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Definition: near death experience (NDE) from The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology

Subjective experiences reported by individuals who have suffered life-threatening incidents. Among the perceptions and emotions often reported are a cloudy calmness, a sense of separation from the physical and an experience of light. Some regard these as evidence of life after death; others as the manifestation of neurological processes associated with the physiological changes brought about by the episode. The empirical data support the latter.

near-death experience

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
phenomenon reported by some people who have been clinically dead, then returned to life. Descriptions of the experience differ slightly in detail from person to person, but usually share some basic elements: a feeling of being outside one's body, a sensation of sliding down a long tunnel, and the appearance of a bright light at the end of that tunnel. The light is sometimes described as a benevolent “being of light” who directs the person in a review of his or her life so far and ultimately prevents the person from crossing some sort of boundary that signifies death. Most people who have had a near-death experience report that it strongly influences their subsequent lives, relieving anxiety about death and increasing their sense of purpose and their sensitivity to others. Research into the near-death experience was pioneered by Raymond Moody, who published Life After Life in 1975 after studying 150 people who had had such experiences. He and other scientists, such as cardiologist…
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Full text Article near-death experience

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
A dream-like narrative supposedly experienced by some people when their physical body is at the point of death – successful resuscitation then allows them to relate the details. Such experiences are often interpreted as a journey of the self, or spirit, towards the afterlife. Near-death experiences…
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Full text Article near-death experience

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
phenomenon reported by some people who have been clinically dead, then returned to life. Descriptions of the experience differ slightly in detail from person to person, but usually share some basic elements: a feeling of being outside one's body, a sensation of sliding down a long tunnel, and the…
| 359 words
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Full text Article Near-Death Experience

From Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology
Intense, pleasant, and sometimes profound experiences that people report when they have “come back” from states close to death. Tales of near-death experiences (NDEs) are not unusual. Relatively consistent features of people's reports include: the sensation of moving through a tunnel toward a light…
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Full text Article near-death experience

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Mystical or transcendent experience reported by people who have been on the threshold of death. The near-death experience varies with each individual, but characteristics frequently include hearing oneself declared dead, feelings of peacefulness, the sense of leaving one’s body, the sense of moving…
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Full text Article near-death experience

From Collins English Dictionary
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Full text Article near-death experience

From The Macquarie Dictionary
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Full text Article near death experience (NDE)

From The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
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Full text Article near-death experience

From Collins Spanish Dictionary
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Are near-death experiences hallucinations? Experts explain the science behind this puzzling phenomenon
In our never-ending quest to understand what happens to us after we die, humans have long seen the rare phenomenon of near-death experiences as providing some hints. People who’ve had a brush with death often report seeing and experiencing life-altering events on “the other side,” like a bright…
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Full text Article Near-Death Experiences

From The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science
Near-death experiences are profound psychological events occurring in individuals close to death or facing intense physical or emotional danger. Although the term near-death experience and its acronym NDE were not coined until 1975, accounts of similar events can be found in the folklore and…
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