Near-Death Experiences and Claims of Past-Life Memories

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.