End-of-Life Dreams and Visions and Self-Transcendence: A Comparison Study.
Journal of Palliative Medicine November 1, 2025 Kathryn Levy, Gina Schuster, Sheila Conboy et al.
End-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) are common and meaningful for people nearing death, but this study found no difference in self-transcendence between hospice patients who experienced ELDVs and those who did not. Seventy-two hospice patients (35 with ELDVs and 37 without) completed the Self-Transcendence Scale. No significant differences emerged between groups (p = 0.310). Patients with ELDVs did not report greater self-transcendence than nondreaming patients, and no individual survey items differed. The authors suggest self-transcendence may be a natural developmental stage, closely tied to religiosity and end of life, or that holistic hospice care itself may influence self-transcendence, obscuring any effect of ELDVs.