The Near-Death Experience and Suicidal Ideation.
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying March 10, 2023 DOI: 10.1177/00302228231162175 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Suicidal ideation Suicide attempts Therapy |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key points | Argues that belief in the objective spiritual reality of NDEs can either increase or decrease suicide risk depending on the individual case. |
Abstract
The near-death experience (NDE) most generally refers to a state of altered consciousness with various features that can occur during real or presumed near-death circumstances and/or life-threatening incidents. Some NDEs are associated with a nonfatal suicide attempt. This paper discusses how a belief by suicide attempters that their NDEs are a true portrayal of objective spiritual reality can at least in some cases be positively associated with a persistence or increase of suicidal ideation and on occasion lead to further suicide attempts, while also exploring why at other times such a belief may reduce the risk of suicide. The formulation of suicidal ideation associated with NDEs among some of those who did not initially try to kill themselves is also explored. Various examples related to NDEs and suicidal ideation are provided and discussed. Furthermore, this paper also offers some theoretical insights related to this matter and points out some specific therapeutic concerns based on this discussion.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times | 1987 | Historical analysis | |
| Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins | 1990 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-death experiences between science and prejudice | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Suicide Following a Near-Death Experience. Crisis September 1, 2024
- A virtual reality intervention to reduce death anxiety and stress in adults: examining the effect of a near-death experience simulation Frontiers in Virtual Reality September 29, 2025
- The intertwining of death and life: a hermeneutic phenomenological investigation of near-death experiences among coma survivors. BMC Psychology September 29, 2025
Cites 18
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- Distressing Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry February 1, 1992
- The phenomenology of near-death experiences American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1980
- Temporality of Features in Near-Death Experience Narratives Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 13, 2017
- Religion, Spirituality and the Near-Death Experience December 16, 2003
and 13 more in the library