Characteristics of memories for near-death experiences

Memories of near-death experiences are recalled as more vivid and detailed than memories of actual real events or imagined events. In a study of 122 people who had a near-death experience, participants rated their memory of that experience higher on a standard memory questionnaire than their memory of a real event that happened around the same time, which in turn was rated higher than a memory of an imagined event. The findings suggest that near-death experiences are not remembered as imagined or dreamlike but as even more real than everyday experiences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Near-death experiences are vivid, life-changing experiences occurring to people who come close to death. Because some of their features, such as enhanced cognition despite compromised brain function, challenge our understanding of the mind-brain relationship, the question arises whether near-death experiences are imagined rather than real events. We administered the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire to 122 survivors of a close brush with death who reported near-death experiences. Participants completed Memory Characteristics Questionnaires for three different memories: that of their near-death experience, that of a real event around the same time, and that of an event they had imagined around the same time. The Memory Characteristics Questionnaire score was higher for the memory of the near-death experience than for that of the real event, which in turn was higher than that of the imagined event. These data suggest that memories of near-death experiences are recalled as "realer" than real events or imagined events.