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Is there a hell? Surprising observations about the near-death experience

P. M. H. Atwater

Journal of Near-Death Studies 1992 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-1992-10-3-p149-160 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 100
Population People who reported distressing or unpleasant near-death experiences
Topics Near-death experience
Citations 26
Key findings The author reports findings from interviews with over a hundred people who had distressing or unpleasant near-death experiences and compares these accounts with earlier reports by Maurice Rawlings, mythological traditions about hell, and renderings from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The article details four types of NDEs—initial, hell-like, heaven-like, and transcendental—and proposes what seems to be an attitudinal profile characteristic of each type.

Abstract

Article discussing current research into what are now termed "distressing" or "unpleasant" near-death experiences (NDEs) and the author's findings from interviews of over a hundred such cases.The article compares this information with earlier reports from Maurice Rawlings, mythological traditions about the concept of hell, and renderings from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Finally, it details four types of NDEs - initial, hell-like, heaven-like, and transcendental - and what seems to be an attitudinal profile characteristic of each type.

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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