People who have had a near-death experience (NDE) undergo a lasting spiritual awakening and shift in life priorities that goes beyond what is seen after other life-threatening events. In a comparison of 834 individuals who had NDEs with 42 who faced life-threatening situations without an NDE, those with NDEs reported a stronger belief in divinity and the afterlife, a decreased fear of death, greater compassion, and a heightened sense that life is meaningful. Their values reoriented toward spiritual and religious life. The findings indicate that the transformation is specific to the NDE itself, not merely a response to nearly dying.
Accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) from seventeen Iranian Shia Muslims show both similarities and differences compared to Western NDE narratives. The thematic analysis reveals that while core elements such as out-of-body sensations, meeting deceased relatives, and a life review appear across cultures, the Iranian accounts uniquely incorporate Islamic religious imagery, including encounters with figures like Imam Ali and descriptions of heaven and hell aligned with Shia eschatology. These findings suggest that cultural and religious background shapes the content and interpretation of NDEs, indicating that the experience is not universal in its details but is filtered through the experiencer's worldview.