The central clinical relevance of near-death experiences in acute care contexts: identification, prediction, and management
Pascal Michael, Pauline Fritz, Olivia Gosseries, Anne-Françoise Rousseau, Aurore Ancion, Alexandre Ghuysen, Charlotte Martial
Frontiers in Psychology July 22, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1544438 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Relevance law Context archaeology Identification biology Acute care Psychotherapist Health care |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Conducting more comprehensive NDE research in emergency and critical care contexts may unveil a pathway toward favorable outcomes within clinical practice. |
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs), a syndrome of experiences with mystical-type content classically arising in the context of life-threatening situations, are under-researched in terms of their relevance for acute medical care. We here discuss several reasons to raise the importance of conducting more comprehensive NDE research in emergency and critical care contexts, including but not limited to near-death experiencers' awareness of surroundings and the need for patient support given NDEs' profound psychological impacts, and we suggest incorporating the identification of NDEs into management plans. Exploring NDE incidence and their subsequent impact in acute settings may unveil a pathway toward favorable outcomes within clinical practice.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distressing Near-Death Experiences | 1992 | Review | |
| Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Individuals who have had near-death experiences | 1980 | Review | n = 21 |
| Near-death experiences. | 2004 | Review | |
| The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences | 2009 | Review | |
| Near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 39
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics Are Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 10, 2020
- Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study Frontiers in Pharmacology November 2, 2018
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry July 12, 2022
and 34 more in the library