Verified account of near-death experience in a physician who survived cardiac arrest.
Marjorie Woollacott, Bettina Peyton
Explore March 19, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 32-year-old female physician experiencing childbirth |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Citations | 21 |
| Key findings | The case provides evidence that near-death experiences can involve sensory perceptions not possible under a materialist model of consciousness and can fundamentally change a person's understanding of consciousness and the sacred. |
Abstract
Research exploring the nature of near-death experiences (NDEs) is extensive. There are a variety of hypothesized mechanisms proposed to explain the origin of the experiences, including hallucinations due to physiological changes in a dying brain. However, there is growing evidence that these theories cannot explain a number of the characteristics of NDEs. In this article we present a detailed and extensively verified case study of a physician, Bettina Peyton, who experienced an NDE during the birth of her third child when she was 32 years old. The data provide additional evidence that supports the hypotheses 1) that during NDEs individuals have sensory perceptual experiences that are not possible according to the materialist framework in which consciousness is solely produced by the activity of neurons in the brain, and 2) that NDEs lead to a fundamental change in their understanding of the nature of consciousness, and in the place of the sacred in their lives.