Does Learning About Near-Death Experiences Promote Psycho-Spiritual Benefits in Those Who Have Not Had a Near-Death Experience?
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Nicole Lindsay, Simon Bennett, H. Valentine, J. Pahina
April 3, 2017 DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2016.1206844 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 143 |
| Population | Adults (unspecified) randomly assigned to intervention or non-intervention group |
| Intervention | Learning about near-death experiences |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key findings | Learning about NDEs led to significant improvements in appreciation for life, spirituality, and appreciation for death in the intervention group, indicating that indirect exposure can yield psycho-spiritual benefits similar to those from actual NDEs. |
Abstract
Research has revealed a consistent pattern of positive aftereffects in those who report a near-death experience [NDE]. Beneficial outcomes are also possible for those who have not had a NDE, but instead learn about them, although much of this research has been conducted on therapeutic populations. Using a sample of 143 participants randomly assigned to either an intervention or non-intervention group, we investigated whether learning about NDEs generated the same psycho-spiritual benefits having a NDE does. Results revealed significant changes in appreciation for life, spirituality, and appreciation for death, in the intervention group after learning about NDEs.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMT Models the Near-Death Experience Healthy participants | 2018 | Within-subjects placebo-controlled study | n = 13 |
| Virtual mortality and near-death experience after a prolonged exposure in a shared virtual reality may lead to positive life-attitude changes Female participants | 2018 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 31 |
| Effects of a Near-Death Experience Learning Module on Grief Bereaved adults (22 females, 2 males; aged 20-71 years, mean age 35.3 years) | 2010 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 24 |
| A virtual reality intervention to reduce death anxiety and stress in adults: examining the effect of a near-death experience simulation Adults | 2025 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 61 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 26
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- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Distressing Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry February 1, 1992
- Dissociation in people who have near-death experiences: out of their bodies or out of their minds? The Lancet February 1, 2000
- Spirituality and Religiousness: A Diversity of Definitions Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health July 1, 2011
and 21 more in the library