Culture, Biology, and the Near-Death Experience: A Reappraisal
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease March 1, 1993 DOI: 10.1097/00005053-199303000-00002 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractLife review and tunnel sensation, often reported in near-death experiences, are not universal but are largely limited to societies where historic religions are dominant. This suggests that biological theories proposed for these phenomena may be premature. Instead, social and historical explanations better account for the available evidence.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 60 |
| Key finding | Life review and tunnel sensation in near-death experiences are culture-bound phenomena, predominantly found in societies with historic religions, making social and historical explanations more persuasive than biological theories. |
Abstract
Life review and tunnel sensation in near-death experiences appear to be culture-bound phenomena, confined largely to societies where historic religions are dominant. The clinical literature postulating biological theories for life review and tunnel sensations, therefore, may have been developed somewhat prematurely. The present review argues that social and historical explanations are more persuasive in the context of the available evidence presented here.