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Content analysis of a predominately African-American near-death experience collection: Evaluating the ritual healing theory.

J. Mcclenon

Journal of Near-Death Studies 2005 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-2005-23-3-p159-181 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 28
Population Predominantly African-American respondents in northeastern North Carolina
Topics Near-death experience
Key findings The North Carolina sample showed a lower incidence of NDE core features than a sample of IANDS members but equivalent to other samples, and hypotheses from ritual healing theory were supported.

Abstract

Twenty-eight near-death experience (NDE) narratives were selected from 1,832 anomalous experience accounts collected from predomi nately African-American respondents in northeastern North Carolina. Analysis of this sample allowed testing hypotheses regarding NDEs and the ritual healing theory. The North Carolina sample revealed a lower incidence of NDE core features than Bruce Greyson found in a sample of International Association for Near-Death Studies (LANDS) members, but equivalent to that found by Mark Fox in a British sample and by Kenneth Ring in an American sample. As Fox reported, comparison of crisis to non-crisis accounts revealed no significant differences in frequency of NDE features. Although no narrative features in the sample stories indicated ethnicity, content analysis revealed different frequen cies of NDE type and greater incidence of negative emotion than previous researchers found. Accounts portrayed elements associated with shamanism and shed light on the process by which NDEs shape folk religious belief. All in all, hypotheses derived from the ritual healing theory were supported.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on near-death experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors 2018 Qualitative study n = 34
Do Suicide Survivors Report Near-Death Experiences? Persons who had been close to death as a result of a suicide attempt 1982 Qualitative study n = 36
The evolving self: finding meaning in near-death experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Female participants who had near-death experiences 2008 Qualitative study n = 3
Investigation of the phenomenology, physiology and impact of spiritually transformative experiences - kundalini awakening. Persons having a spiritually transformative experience (e.g., spontaneous energetic... 2021 Qualitative study
Near-death experiences and religion: A further investigation Near-death experiencers 1984 Qualitative study n = 40

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Near-death experience Shamanism