Near-Death Experiences and Claims of Past-Life Memories
Journal of Near-Death Studies 2021 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-2021-39-3-p212-226. (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key points | Argues that apparent contradictions between near-death experiences and reincarnation can be resolved by reconceptualizing ideas about time and consciousness. |
Abstract
: Some features of near-death experiences (NDEs) suggest that con sciousness may continue to function after death of the body. The life reviews of some NDEs include what seem to be memories of a past lifetime, some of which involve verifiable details, suggesting that the experiencer has lived more than one life and can recall events from successive lives. These apparent past life memories parallel the claims of young children who remember past lives. Furthermore, some children's past-life memories include scenes from the period between lives that parallel descriptions of the realm in which NDEs occur. Some children's past-life memories include anomalous features that contradict com mon beliefs about reincarnation. In addition, the idea that humans reincarnate into a new Earthly body seems to contradict the common NDE feature of en countering deceased persons in a non-Earthly realm. However, those apparent contradictions can be resolved by a reconceptualization of prevailing ideas about time and about what aspects of human consciousness may survive bodily death.
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 |