Kōtuitui New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
March 29, 2026
Francesca Sullivan, Nicole Lindsay
Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a temporary state of immobility that occurs during the transition between wakefulness and sleep. Although described as hallucinations within biomedical discourse, frightening multisensory perceptions can often accompany muscle atonia, giving rise to numerous cultural, spiritual, and supernatural explanatory models. Presently, no studies have investigated the...
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
November 1, 2023
Nicole Lindsay, Laura O'Sullivan, Rosemary Gibson et al.
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are nonordinary states of consciousness typically occurring on the brink of death. Sleep changes after NDEs have been described, including shorter sleep duration, longer sleep latency, and more sleep disturbances; however, objective verification is lacking. In this exploratory research, 57 participants took part in a 14-day actigraphy study and were assigned to...
April 3, 2017
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Nicole Lindsay, Simon Bennett et al.
Research has revealed a consistent pattern of positive aftereffects in those who report a near-death experience [NDE]. Beneficial outcomes are also possible for those who have not had a NDE, but instead learn about them, although much of this research has been conducted on therapeutic populations. Using a sample of 143 participants randomly assigned to either an intervention or non-intervention...
January 2, 2016
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Nicole Lindsay
According to terror management theory, fear of death is one of the most profound of human anxieties. Yet, the near-death experience (NDE) and its associated pattern of after-effects represent an intriguing exception to this theory. Studies indicate the loss of the fear of death is an instantaneous and pervasive after-effect of NDEs. Some theorists propose this elimination of death fear could be...