This study investigates the lived-experience of spiritual life in contemporary USA, India, and China. A qualitative coding frame was constructed based on participant responses to open-ended questions regarding spirituality. Qualitative analysis was facilitated by the use of Dedoose, a mixed methods software. The exploratory approach of this study takes on a cross-culturally comparative lens,...
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is applied in various fields such as medicine, cognitive science, business, and education. The mindfulness of Buddhism is at the center of MBSR, and this means that Buddhist meditation has a great effect on modern society. For Buddhist meditations on death, the Aṅguttara Nikāya suggests mindfulness of death (maraṇasati), referring to ten methods of...
Time Expansion Experiences (TEEs) occur when a person’s normal experience of time slows down or expands significantly. Previous research has associated them mainly with accidents but also with altered states of consciousness such as mystical experiences, psychedelic experiences, and near-death experiences. This article describes a qualitative study of 74 reports of “Time Expansion Experiences”...
Abstract This study aimed to analyze the near death experiences, its perceived effects and coping mechanisms of the two participants who were purposively chosen. The descriptive method (case study) was used in this study. The constructed questionnaire and adapted coping mechanisms questionnaire were used to produce the needed data. The constructed questionnaire was validated by an expert. The...
The aim of this paper is to describe some ostensibly odd, Non-Ordinary-Mental Expressions (NOMEs), that have been considered implausible, illusory or hallucinatory phenomena, possible symptoms of disorders of the neurological or psychological functioning. They include a large variety of phenomena, encompassing hearing voices, seeing presences, communication with non-incarnated entities...
DiscourseMarch 5, 2020I. V. Pavlov, Valery M. Tsaplev
Introduction. A radical tendency in modern approaches to understanding the mechanisms of the brain is the tendency of some scientists to believe that the brain is a receptor capable of capturing thoughts; the nature of the occurrence of the thoughts themselves, however, is not to be clarified. However, speech expressing thoughts is undoubtedly the result of the work of the brain, so studies of...
The article offers a critical analysis of the cognitive science of religion (CSR) as applied to new and quasi-religious movements, and uncovers implicit conceptual and theoretical commitments of the approach. A discussion of CSR’s application to new religious movement (NRM) case studies (charismatic leadership, paradise representations, Aḥmadiyya, and the International Society for Krishna...
The notion that death represents a passing to an afterlife, where we are reunited with loved ones and live eternally in a utopian paradise, is common in the reports of people who have encountered a “Near-Death Experience” (NDE). NDEs are thoroughly portrayed by the media but empirical studies are rather recent. The definition of the phenomenon as well as the identification of NDE experiencers...
Introduction/Hypothesis: While many intensive care unit survivors report negative long-term psychological outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, some report a positive transformational outcome associated with the recall of a unique cognitive experience, often referred to using the poorly defined term of near-death experiences (NDE). This aspect of ICU...
In this commentary, I reflect on 12 stories from individuals who have had a near-death experience, and I describe how the ministry of the spiritual caregiver can aide patients who experience a near-death phenomenon. Spiritual care providers are trained to support patients and family members and promote a sense of peace and comfort. They offer affirmation while promoting a space for wondering....