Near-Death Experiences: A Skeptical View
L. Bullough Vern, J. Madigan Timothy
April 17, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9781351294409-39 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key points | Argues that near-death experiences resemble out-of-body experiences and hallucinations, and proposes, following Noyes and Kletti, that a "depersonalization" process makes the NDE a common psychological coping mechanism for imminent death and trauma. Suggests the bright light reported in NDEs may arise from awareness of optical phenomena such as phosphenes during altered consciousness. |
Abstract
The upsurge of interest in Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) is no doubt precipitated by the fact that more than ever before, people can be "brought back from death&s;s door." NDEs are somewhat like the out-of-body experiences (OBEs) that are commonly encountered and do not occur in near-death situations. It is reported that during OBEs a similar sense of separation from one&s;s body, even a hovering sensation or "bird&s;s-eye view" is encountered. The bright light that some NDEers report is similar to the light encountered in hallucinatory experiences, and may be caused when people become aware of optical peculiarities, such as phosphenes, that arise during such an altered state of consciousness. Russell Noyes and Roy Kletti have suggested that a kind of "depersonalization" process is at work. This would mean that the NDE is a common psychological reaction to imminent death, a coping mechanism that intervenes as a person struggles with a distressing, traumatic situation.
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 |