Temporality of Features in Near-Death Experience Narratives
Charlotte Martial, Héléna Cassol, Georgios Antonopoulos, Thomas Charlier, Julien Heros, Anne-Françoise Donneau, Vanessa Charland-Verville, Steven Laureys
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 13, 2017 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00311 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractNear-death experiences (NDEs) often follow a common sequence: an out-of-body experience, moving through a tunnel, seeing a bright light, then feeling peace. However, this sequence occurred in only a small number of experiencers, suggesting that the order of NDE features varies widely among individuals. The study analyzed 154 written NDE narratives from French speakers, using text analysis to infer the timing and frequency of core features. The findings indicate that while a typical pattern exists, it is not universal, and understanding the relationships between features may improve scientific definitions of NDEs.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 154 |
| Population | French-speaking individuals who reported a near-death experience with a Greyson NDE scale score of 7 or higher |
| Citations | 85 |
| Key finding | The most frequently reported sequence of NDE features was out-of-body experience, tunnel, bright light, and peace, but this sequence was rare among experiencers. |
Abstract
Background: After an occurrence of a Near-Death Experience (NDE), Near-Death Experiencers (NDErs) usually report extremely rich and detailed narratives. Phenomenologically, a NDE can be described as a set of distinguishable features. Some authors have proposed regular patterns of NDEs, however the actual temporality sequence of NDE core features remains a little explored area. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency distribution of these features (globally and according to the position of features in narratives) as well as the most frequently reported temporality sequences of features. Methods: We collected 154 French freely expressed written NDE narratives (i.e., Greyson NDE scale total score ≥7/32). A text analysis was conducted on all narratives in order to infer temporal ordering and frequency distribution of NDE features. Results: Our analyses highlighted the following most frequently reported sequence of consecutive NDE features: Out-of-Body Experience, Experiencing a tunnel, Seeing a bright light, Feeling of peace. Yet, this sequence was encountered in a very limited number of NDErs. Conclusions: These findings may suggest that NDEs temporality sequences can vary across NDErs. Exploring associations and relationships among features encountered during NDEs may complete the rigorous definition and scientific comprehension of the phenomenon.