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.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-Death Experiences in India Individuals in India who reported near-death experiences | 1986 | Case study | n = 16 |
| The Near-Death Experience as a Focus of Clinical Attention Patients presenting with near-death experience-related problems | 1997 | Case study | n = 4 |
| A prospectively studied near-death experience with corroborated out-of-body perceptions and unexplained healing. A person who had a near-death experience | 2006 | Case report | n = 1 |
| This is your brain on death: a comparative analysis of a near-death experience and subsequent 5-Methoxy-DMT experience. An individual who had a near-death experience during a coma caused by bacterial... | 2023 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Near-death experiences and dissociation: Two cases. Individuals reporting near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences, including... | 1993 | Case study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Explanation of near-death experiences: a systematic analysis of case reports and qualitative research. Frontiers in Psychology 2023
- Spiritual awakening and transformation in scientists and academics. Explore 2023
- Exploring near death experiences with children post intensive care: A case series. Explore 2024
- The living experience of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and spiritual meaning making. Nursing Open August 1, 2023
- Near-death experiences and the change of worldview in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest: A phenomenological and hermeneutical study. Qualitative research in medicine & healthcare December 31, 2022
and 11 more in the library
Cites 11
- 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
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
- Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century 2020
- A prospective analysis of near-death experiences in cardiac arrest patients. Journal of Near-Death Studies 2002
and 6 more in the library