Sawing the branch of near‐death experience research: A critical analysis of Parnia et al.’s paper
R. Evrard, E. Pratte, Th. Rabeyron
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 21, 2022 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14846 (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 | 13 |
| Key points | Argues that Parnia and colleagues' claims about NDEs are insufficiently supported by empirical data and that NDEs are a continuum of heterogeneous experiences rather than a single core phenomenology. |
Abstract
In their recent paper, Parnia and colleagues propose a new label for the near‐death experience (NDE): recalled experience of death. They claimed NDEs are “authentic” only when an objective danger is present and that authentic NDEs have a proven core phenomenology. We consider that these claims are insufficiently supported by empirical data. NDEs appear as a continuum of heterogeneous experiences of consciousness precipitated by the disjunction of processes usually combined in normal mental activity. The “core phenomenology” of NDEs is also opened to several criticisms. Closeness to “real” death does not appear to be a decisive criterion for characterizing NDEs. The author's adhesion to Raymond Moody's NDE model produces a biased partition of this field of research that is unable to provide the basis for a consensus.