Why more doctors are validating near‑death experiences |
According to an influential study published by The Lancet in 2001, one out of 10 patients who go into cardiac arrest will come back with a new core memory. This “near-death experience” (or NDE) is so vivid and convincing that it often reshapes the patient’s view of the world, the afterlife and their own identity.
Unlike fragmented or disorganized experiences seen in hallucinations or delirium, NDE narratives are characterized by a high degree of clarity and persistence. When researchers have asked, many patients have identified the NDE as the most important moment of their life.
Despite decades of academic research on these experiences, little about NDEs has permeated into the curriculum of medical schools. NDE researchers Marieta Pehlivanova and Bruce Greyson conducted a survey of 215 University of Virginia physicians in 2024. While very few of them had pathologizing or dismissive views about NDEs, this survey showed that the main barrier to accepting them was knowledge. Consequently, most of the consulted physicians expressed their wish to learn more about them.
This challenge was not unfamiliar. In many ways, it echoed experiences working in the field of psychedelics, another domain involving profound and often transformative experiences that remain poorly understood within mainstream health care.
Despite widespread use and growing scientific interest in psychedelics, the Healthy Ecologies and Lifestyles Lab (HEAL) at Simon Fraser University found a lack of clear, evidence-based guidance for both the public and health-care professionals. In response, the HEAL Lab developed a community-based public health guide for lower-risk psilocybin use, and is currently developing evidence-based guidance for psychedelic-assisted therapy of mental health and substance use disorders.
To address a similar gap in evidence-based guidance in the field of NDEs, there was a need to bring together the available scientific literature and provide practical steps for clinicians and others seeking to better understand these experiences.
My article “Five things to know about: Near-death experiences,” published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, provides succinct guidance about what NDEs are........