Different Kinds of Near-Death Experience: A Report on a Survey of Near-Death Experiences in Germany
H. Knoblauch, Ina Schmied, Bernt Schnettler
Journal of Near-Death Studies September 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1023/a:1011112727078 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Representative survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,000 |
| Population | German adults |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key findings | Near-death experiences in Germany are more diverse than previously assumed and are influenced by cultural variables such as religious interpretation and regional differences between East and West Germany. |
Abstract
This article provides a short summary of a representative survey on near-death experiences (NDEs) in Germany, which is the first of its kind in Europe. We tested several assumptions derived from previous research on NDEs, including the assumptions of a unified pattern of experience, the universality of the pattern, and the necessary link between NDEs and clinical death. We received replies from more than 2,000 persons, 4 percent of whom reported NDEs. The patterns of the NDEs did not seem to correspond to earlier findings: aside from being much more diverse, they also differed with respect to cultural variables, particularly the difference between religious interpretations and the differences between post-socialist East Germany and West Germany.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Proneness Correlates With the Intensity of Near-Death Experience Individuals who have experienced a near-death experience (classical or NDE-like) and... | 2018 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 228 |
| A systematic analysis of distressing near-death experience accounts Individuals who had a near-death experience and wrote down their account | 2019 | Cross-sectional study | n = 123 |
| Reduced death threat in near-death experiencers Adults who had near-death experiences, came close to death without NDE, or never came... | 1992 | Cross-sectional study | n = 290 |
| Near-Death Experiences in a Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic Population Psychiatric outpatients | 2003 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 832 |
| Near-Death States Reported in a Sample of 50 Misusers Previous ketamine misusers who reported a ketamine-related near-death experience | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 50 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 37
- A Rasch scaling validation of a ‘core’ near‐death experience British Journal of Psychology May 1, 2004
- Temporality of Features in Near-Death Experience Narratives Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 13, 2017
- The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: Development and psychometric validation Consciousness and Cognition November 1, 2020
- Phenomenology of Near-death Experiences: A Cross-cultural Perspective Transcultural Psychiatry March 1, 2008
- Near-Death Experience: Out-of-Body and Out-of-Brain? Review of General Psychology March 1, 2011
and 32 more in the library
Cites 4
- The Near-death Experience The British Journal of Psychiatry November 1, 1988
- A typology of near-death experiences American Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 1985
- Wondrous Events: Foundations of Religious Belief Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion December 1, 1995
- Toward an explanation of near-death phenomena Journal of Near-Death Studies July 1, 1981