Near-death experiences: the mystical feeling of “crossing over” and its impact on faith and spirituality
N. Tassell-Matamua, J. Holden
The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism 2020 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-817204-9.00005-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mystical experience Near-death experience |
| Key points | Argues that near-death experiences, though lacking a consensus definition, are anomalous phenomena that transcend ordinary spatial, temporal, and perceptual boundaries and profoundly shape the religiosity and spirituality of those who have them, with causal explanations and social reporting influenced by cultural and motivational factors. |
Abstract
Abstract Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been reported across time and cultures and more recently with increased frequency, in part due to improved survival rates from near-fatal encounters. As anomalous psychological phenomena often occurring in near-death situations, NDEs represent a radical departure from everyday normative experiences and are typically characterized by their transcendence of space, time, and perceptual boundaries. Although consensus regarding a definition of NDEs is yet to be achieved, less disputed is the profound impact such experiences effect in the lives of those who have them, particularly in regard to notions of religiosity and spirituality. This chapter will consider NDEs and their influence. After defining NDEs, considering causal explanations, and identifying cultural and motivational factors influencing the social reporting of NDEs, the chapter will explore the impact of NDEs on religious faith and spirituality and provide some explanatory propositions for reflection.
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
Cites 48
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology December 1, 2011
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Distressing Near-Death Experiences Psychiatry February 1, 1992
and 43 more in the library