Near-death experiences and the change of worldview in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest: A phenomenological and hermeneutical study.
Hans Zingmark, Anetth Granberg-Axèll
Qualitative research in medicine & healthcare December 31, 2022 DOI: 10.4081/qrmh.2022.10241 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4 |
| Population | Patients who had a near-death experience after sudden cardiac arrest |
| Duration | 10 weeks after the near-death experience |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Near dead experiences Lived experiences Sudden cardiac arrest Worldview |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Near-death experiences gave participants an entirely new meaning of life and death, with death viewed as a passage rather than an end, instantly changing their worldview. |
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) can occur during episodes of unconsciousness from life-threatening conditions, such as sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs). This study is based on interviews with patients who had an NDE. The interviews were analyzed with phenomenological hermeneutical method for their lived experiences and the meaning for the view of life and death. Four participants were interviewed 10 weeks after their NDE. Four themes emerged: being on the other side, in another dimension; not dreaming, this is a real experience; being in a non-physical condition without my body; and comparing views of life and death before and after the NDEs. The participants described the NDEs as an experience of another realm as non-physical in nature and existing beyond space and time. This study shows that this experience of another state of being, through the lived experiences of NDEs, gave the participants an entirely new meaning on life and death. To them, death was no longer viewed as an end but a passage into something else and that life continues after death. This realization instantly changed their worldview.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Do Suicide Survivors Report Near-Death Experiences? Persons who had been close to death as a result of a suicide attempt | 1982 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| The evolving self: finding meaning in near-death experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Female participants who had near-death experiences | 2008 | Qualitative study | n = 3 |
| Investigation of the phenomenology, physiology and impact of spiritually transformative experiences - kundalini awakening. Persons having a spiritually transformative experience (e.g., spontaneous energetic... | 2021 | Qualitative study | |
| Near-death experiences and religion: A further investigation Near-death experiencers | 1984 | Qualitative study | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Near-death experiences after cardiac arrest: a scoping review Discover Mental Health May 28, 2024
- Children’s near-death experiences: tales from nurses - a content analysis study BMC Nursing June 8, 2026
- Chinese translation and validation of the Near-Death Experience Content scale. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023
Cites 12
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
- Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences PLoS One February 14, 2018
- Near‐death experiences: the experience of the self as real and not as an illusion Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences October 1, 2011
- Epistemological implications of near-death experiences and other non-ordinary mental expressions: Moving beyond the concept of altered state of consciousness Medical Hypotheses April 11, 2015
and 7 more in the library