Emergent Post-Loss Experiences (EPLEs)—reported in therapies like Reparative Experience-Based Grief Therapy and Induced After-Death Communication Therapy—are structured, multisensory experiences involving a sense of contact with the deceased, altered space-time perception, and comforting, meaning-related effects. A mixed-method study of 64 former patients developed a 22-item EPLE Scale. The scale showed satisfactory internal consistency (ω = 0.79) and moderate-to-strong correlation with the Near-Death Experience Scale (ρ = 0.62). Network analysis revealed a policentric organization. EPLEs appear to play a reparative role in complicated grief, and the scale offers a concise global measure for research and clinical use.
Most people who undergo induced after-death communication (IADC) therapy report experiences that closely resemble near-death experiences (NDEs). In a study of 59 participants who had completed IADC therapy, 86% scored at or above the established threshold for an NDE on the NDE Scale, with an average total score of 14.69. The strongest features were transcendental and affective elements, such as perceiving otherworldly environments, encountering deceased loved ones, and profound peace, while paranormal aspects were less prominent. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that IADC experiences share a core phenomenology with NDEs, helping to explain how the therapy may work.