Book contents
- Near-Death Experiences
- Near-Death Experiences
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Part I Consciousness
- Part II Near-Death Experiences
- Chapter 2.1 History of the Term “Near-Death Experience”
- Chapter 2.2 A Short Historical Review of Observations of NDE-Like Phenomena
- Chapter 2.3 Deathbed Phenomena
- Chapter 2.4 General Incidence of NDEs
- Chapter 2.5 Childhood and NDEs
- Chapter 2.6 Aftereffects of NDEs in Affected Persons and in NDE Researchers
- Chapter 2.7 Control of Claims of Extraordinary Experiences
- Chapter 2.8 Paranormal Explanations of NDE-Like Perceptions
- Chapter 2.9 Experimental Observations That Mimic NDE Phenomenology
- Chapter 2.10 Memories
- Chapter 2.11 NDEs in Altered States of Consciousness
- Chapter 2.12 Evaluation of Brain-Based Explanations for NDEs
- Chapter 2.13 Summary and Conclusions of Part II
- General Review and Conclusions
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Chapter 2.2 - A Short Historical Review of Observations of NDE-Like Phenomena
from Part II - Near-Death Experiences
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 August 2025
Edited by
Book contents
- Near-Death Experiences
- Near-Death Experiences
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- General Introduction
- Part I Consciousness
- Part II Near-Death Experiences
- Chapter 2.1 History of the Term “Near-Death Experience”
- Chapter 2.2 A Short Historical Review of Observations of NDE-Like Phenomena
- Chapter 2.3 Deathbed Phenomena
- Chapter 2.4 General Incidence of NDEs
- Chapter 2.5 Childhood and NDEs
- Chapter 2.6 Aftereffects of NDEs in Affected Persons and in NDE Researchers
- Chapter 2.7 Control of Claims of Extraordinary Experiences
- Chapter 2.8 Paranormal Explanations of NDE-Like Perceptions
- Chapter 2.9 Experimental Observations That Mimic NDE Phenomenology
- Chapter 2.10 Memories
- Chapter 2.11 NDEs in Altered States of Consciousness
- Chapter 2.12 Evaluation of Brain-Based Explanations for NDEs
- Chapter 2.13 Summary and Conclusions of Part II
- General Review and Conclusions
- Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
NDE-like phenomena have been reported in human societies all over the world. NDE narratives are often embedded in people’s cultural and religious backgrounds. In Europe, the earliest NDE reports were published in the eighteenth century. With the publication of Moody’s book (1975), NDEs became part of a popular esoteric culture in the USA. Even professionals in the medical field such as physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists adopted Moody’s view about NDEs as evidence of a temporary separation of non-material consciousness/mind/soul from the material body/brain. This belief in paranormal explanations of NDEs then spread to other Western countries.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Near-Death ExperiencesScientific Perspectives on Stories of Personal Truth, pp. 60 - 66Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
conforms to version 2.0 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic
(A)
level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visual Accessibility
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.