experience of individuals in severe life-threatening circumstances. These have been used to suggest that scientific facts are now in agreement with religious beliefs as to the survival of the personality after physical death. This paper presents a personal death experience viewed by the author as a “subjective reality”. This is contrasted with “shared subjective reality,” i.e., commonly held beliefs among groups of individuals which do not necessarily lend themselves to scientific verification and scientifically derived objective reality. Subjectively real death experiences are regarded as corollary to a toxic psychosis. The content of the psychosis, which is not under voluntary control, determines the subjective experience of having entered either heaven or hell.

The benefits of working with a "dead" patient: hypnotically facilitated pseudo near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adult
• Death
• dreams
• Female
• Humans
• Hypnosis
• Projective Techniques

Notes:

• The literature on near-death experiences is consistent in describing how such events are typically transformative. Utilizing standard hypnotic techniques, therapists can approximate many of the therapeutic aspects of such experiences, without the life-or-death crisis, to facilitate both first and second order change in psychotherapy. This article explores the use of hypnotically facilitated waking dreams as an interactive projective technique. The focus is on the varied ways that the dream components that correlate with near-death experiences can evoke durable change.

Exploring the mystery of near-death experiences

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Adult
• Aged
• Attitude to Death
• Child
• Female
• Hallucinations
• Humans
• Male
• Nursing Staff
• Patient Care Planning
• Religion and Medicine
• Religion and Psychology
• Spiritualism
• Terminal Care

Near death experience: a concept analysis as applied to nursing

Tags:

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Adolescent
• Aged
• Death
• Humans
• Leukemia
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Nursing
• Surgical Procedures, Operative

Notes:

• Background: A concept is a thought or complicated mental illustration of a phenomenon. Concepts are essential in research development as they are described as the building blocks of theory. The occurrence of near death experiences (NDEs) is not an innovative subject. Parallels have existed as early as the Bible and Plato’s Republic. The NDE was given further consideration in 1975 by Dr Raymond Moody who initiated an interest from the general public and researchers alike, with his book Life after Life. Method: This paper will use the strategy of concept analysis to find a working definition for the concept of the NDE and the implications it has for nursing. Conclusion: This paper will attest that the number of people who have claimed to have a NDE is phenomenal and overwhelming. In addition, it claims that the numbers of those who have experienced this phenomenon may be underestimated because of the persons’ feeling of insecurity in talking with others about their paranormal incident. Therefore, it is vital that nurses become aware of the NDE and how to support the client who has had the experience. The following paper will summarize the different stages of a NDE, the consequences that one experiences, both positive and negative, and nursing implications.

Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands

Tags:

• Adult
• Age Distribution
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Attitude to Death
• Death
• Female
• Heart Arrest
• Humans
• Male
• Memory
• Middle Aged
• Netherlands
• Prospective Studies
• Questionnaires
• Resuscitation
• Sex Distribution

Notes:

• Background: Some people report a near-death experience (NDE) after a life-threatening crisis. We aimed to establish the cause of this experience and assess factors that affected its frequency, depth, and content. Methods: In a prospective study, we included 344 consecutive cardiac patients who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals. We compared demographic, medical, pharmacological, and psychological data between patients who reported NDE and patients who did not (controls) after resuscitation. In a longitudinal study of life changes after NDE, we compared the groups 2 and 8 years later. Findings: 62 patients (18%) reported NDE, of whom 41 (12%) described a core experience. Occurrence of the experience was not associated with duration of cardiac arrest or unconsciousness, medication, or fear of death before cardiac arrest. Frequency of NDE was affected by how we defined NDE, the prospective nature of the research in older cardiac patients, age, surviving cardiac arrest in first myocardial infarction, more than one cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during stay in hospital, previous NDE, and memory problems after prolonged CPR. Depth of the experience was affected by sex, surviving CPR outside hospital, and fear before cardiac arrest. Significantly more patients who had an NDE, especially a deep experience, died within 30 days of CPR (p<0.0001). The process of transformation after NDE took several years, and differed from those of patients who survived cardiac arrest without NDE. INTERPRETATION: We do not know why so few cardiac patients report NDE after CPR, although age plays a part. With a purely physiological explanation such as cerebral anoxia for the experience, most patients who have been clinically dead should report one.

An insight into the afterlife? Informing patients about near death experiences

Tags:

• Death
• Humans
• Patient Education as Topic
• Philosophy
• religion

Notes:

• 1. Patients often feel better able to confide in nurses than doctors on ‘difficult’ subjects. 2. Research has rejected conventional hallucinatory effects as a conclusive explanation for NDEs. 3. Nurses may legitimately agree that current research at least points to the possibility of continuation of life after death. 4. Research on energy conservation, thermodynamics and behaviour of subatomic particles suggests there is a wavelength of reality beyond the reach of normal sensory perception.

The evolving self: finding meaning in near-death experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Tags:

• DEATH, Apparent
• MATURATION (Psychology)
• MEDICAL research personnel
• NEAR-death experiences
• PHENOMENOLOGICAL psychology
• PSYCHOLOGICAL factors
• PSYCHOLOGICAL research personnel
• SPIRITUAL formation
• SPIRITUAL life