They were at death’s door and opened a window to a whole new world.
About 15% of severely ill patients report enduring a near-death experience (NDE), which may mean having an overwhelming out-of-body sensation, an encounter with a dead loved one, a vision of a bright light, a rapid review of their life’s milestones or a profound sense of peace.
To figure out how people deal with NDEs, researchers at the University of Virginia surveyed 167 individuals who said they had one.
One major coping mechanism stood out among the rest — almost 70% of participants reported a shift in their religious or spiritual beliefs and their fears of death in the aftermath of their NDE.
“My NDE was considerable,” one participant wrote in the questionnaire. “I know I’ll never be the same person ever, so ongoing reflection and inner work are needed daily.”
Others used the occurrence to re-evaluate their personal relationships, with over 20% reporting divorces or break-ups and even more weathering relationship challenges or breakdowns.
And isolation and loneliness were recurring themes among NDE sufferers.
One survey participant called their NDE a “double-edged sword” — it was an incredibly transformative experience that they kept to themselves for fear of being judged.
The researchers said 64% of participants reached out to mental health professionals, spiritual advisers or online communities, with 78% finding the support helpful.
The more intense the NDE, the more likely the patient would be to seek help.
The problem is that many had trouble finding suitable support — one church told a participant, “We don’t do that here” — and difficulty discussing their experience when they did obtain help.
“After a few attempts, I honestly didn’t feel anyone was deep enough to handle it … all the responses were textbook and uninspired; very disappointing,” one participant wrote.
Another noted: “My experience felt that those around me didn’t understand the magnitude of what I went through, so I didn’t think others would care either.”
The findings were published in the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice.
The UVA researchers hope their work can pave the way for better care for NDE sufferers.
“The research on how to support these patients and their specific needs is still limited,” said Marieta Pehlivanova of UVA Health’s Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences.
“We hope to begin addressing this gap and to inspire other researchers, especially clinicians, to devote time and care in pursuing these questions.”
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