The infinity object: neurophenomenology and psychoanalytic corollaries of near-death experiences
Frontiers in Psychiatry November 6, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1951380 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that near-death experiences, whose phenomenology includes life review, seeing the dead, and an encounter with a "being of light," can be linked to dimensions of the depressive position and Bion's concept of O, and proposes the concept of the "infinity object" by drawing on neurophenomenology, neurotransmitter systems, and parallels with psychedelic literature. |
Abstract
As technological advances have occurred in medicine, including improvements in rates of resuscitation, descriptions of near-death experiences (NDEs) have increased significantly. However, NDEs have been present within religious, literary, and biographical texts for centuries. The phenomenology of NDEs encompasses an inward journey wherein review of one’s life, seeing the dead, and an encounter with a spiritually powerful “being of light” may be reported. The subjective transformations that take place in survivors, as well as the insights generated from NDEs, can be linked with dimensions of the depressive position and Bion’s concept of O. The neurophenomenology of NDEs will be discussed, focusing primarily on neurotransmitter systems. Parallels and contrasts from psychedelic literature will also be explored. Drawing from these various dimensions, the concept of the infinity object will be outlined.
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 52
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands The Lancet December 1, 2001
- Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors Journal of Psychopharmacology October 11, 2017
- Psychedelic effects of psilocybin correlate with serotonin 2A receptor occupancy and plasma psilocin levels Neuropsychopharmacology January 26, 2019
- Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor Elife October 25, 2018
and 47 more in the library