A “Little Death”: The Near-Death Experience and Tibetan Delogs
L. Bailey
Journal of Near-Death Studies March 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1023/a:1026461521146 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Tibetan delogs (contemporary and historical cases) |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key points | Proposes that delog accounts represent a culturally specific phenomenon resembling near-death experiences, linking them to shamanic traditions. |
Abstract
A phenomenon remarkably like the near-death experience has been uncovered in Tibetan culture, aside from the so-called Tibetan Book of the Dead (Thurman, 1994). Anthropologists have gathered accounts of contemporary and historical cases of remarkable people called delogs. Seemingly dead for several hours or days, these people revive spontaneously and tell detailed accounts of otherworldly journeys. Their journey accounts contain elaborate versions of Buddhist otherworldly landscapes and characters, emphasizing the moral and spiritual teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. These delogs are a bridge between contemporary near-death experiences and ancient shamanic practices.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times | 1987 | Historical analysis | |
| Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins | 1990 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-death experiences between science and prejudice | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Phenomenology of Near-death Experiences: A Cross-cultural Perspective Transcultural Psychiatry March 1, 2008
- Meditation-Induced Near-Death Experiences: a 3-Year Longitudinal Study Mindfulness March 11, 2018
- Recognizing the Death Motif in the Near-Death Experience. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying September 19, 2023
- The Bereaved Detachment Experience: An NDE-like Phenomenon. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying April 28, 2025