Frontiers in Psychology
October 16, 2025
Bruce Greyson, Jeffrey D. Long, Janice Miner Holden et al.
3 citations
A new scale, the veridical Near-Death Experience Scale (vNDE Scale), was developed to assess how strong the evidence is for perceptions reported during near-death experiences. Thirteen experts used a Delphi method to agree on eight criteria, including timing of investigation, medical conditions, third-party verification, and the number and quality of perceptions, scored on a four-level Likert scale. The scale was then tested on 17 cases of potentially veridical NDEs by 11 human raters and three artificial raters using large language models. In 14 of the 17 cases (82.3%), human and artificial raters agreed at over 75% when considering two adjacent evidence levels, such as moderate plus strong or low plus very low. The scale offers a practical way to evaluate the evidential strength of reported NDE perceptions.
Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
February 26, 2026
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Karalee Kothe, Michael Nahm et al.
Terminal lucidity—unexpected mental clarity shortly before death—has been reported across cultures and eras, but its characteristics in children had not been systematically studied. Using a 42-item online survey, this study collected case reports of terminal lucidity in 11 children aged 16 years and under. Terminal lucidity typically occurred within the final hours to minutes before death and manifested as notable changes in mental abilities, behavior, and emotions. It was not preceded by any changes in medical regime and often happened despite children being semi- or comatose just before the episode. These results suggest a surge of mental clarity in terminally ill children occurs contrary to medical expectations, which may inform end-of-life care and understanding of consciousness at the end of life.
Journal of Near-Death Studies
January 1, 2024
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Antti Savinainen, Bruce Greyson
The article examines accounts of life review found in the writings of the Theosophy movement from the 1800s and 1900s. It describes how these accounts present a retrospective examination of one's life, often occurring after death or in spiritual contexts, as part of the movement's broader metaphysical teachings. The Theosophical literature portrays life review as a process of moral and spiritual evaluation, where individuals confront their actions and their consequences. The article likely explores the origins, variations, and significance of these accounts within Theosophical thought, situating them within the movement's synthesis of Eastern and Western esoteric traditions.
The Journal of nervous and mental disease
November 1, 2023
Nicole Lindsay, Laura O'Sullivan, Rosemary Gibson et al.
People who have had near-death experiences often report sleep changes, but objective measurements have been lacking. In a 14-day actigraphy study with 57 participants—26 who had an NDE, 12 who had a near-death event without an NDE, and 19 who had never come close to death—no significant differences in objective sleep measures were found between groups. However, comparisons of subjective and objective measures revealed significant differences in sleep onset latency, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency, particularly among the NDE group. These results suggest sleep state misperception, where perceived sleep quality differs from objective measures, which may have clinical relevance for understanding NDEs and sleep perception.
Journal of Consciousness Studies
June 1, 2023
Natasha Tassell-Matamua, Kiri MacDonald-Nepe Apatu, Te Rā Moriarty et al.
Māori knowledge systems contain understandings of consciousness, soul, and spirit, though no single Māori words directly translate these English concepts. Despite ongoing colonization, these knowledges persist as essential to Māori views of everyday life and reality. The article outlines Māori socio-historical context and cosmogony, then discusses popularized interpretations of consciousness, soul, and spirit from an Indigenous Māori perspective, emphasizing the complexity of translation. The authors present a brief overview rather than an exhaustive account.