Near-Death Experiences and Claims of Past-Life Memories
Journal of Near-Death Studies January 1, 2021 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-2021-39-3-p212-226. via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Near-death experiences (NDEs) sometimes include life reviews containing apparent memories of past lifetimes with verifiable details, suggesting that consciousness may continue after bodily death. These past-life memories parallel those reported by young children who recall past lives, and some children's memories include scenes from a period between lives that resemble the realm described in NDEs. Although some children's memories contradict common beliefs about reincarnation, and the idea of reincarnation into a new Earthly body conflicts with NDE accounts of encountering deceased persons in a non-Earthly realm, these contradictions can be resolved by reconceptualizing ideas about time and which aspects of human consciousness survive death.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Psychology Philosophy |
| Key finding | Apparent contradictions between NDEs and children's past-life memories can be resolved by reconceptualizing prevailing ideas about time and what aspects of human consciousness survive bodily death. |
Abstract
: Some features of near-death experiences (NDEs) suggest that con sciousness may continue to function after death of the body. The life reviews of some NDEs include what seem to be memories of a past lifetime, some of which involve verifiable details, suggesting that the experiencer has lived more than one life and can recall events from successive lives. These apparent past life memories parallel the claims of young children who remember past lives. Furthermore, some children's past-life memories include scenes from the period between lives that parallel descriptions of the realm in which NDEs occur. Some children's past-life memories include anomalous features that contradict com mon beliefs about reincarnation. In addition, the idea that humans reincarnate into a new Earthly body seems to contradict the common NDE feature of en countering deceased persons in a non-Earthly realm. However, those apparent contradictions can be resolved by a reconceptualization of prevailing ideas about time and about what aspects of human consciousness may survive bodily death.