Making Sense of Near-Death Experience Research: Circumstance Specific Alterations of Consciousness
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12111 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Citations | 28 |
| Key points | Argues that the term 'near-death experience' is used for at least three distinct phenomena and proposes redefining the pattern as 'circumstance specific alterations of consciousness'. |
Abstract
Abstract The growing body of research on near‐death experiences ( NDE s) is an indication of the large number of people claiming such experiences. A surprising feature of the research is that conceptually there is no agreement on what an NDE is and consequently a large number of definitions characterize this field of research. In order to address the definitional quagmire, a first step consists of making sense of NDE definitions. An analysis of existing definitions shows that the term is currently used for at least three distinct phenomena: a cluster of experiences encountered in the process of dying, for that cluster of experiences in circumstances of fear‐death and danger, and for that cluster of experiences independently from any life‐threatening circumstances. Secondly, the nested assumptions that characterize identified patterns in NDE research are identified. It is shown that pro‐survivalists see NDE s as a unitary entity with a single explanation, while others restrict the study of NDE s to life‐threatening circumstances and see them as a cluster of composite experiences. Based on this analysis it is argued that the pattern of experiences labeled NDE s can be modified to circumstance specific alterations of consciousness .
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 5
- The Near-Death Experience and Self-Determination Theory. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying March 1, 2025
- The Near-Death Experience and Suicidal Ideation. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying March 10, 2023
- Recognizing the Death Motif in the Near-Death Experience. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying September 19, 2023
- Researchers’ and Experiencers’ Descriptions of Near-Death Experiences: In Search of a Conceptual Model Journal of Near-Death Studies 2023
- Cracks in the Dam: The Quiet Faith of a [ CENSORED ] Schoolteacher Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2026
Cites 38
- 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
- Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion December 1, 1987
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
- Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death The Lancet November 1, 1990
and 33 more in the library