Near-Death Experiences: Are They Self-Defining?

Abstract

Background: Some people report memories of near-death experiences (NDEs) after facing situations of impending death and these memories appear to have significant consequences on their lives (called real NDE experiencers; real NDErs). This study therefore assessed if NDE memories are considered as self-defining: memories that help people to define clearly how they see themselves. Methods: 71 participants were screened using the Greyson NDE scale (48 real NDErs and 23 NDErs-like who had lived a similar experience in absence of a threat to their life). Participants described their two main self-defining memories (SDMs). For each SDM, they completed the Centrality of Event Scale (CES) to assess how central the event is to their identity. Findings: The two subgroups did not differ regarding the proportion of NDErs who recalled their NDE (30 real NDErs out of 48 and 11 NDErs-like out of 23; p=0.241), suggesting that the self-defining aspect of the experience could be explained by its phenomenological content rather than context of occurrence. These participants (n=41) rated the NDE memory as more central to their identity as compared to the other SDM (p<0.001). Furthermore, the richness of the NDE memory (Greyson NDE scale scores) was positively associated to its centrality (CES scores; p=0.001). Interpretation: The self-defining status of NDE memories confirms that they constitute an important part of NDErs' personal identity and highlights the importance for clinicians to facilitate their integration within the self. SDMs are indeed essential to one's sense of self-continuity, which is crucial for psychological well-being. Funding Statement: The study was further supported by the University and University Hospital of Liege, the Belgian National Funds for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), the Human Brain Project (EUH2020-fetflagshiphbpsga1-ga720270), the Luminous project (EU-H2020-fetopenga686764), the Center-TBI project (FP7-HEALTH- 602150), the Public Utility Foundation ‘Universite Europeenne du Travail’, “Fondazione Europea di Ricerca Biomedica”, the Bial Foundation, the European Space Agency, the Mind Science Foundation and the European Commission. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare: none. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved and carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Liege. All participants completed a written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.