The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2006
Bruce Greyson, Janice Holden, J. Paul Mounsey
13 citations
During the surgical implantation of automatic implantable cardioverters/defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac arrest was induced under closely monitored conditions to test the device. A computer displayed unusual visual targets visible only from above eye level, looking down on the unconscious patient, to test the accuracy of out-of-body perceptions reported in near-death experiences. In a series of 52 induced cardiac arrests, no patient reported having had a near-death experience, and none reported a sense of leaving the physical body or observing from an out-of-body visual perspective. This failure to find a single NDE may have been due to preoperative reassurances.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1981
Bruce Greyson
12 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) cannot be fully explained by reductionistic hypotheses. A case is made for psychological and psychodynamic interpretations of NDEs, arguing that these approaches should not be prematurely rejected. The paper restates the value of considering psychological frameworks alongside other explanations.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2004
Bruce Greyson, Kenneth Ring
11 citations
The article presents the Life Changes Inventory-Revised, a standardized version of the scale that incorporates knowledge from previous drafts administered to diverse samples and from qualitative research on attitudinal changes reported by near-death experiencers.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2014
Masayuki Ohkado, Bruce Greyson
8 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) share some features across cultures but also show culture-specific elements. Japanese NDEs differ from Western ones in three main ways: the interpretation of and interaction with a light, the image of heaven, and the absence of a life review. These differences are explained by cultural factors rather than universal physiological or biological mechanisms.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1996
8 citations
To account for the vivid, often transpersonal phenomenology of perinatal experiences reported in Stanislav Grof's work, the authors argue that the patient's consciousness must be understood as extending beyond the individual self. This implies that such experiences cannot be fully explained by conventional psychological models limited to the personal subject.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2021
Bruce Greyson
7 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) can involve a variety of factors, and while psychedelic molecules may play a role in some cases, they are not relevant to all NDEs. The author responds to criticism of their book, clarifying that psychedelic substances are only one possible factor among many, and that the research on NDEs should not be reduced to a single explanation.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2022
Bruce Greyson, Pim van Lommel, Peter Fenwick
4 citations
An invited commentary discusses how to interpret brainwave recordings from an elderly patient who suffered a cardiac arrest, and what those recordings might reveal about near-death experiences. The authors argue that certain patterns of electrical activity in the brain after cardiac arrest could correspond to the subjective phenomena reported by people who have had near-death experiences, though they caution that the relationship remains speculative and requires further investigation.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1997
Karl Jansen
3 citations
The author responds to commentators on their earlier paper about ketamine and near-death experiences (NDEs). Set and setting influence both drug effects and NDEs. Some NDEs are anxiety-generating, like some ketamine experiences, but frightening NDEs are often ignored by researchers. High-frequency compulsive ketamine use is rare. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) can induce NDEs but this is not typical, whereas NDE-like effects are typical of ketamine. The speed of drug onset does not relate to its capacity to induce NDEs. The existence of endopsychosins is doubtful, but NMDA receptor blocking mechanisms are real. NDEs and dream sleep may involve similar mechanisms. Altered states do not require a normally functioning brain. The author discusses the possible evolutionary advantage of the NDE mechanism.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1991
Bruce Greyson
3 citations
Sixty-one consecutive suicide attempters were interviewed about near-death experiences. The article reports on the rate and characteristics of such experiences in a population expected to have high rates of both psychopathology and proximity to death.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2007
Bruce Greyson
1 citation
A response to Keith Augustine's critique argues that his objections to studies of veridical perception in near-death experiences rely on speculation from popular media rather than on data or peer-reviewed research. However, addressing the methodological issues he raises could improve near-death research and strengthen the evidence for veridical perception.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2003
James Fadiman, Jordan Gruber
1 citation
A review of Rick Strassman's book, which describes his research on the effects of the psychedelic compound DMT on human volunteers. The book explores how DMT may provide a biological basis for near-death and mystical experiences, drawing on his clinical studies where participants reported encounters with otherworldly entities and profound spiritual states. Strassman, a medical professor, argues that DMT, naturally produced in the brain, could be a key to understanding these phenomena, though the review notes the speculative nature of some claims.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1997
Antonio Bianchi
1 citation
Ketamine and ibogaine, both noncompetitive antagonists of the NMDA receptor, can induce experiences resembling near-death experiences (NDEs), but the character of these experiences differs markedly depending on the context of use—recreational versus operating room for ketamine, and hallucinatory versus initiatic ritual for ibogaine. In initiatic rituals, ibogaine can induce a superficial coma state. These observations raise the question of whether chemically-induced NDE-like experiences stem from the specific substance or from an actual comatose state.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 2017
Sushan, Gregory
Historical accounts of near-death experiences are rare in indigenous African societies, according to a survey of ethnographic, explorer, and missionary literature. Correspondingly, mythological narratives of journeys to afterlife realms are scarce, and there is little concern with afterlife speculation. Instead, many African peoples focused on ancestral spirits, spirit possession, sorcery, and precipitous burial practices that limited NDE occurrences. NDEs were sometimes viewed as aberrational, making individuals reluctant to report them. In such cultural contexts, NDEs could not have significantly shaped afterlife beliefs.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1997
Bruce Greyson
A review of Kimberly Clark Sharp's book 'After the Light' recounts her personal near-death experience and describes how the event transformed her life and worldview. The review presents Sharp's account of what she discovered on the other side of life and the lasting impact it had on her, including her subsequent work with the International Association for Near-Death Studies.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1996
Bruce Greyson
A prolific author argues that ancient accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) and underworld journeys, drawn from Greek and other sources, provide essential context for understanding both modern NDE research and medieval otherworld narratives. The book presents the author's own English translations of passages from ancient writers describing phenomena now called NDEs, along with mythological parallels and historical cases. Platthy contends that Pythagoras's account of visiting Hades foreshadowed later Christian themes of the soul's torture after death. The work retells and integrates 25 mythological visitors' stories to the underworld, many already familiar through Western dramatic retellings.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1996
Bruce Greyson
A review of Jeno Platthy's book 'Near-Death Experiences in Antiquity' examines how ancient texts describe experiences similar to modern near-death experiences, arguing that such phenomena were recorded across classical and ancient cultures. The reviewer notes Platthy's collection of historical accounts from Greek, Roman, and other ancient sources, suggesting that these narratives share features with contemporary reports, such as journeys to other realms and encounters with beings. The work contributes to the history of ideas about the afterlife and paranormal experiences, placing modern near-death research in a broader historical context.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1990
Bruce Greyson
In a retrospective comparison of 183 people who reported near-death experiences and 63 who did not, the two groups were similar in age, gender, and time since the event. Those with near-death experiences endorsed all 16 items on the NDE Scale more frequently than those without such experiences.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1989
Bruce Greyson
Near-death experiences (NDEs) raise empirical questions that science can investigate, but scientific study carries risks for those who have had NDEs and for how the experience itself is understood. Because NDEs offer unique access to information about consciousness and death, these risks are outweighed by the benefits to experiencers and to humanity that come from a scientific description of NDEs.
The Journal of near-death studies
January 1, 1988
Bruce Greyson
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are not signs of mental illness but are relatively common, occurring in about one in ten people, often during sleep or relaxation. The book reviews empirical research on OBEs, finding that they typically occur spontaneously, are more frequent in people with certain personality traits like openness to experience, and are generally not linked to psychopathology. The authors argue that OBEs represent a psychological phenomenon that can be understood through empirical analysis, challenging earlier views that pathologized such experiences.