Recalled Experience of Death: transcending the cerebrocentric model of consciousness
Armando Henrique Norman, Gabriela Bley Jacob
Interface: Comunicação, Saúde, Educação November 5, 2024 DOI: 10.1590/interface.230627 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Spirituality Conscience Epistemology Family practice |
| Key findings | Recalled Experience of Death phenomena occur during clinical death and challenge the concept of consciousness as an epiphenomenon of brain activity, suggesting a non-local, organismic model of consciousness. |
Abstract
To explore the scientific approach to Recalled Experience of Death (RED) and correlate it with the philosophical foundations of Family and Community Medicine to expand the understanding of the human consciousness. Non-systematic review on PubMed database for relevant “prospective studies” on “near-death experience”. Five prospective studies documented RED phenomenon occurrences during clinical death. RED-studies strengthen an organismic model of existence and challenge consciousness concept as epiphenomenon of brain activities. This prompts a new understanding of mind-brain relationship inspired by quantum mechanics unified informational field, i.e., consciousness as non-local. This knowledge can help healthcare professionals in dealing with patients with existential problems as in mental health, palliative care, and spiritual issues. RED-studies epitomise a pre-paradigmatic stage in the construction of a new concept of human consciousness in relation to the brain.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almost 40 Years Investigating Near-Death Experiences Scholarly publications on near-death experiences | 2014 | Systematic review | n = 266 |
| Explanation of near-death experiences: a systematic analysis of case reports and qualitative research. Individuals (men, women, and children) who reported near-death experiences | 2023 | Systematic review | n = 465 |
| Near-Death Experiences: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review of Published Literature From 1977 to 2025. Articles on near-death experiences | 2025 | Systematic review | n = 775 |
| Systematic Review on the Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences. | 2025 | Systematic review | |
| Death and Near-Death Experiences in Ketamine and Psychedelic Therapy | Systematic review and synthesis |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The effect of carbon dioxide on near-death experiences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: a prospective observational study Critical Care April 8, 2010
- Guidelines and standards for the study of death and recalled experiences of death––a multidisciplinary consensus statement and proposed future directions Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences February 18, 2022
- Near-Death Experience, Consciousness, and the Brain: A New Concept about the Continuity of Our Consciousness Based on Recent Scientific Research on Near-Death Experience in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest World Futures 2006
- AWAreness during REsuscitation - II: A multi-center study of consciousness and awareness in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation October 1, 2023
and 3 more in the library