Pushing Near-Death Experiences (II)
Oxford Scholarship Online September 20, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190888848.003.0014
Summary
The increase in near-death experiences and their reporting since the 1960s is linked to new reanimation techniques that have improved survival rates in critical situations like heart attacks. Additionally, the shift in the definition of death to 'irreversible coma' has influenced both near-death experiences and the surrounding discourse. This is evident in the works of figures like Moody, who expressed skepticism about the brain death definition.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | New reanimation techniques and a revised definition of death have significantly impacted near-death experiences and related discussions. |
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Abstract
A second “push factor” for the increase of near-death experiences (and their reporting), emerging in the 1960s and 1970s, is the introduction of new reanimation techniques that increased the relative and absolute numbers of individuals surviving critical situations (such as heart attacks). In addition, the chapter discusses the impact of the broadly accepted new definition of death, namely, death as “irreversible coma.” This chapter demonstrates the impact of both, the innovation of reanimation measures and the brain-death discourse, on near-death experiences and near-death discourse—visible in the publications of Moody, who, for example, remained skeptical toward the definition of brain death.