Reduced death threat in near-death experiencers
Death Studies November 1, 1992 DOI: 10.1080/07481189208252596 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who have had a near-death experience (NDE) report significantly less fear of death than those who came close to death without an NDE or who never came close to death. The deeper the NDE, the lower the death threat. The study measured death threat using the Threat Index and depth of NDE with a quantitative scale. Self-actualization did not relate to having or deepening an NDE.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 290 |
| Population | Adults who had near-death experiences, came close to death without NDE, or never came close to death |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Death anxiety Fear of death Cause of death Clinical psychology Social psychology |
| Citations | 58 |
| Key finding | Death threat was significantly lower among individuals with near-death experiences than among those who came close to death without an NDE or those who never came close to death, and depth of NDE was inversely correlated with death threat. |
Abstract
Abstract Near-death experiences (NDEs), profound mystical or transcendental experiences occurring on the threshold of death, have been reported to reduce fear of death and death anxiety. This study compared responses to the Threat Index, a widely used measure of the threat implied by one's personal death, of (a) 135 near-death experiences, (b) 43 individuals who had come close to death but not had an NDE, and (c) 112 individuals who had never come close to death. Death threat was significantly lower among those with near-death experiences than among the two comparison groups, and degree of death threat was inversely correlated with depth of NDE as measured by the quantitative NDE Scale. Self/ideal self discrepancy or, inversely, actualization, was not related to occurrence or depth of NDEs.