Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are not well explained. Because NDEs are sometimes considered imagined, researchers compared the phenomenological characteristics of NDE memories with memories of real and imagined events. Coma survivors with NDEs (8), with coma memories but no NDE (6), and without coma memories (7), plus 18 healthy volunteers, completed the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire. NDE memories had more characteristics than memories of imagined or real events, and more self-referential and emotional information and better clarity than coma memories. These findings suggest NDE memories cannot be considered imagined events; they may be perceived as real despite not being lived in physical reality.
People who have had a near-death experience (NDE) are no more likely than others to form false memories, but when they do, they recall those false memories with a stronger sense of vivid, compelling recollection. The study used a standard word-list task to test memory in 20 individuals who had an NDE during a life-threatening event and 20 matched controls who had a life-threatening event without an NDE. Both groups produced false memories at similar rates, but those with NDEs more often reported that the false items felt like real, detailed memories. Further analysis indicated that both groups thought of the false items equally often, but the NDE group was less able to correctly monitor the source of those thoughts.