A systematic analysis of distressing near-death experience accounts
Memory June 12, 2019 Héléna Cassol, Charlotte Martial, Jitka Annen et al. 60 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are typically positive, but about 14% of 123 NDE accounts were distressing. These distressing NDEs included inverse, hellish, or void types, with inverse and hellish each appearing 8 times and void once. A higher proportion of suicide survivors reported distressing NDEs compared to classical ones. Memories of distressing NDEs were as phenomenologically detailed as those of classical NDEs. The findings suggest distressing NDEs require careful attention to help experiencers integrate them into their identity.