The significance of autoscopies as a time marker for the occurrence of Near-Death Experiences.

Summary

The physiological and psychological causes of near-death experiences (NDEs) after cardiac arrest remain unclear. Two competing neurophysiological models have been proposed: the real-time model, which suggests that residual brain activity during the crisis generates NDEs as they occur, and the reconstruction model, which proposes that NDEs are later reconstructed during brain recovery due to severe oxygen deprivation. Analyzing the phenomenology of autoscopy (out-of-body viewing) from literature and a 2015 online survey, the authors found that the reconstruction model lacks empirical support and some evidence contradicts it. Future research should prioritize the real-time model and a third alternative where autoscopy and NDEs occur independently of typical brain processes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract: The physiological and psychological underpinnings of near-death experiences (NDEs) are not yet understood. In this article, we show that for "critical" NDEs reported after cardiac arrest, two different neurophysiological models have been proposed that, in the literature so far, have not been adequately distinguished from each other. In the real-time model, it is postulated that during critical NDEs, residual activities in the cerebrum were sufficient to generate NDEs in real time. In the reconstruction model, it is assumed that due to severe oxygen deficiency, critical NDEs could not have occurred at the time in question but were reconstructed later during the regeneration phase of the brain. To assess the plausibility of these two models, we analyzed the phenomenology of the view of one's own body from above (autoscopy) that frequently occurs in the beginnings of NDEs. In addition to the available literature, we used original descriptions of autoscopies obtained in an online survey conducted in 2015. We found that the reconstruction model is not supported by empirical findings and that some findings even speak against it. We therefore conclude that future discussions of explanatory models of NDEs should focus primarily on the neurophysiological real-time model and a third alternative according to which autoscopies and NDEs occur in relative independence from the prevailing neurophysiological processes in the brain.