The perceptual geometry and chromaticity of near-death experience spaces
France Lerner, Paulo Cezar Rocha Dos Santos, Guillaume Tahar
Frontiers in Psychology October 15, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1760389 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Exploratory mixed-methods study combining a semi-structured digital questionnaire with a graphic reconstruction task Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants who reported out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Bodily self-consciousness Obes Self-location Visual-field phenomenology |
| Key points | The authors propose an "experiential NDE Core" defined by sequencing NDE phases separately from dissociative and associative OBE phases. Graphic reconstructions identified recurrent visual-field boundary configurations (conical forms, elliptic arcs with variable visual-field extents, and ellipsoidal configurations). Exploratory analyses suggested chromatic perceptual qualities and visual mental imagery varied across configurations, though evidence for differences was not uniform across statistical analyses. |
Abstract
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) challenge conventional research methods, as they are often described as exceeding the limits of verbal expression. While most studies rely on narrative accounts, little attention has been given to graphic representations as a complementary mode of investigation. This study employs a hybrid approach combining a semi-structured digital questionnaire with a graphic reconstruction task. Participants first segmented their Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) and NDE into distinct experiential sequences by assigning chronological numbers to each phase. This sequencing enabled the identification of what we term the experiential NDE Core, defined here as the NDE sequence or sequences distinguished from the Dissociative and Associative OBE phases, thereby facilitating comparisons across participants. The graphic reconstructions identified recurrent Visual-Field boundary configurations, including conical forms, elliptic arcs with variable Visual-Field Extents (VFE), and ellipsoidal configurations. Exploratory analyses indicated variation in chromatic perceptual qualities across these configurations, although evidence for differences among configurations was not uniform across statistical analyses. The reported emergence of Visual Mental Imagery also appeared to vary across Visual-Field configurations. This dual-method design was intended to capture experiential features of OBEs and NDEs that may not be conveyed through verbal reports alone. Notably, OBEs have rarely been examined in terms of their independence from, or conjunction with, NDEs. In the present study, their temporal placement was defined operationally by the sequencing protocol to permit isolation of the NDE Core.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Graphic reconstructions identified recurrent visual-field boundary configurations, with chromatic and imagery differences across configurations that were not uniform across statistical analyses.
Synthesized
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 |