Near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors
Progress in Brain Research 2005 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(05)50025-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Hypercarbia Afterlife Consciousness Realm Feeling Neural substrate Cognitive psychology Cognitive science Epistemology Cognition Cardiology Jungian analytical psychology |
| Citations | 70 |
| Key findings | Near-death experiences involve multiple components and have long-lasting transformational effects; various theoretical approaches—spiritual, psychological, and organic—are reviewed. |
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have become the focus of much interest in the last 30 years or so. Such experiences can occur both when individuals are objectively near to death and also when they simply believe themselves to be. The experience typically involves a number of different components including a feeling of peace and well-being, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), entering a region of darkness, seeing a brilliant light, and entering another realm. NDEs are known to have long-lasting transformational effects upon those who experience them. An overview is presented of the various theoretical approaches that have been adopted in attempts to account for the NDE. Spiritual theories assume that consciousness can become detached from the neural substrate of the brain and that the NDE may provide a glimpse of an afterlife. Psychological theories include the proposal that the NDE is a dissociative defense mechanism that occurs in times of extreme danger or, less plausibly, that the NDE reflects memories of being born. Finally, a wide range of organic theories of the NDE has been put forward including those based upon cerebral hypoxia, anoxia, and hypercarbia; endorphins and other neurotransmitters; and abnormal activity in the temporal lobes. Finally, the results of studies of NDEs in cardiac arrest survivors are reviewed and the implications of these results for our understanding of mind-brain relationships are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distressing Near-Death Experiences | 1992 | Review | |
| Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Individuals who have had near-death experiences | 1980 | Review | n = 21 |
| Near-death experiences. | 2004 | Review | |
| The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences | 2009 | Review | |
| Phenomenology of Near-death Experiences: A Cross-cultural Perspective | 2008 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- Characteristics of Near-Death Experiences Memories as Compared to Real and Imagined Events Memories PLoS One March 27, 2013
- Near-death experiences in non-life-threatening events and coma of different etiologies Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 27, 2014
- Neurochemical models of near-death experiences: A large-scale study based on the semantic similarity of written reports. Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2019
- Near-death experiences between science and prejudice Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Temporality of Features in Near-Death Experience Narratives Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 13, 2017
and 25 more in the library
Cites 28
- Out‐of‐body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin Brain January 15, 2004
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Distressing Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry February 1, 1992
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
and 23 more in the library