Near-Death Experiences in a Pediatric Population

Morse, Melvin M.

doi:10.1001/archpedi.1985.02140080065034

Cited by 34 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Furthermore, people who had no prior knowledge about NDEs describe the same kinds of experiences as do people who are quite familiar with the phenomenon, and the knowledge individuals had about NDEs previously does not seem to influence the details of their own experiences (Greyson, 1991;Greyson and Stevenson, 1980;Ring, 1980;Sabom, 1982). Experiences that were reported before 1975, when Moody's first book coined the term NDE and made it a well-known phenomenon, do not differ from those that were reported since that date (Athappilly et al, 2006), and young children, who are less likely to have developed expectations about death, report NDEs with features similar to those of adults (Bush, 1983;Gabbard and Twemlow, 1984;Herzog and Herrin, 1985;Morse et al, 1985;Serdahely, 1990). Even the cross-cultural differences observed suggest that it is not the core experience that differs but the ways in which people interpret what they have experienced.…”

Section: Expectancymentioning

confidence: 96%

Experiências de quase-morte: implicações clínicas

Greyson

2007

Rev. psiquiatr. clín.

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Background: When some people come close to death, they report a profound experience of transcending the physical world that often leads to spiritual transformation. These "near-death experiences" (NDEs) are relevant to clinicians because they lead to changes in beliefs, attitudes, and values; they may be mistaken for psychopathological states, although producing different sequelae requiring different therapeutic approaches; and because they may enhance our understanding of consciousness. Objectives: This literature review examined the evidences regarding explanations proposed to explain NDEs, including expectation, birth memories, altered blood gases, toxic or metabolic hallucinations, and neurochemical and neuroanatomical models. Methods: The literature on NDEs of the past 30 years was examined comprehensively, including medical, nursing, psychological, and sociological databases. Results: NDEs typically produce positive changes in attitudes, beliefs, and values, but may also lead to interpersonal and intrapsychic problems. These problems have been compared to various mental disorders, but are distinguishable from them. Various therapeutic strategies have been proposed to help experiencers with problematic aftereffects, but have not been tested yet. Conclusions: The mystical consciousness and higher mental activity during NDEs, when the brain is severely impaired, challenge current models of brain/mind interaction and may occasionally lead to more complete models for the understanding of consciousness.

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Section: Expectancymentioning

confidence: 96%

Experiências de quase-morte: implicações clínicas

Greyson

2007

Rev. psiquiatr. clín.

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“…Another problem for the expectancy model is that children as young as 3 years of age, who may have fewer cultural and religious beliefs about death, report the same characteristic features of NDEs as do adults [29,[42][43][44], and some NDEs have been reported to have occurred during the first year of life, but were described by the child years later [45,46].…”

Section: Psychological Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distress and agitation typical of decreased oxygen contrast markedly with NDEs, which are usually recalled as peaceful and positive experiences [2,3]. Furthermore, contrary to the hypoxia hypothesis, empirical research on altered oxygen levels has shown that NDEs are associated with increased oxygen levels [7,14], or levels equivalent to those of non-experiencers [43,61], but no study has shown decreased levels of oxygen during NDEs.…”

Section: Physiological Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, empirical data on altered carbon dioxide in NDEs have also been inconsistent. Studies have variously reported increased carbon dioxide associated with NDEs [61], decreased carbon dioxide [14], or no change in carbon dioxide levels associated with NDEs [7,43]. The interpretation of these data is unclear, as increased carbon dioxide can be the result of better heart function, which reduces the amnesia usually seen in cardiac arrest.…”

Section: Physiological Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences

Greyson

2015

Humanities

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Near-death experiences (NDEs) are vivid experiences that often occur in life-threatening conditions, usually characterized by a transcendent tone and clear perceptions of leaving the body and being in a different spatiotemporal dimension. Such experiences have been reported throughout history in diverse cultures, and are reported today by 10% to 20% of people who have come close to death. Although cultural expectations and parameters of the brush with death influence the content of some NDEs, near-death phenomenology is invariant across cultures. That invariance may reflect universal psychological defenses, neurophysiological processes, or actual experience of a transcendent or mystical domain. Research into these alternative explanations has been hampered by the unpredictable occurrence of NDEs. Regardless of the causes or interpretations of NDEs, however, they are consistently associated with profound and long-lasting aftereffects on experiencers, and may have important implications for non-experiencers as well.

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“…Most of the work on pediatric near-death experiences has been car-ried out by Melvin Morse and his associates (Morse, 1983;Morse, Castillo, Venecia, Milstein, and Tyler, 1986;Morse, Conner, and Tyler, 1985). Nancy Bush has also contributed a documented pediatric case to this small field of literature (1983).…”

Section: To Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%