A proof-of-concept study induced near-death experience (NDE)-like features in five volunteers who had previously had a pleasant NDE by having them recall the memory under hypnosis while their brain activity was recorded with high-density EEG. The hypnosis protocol recreated NDE-like features without adverse effects and increased absorption and dissociation compared to normal consciousness recall. Recalling the NDE phenomenology was associated with increased alpha brain activity in frontal and posterior regions. The methodology offers a controlled way to prospectively study NDE-like features and their EEG correlates.
Disturbances of the self in schizophrenia are often described at two levels: a pre-reflective, minimal sense of self and a reflective, narrative self. This integrative review examines how these two levels may be linked. Three theoretical models are presented: the Structural model, which suggests minimal self-disorders hierarchically cause narrative disturbances and the schizophrenia phenotype; the Dialectical model, which emphasizes reciprocal interactions between the two levels with both pathogenic and salutogenic effects; and the Contextual model, which considers social, territorial, and biological dimensions. Empirical studies directly testing these links are scarce and preliminary. The literature suggests promising directions for future research and clinical applications.