Brain Communications
June 22, 2021
C. Peinkhofer, C. Martial, H. Cassol et al.
49 citations
Near-death experiences occur across cultures, suggesting a biological basis. This work tests the hypothesis that thanatosis, or death-feigning—a last-resort defense seen in animals from insects to humans—is the evolutionary origin of near-death experiences. Thanatosis is a highly preserved survival strategy. Humans attacked by animal, human, or modern predators can exhibit both thanatosis and near-death experiences, and their phenomenology and effects overlap. The evidence indicates thanatosis is the evolutionary foundation of near-death experiences, with the shared biological purpose of survival. Language may have transformed these stereotyped death-feigning events into the rich perceptions of near-death experiences, extending them to non-predatory situations.
Critical Care
February 27, 2023
A. Rousseau, Laurence Dams, Quentin Massart et al.
26 citations
Among 126 patients with prolonged ICU stays, 15% reported a near-death experience (NDE) as measured by the Greyson scale. Mechanical ventilation, sedation, analgesia, reason for admission, primary organ dysfunction, and dissociative and spiritual propensities were associated with NDE in initial analyses, but only dissociative and spiritual propensity strongly predicted NDE in a multivariate model. At one-year follow-up with 61 patients, NDE was not significantly linked to quality of life. The findings suggest that cognitive and spiritual factors, rather than medical parameters, are the main predictors of NDE recall in the ICU.
PLoS ONE
January 30, 2020
V. Charland-Verville, D. Ribeiro de Paula, C. Martial et al.
20 citations
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are commonly portrayed as passing to an afterlife, but empirical research is recent and their definition remains debated. Questionnaires used to identify NDEs may be restrictive and subjective. To address this, researchers analyzed freely expressed narratives from 158 participants who reported a firsthand NDE, using automated text-mining. The analysis identified the most common words and, through hierarchical clustering, revealed three main clusters of features: visual perceptions, emotions, and spatial components. The authors suggest that this user-independent, data-driven approach can help build a more rigorous description and definition of NDEs.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
August 26, 2022
C. Martial, O. Gosseries, H. Cassol et al.
17 citations
This commentary criticizes a recent paper by Parnia and colleagues that proposed guidelines for studying death and near-death experiences. The authors argue that the original paper contains omissions and knowledge gaps, including incorrect neurological claims about brain death and misunderstandings about consciousness terminology. While the commentators agree that research on near-death experiences needs a framework, they contend that the Parnia paper is misleading and, despite its intentions, actually impedes scientific understanding of near-death experiences and the neural mechanisms of the dying brain.
Frontiers in Psychology
May 13, 2020
H. Cassol, E. Bonin, C. Bastin et al.
9 citations
Memories of near-death experiences (NDEs) are recalled with more detail and a stronger sense of reality than memories of other real or imagined events. In a study of 25 people who had lived through an NDE, verbal recollections of the NDE contained more internal/episodic details than flashbulb memories or other autobiographical memories. NDE memories were also the most central to a person's identity, followed by other autobiographical memories, then flashbulb memories. Flashbulb memories were associated with lower intensity of feelings during recall, lower personal importance, less reactivation, and a less frequent first-person perspective compared to NDE and control memories. The findings indicate that NDE memories are unique and highly impactful.