Metaphoric and Gestural Descriptions of Out-of-Body Experiences by Persian Subjects.
Omid Khatin-Zadeh, Zahra Eskandari, Danyal Farsani, Hassan Banaruee
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying January 31, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/00302228261423024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | A group of people talking about their out-of-body experiences |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Literal Metaphorical Normally-impossible obe event Normally-possible obe event |
| Key findings | Normally-impossible out-of-body events are more frequently described with metaphoric sentences and gestures than literal or iconic ones. |
Abstract
The phenomena of out-of-body experience (OBE) and near-death experience (NDE) have attracted increasing research interest. In this study, we used a set of videos to examine verbal and gestural descriptions of a group of people talking about their OBE experiences. Two chi-square tests were used to find out what type of sentences and what type of gestures were more frequently used to describe normally-possible and normally-impossible OBE events. The results showed that normally-impossible OBE events were described more frequently by metaphoric sentences than literal sentences. Verbal descriptions of normally-impossible events were accompanied more frequently by metaphoric gestures than iconic gestures. Based on these results, we suggest that impossibility, emotional load, and extremeness are key factors in the metaphorical description of normally-impossible OBE events. Therefore, in addition to abstractness and unfamiliarity, these three factors are behind the active use of verbal and gestural metaphors in describing normally-impossible OBE events.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals | 2001 | Prospective cohort study | n = 344 |
| Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center | 2003 | Observational cohort | n = 1,595 |
| Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... | 1990 | Observational cohort | n = 58 |
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 22
- Out‐of‐body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin Brain January 15, 2004
- Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Psychological Science March 24, 2004
- Characteristics of Near-Death Experiences Memories as Compared to Real and Imagined Events Memories PLoS One March 27, 2013
- Brain activity in near-death experiencers during a meditative state Resuscitation July 2, 2009
- AWAreness during REsuscitation - II: A multi-center study of consciousness and awareness in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation October 1, 2023
and 17 more in the library