Self-reported near-death and near-death-like experiences in a Chinese online sample: an exploratory mixed-methods study
Yufei Xue, Fangting Wang, Chunyan Yang, Runzhi Zhang, Huiyu Zou, Yiyun Zhang, Steven Laureys, Haibo Di
Frontiers in Psychology September 21, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1935246 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Exploratory mixed-methods study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 63 |
| Population | Chinese online convenience sample recruited through Chinese social media |
| Measures | Chinese Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Chinese culture Consciousness Mixed-methods study Nde-c scale Near-death-like experiences |
| Key points | Self-reported Chinese NDE and NDE-like narratives shared recurrent features such as out-of-body experiences, bright light, bodily sensations, emotional changes, and altered perceptual content. NDE narratives descriptively showed higher frequencies of peaceful emotions, encounters with entities or deceased loved ones, personal insights, panoramic life review, and culturally specific Chinese imagery than NDE-like narratives, though Chinese cultural motifs were infrequent overall (four of 23 NDE narratives and one of 25 NDE-like narratives). The authors present these findings as preliminary and hypothesis-generating. |
Abstract
IntroductionNear-death experiences (NDEs) are subjective experiences reported during actual or perceived life-threatening situations, whereas near-death-like experiences may occur in non-life-threatening altered states. Empirical data from Chinese populations remain limited, particularly regarding culturally specific narrative content.MethodsThis exploratory mixed-methods study examined self-reported NDEs and NDE-like experiences in a Chinese online convenience sample. Participants recruited through Chinese social media completed an online survey comprising sociodemographic questions, the Chinese Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale, and an open-ended narrative question. Quantitative analysis included 63 participants: 23 NDE cases, 25 NDE-like cases, and 15 below-threshold comparison cases. All classifications were based on self-report. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on 48 valid narratives.ResultsSelf-reported NDE and NDE-like narratives shared recurrent features, including out-of-body experiences, bright light, bodily sensations, emotional changes, and altered perceptual content. Compared with NDE-like narratives, NDE narratives showed descriptively higher frequencies of peaceful emotions, encounters with entities, deceased loved ones or spiritual entities, personal insights, panoramic life review, and culturally specific Chinese imagery. Chinese cultural motifs were infrequent overall, occurring in four of 23 NDE narratives and one of 25 NDE-like narratives. These motifs included Guimen Pass, Black and White Impermanence, Lord Chenghuang, reincarnation, karmic judgment, and underworld-related imagery.DiscussionBecause this study relied on retrospective self-report, an online convenience sample, and unverified medical contexts, the findings should be considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating. The findings provide localized exploratory evidence that Chinese self-reported NDE narratives may combine recurrent NDE-related features with culturally specific symbolic content.