Debating Near-Death Experiences: Philosophical, Scientific, and Psychological Perspectives

Authors

Artur Szutta (ed)
University of Gdańsk, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1062-4808
Joann Różycka-Tran (ed)
Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1131-3910
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52097/acapress.9788367134439

Keywords:

Near-death experiences (NDEs), disconnected consciousness, naturalism, Al Sullivan, hallucination thesis, anesthesia awareness, ad hoc hypotheses, Peak in Darien experiences, Eben Alexander, Brain filter theory, Cardiac arrest, Veridical perception, Nonlocal consciousness, cardiac arrest, veridical perception, survival of consciousness, extended naturalism, mind-brain relationship, non-local consciousness, continuity of consciousness, primacy of consciousness, Aftereffects, Reductionism, Critical literature review, Existential transformation, Thomas Kuhn, consciousness, scientific paradigms, anomalies, philosophy of science, dualism, causal closure, materialism, physicalism, post-materialism, Buddhism, Karma, Rebirth, Intermediate state, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Proximate karma, Vietnam, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), post-resuscitation integration, autoethnography, cross-cultural psychology, scientific paradigm, Asia

Synopsis

Reports of experiences resembling what we now call NDEs have a very long history. One of the earliest and best-known examples is the myth of Er in Book X of Plato’s Republic (614b–621d), in which a warrior believed to be dead returns to life and recounts his journey into an otherworldly realm. Medieval literature contains numerous similar accounts, including the Vision of Drythelm and the Vision of Tundale, in which apparent death or severe illness is followed by a journey into another realm, return to ordinary life, and, in some cases, profound personal transformation.

 

This publication was funded by Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange NAWA grant number BNI/PST/2023/1/00078/U/00001.

Chapters

  • Introduction
    Artur Szutta, Joann Różycka-Tran
  • Beyond «mere hallucinations»: ­Near-death experiences as a window into consciousness
    Charlotte Martial
  • The Near-Death Dilemma
    Patrick Brissey
  • Near-Death Experiences: A Phenomenon Associated with Brain Filter Reduction
    Marjorie Woollacott, Marina Weiler
  • Near-Death Experiences Are More Than Hallucinations ­Converging Evidence for Their Reality and the Need for an Extended Naturalism
    Jeffrey Long
  • The Continuity of Consciousness A concept based on scientific studies on Near-Death Experience
    Pim van Lommel
  • The Impact of NDEs on Changes in Life Attitudes
    Marek Miedziński
  • NDEs as a Persistent Anomaly within the Naturalistic View of Reality, but Not a Refutation of It
    Piotr Bylica
  • Theories of Consciousness and Near-Death Experiences
    Piotr Suffczynski
  • Accounting for Veridical Perception in Near-Death Experiences: The Need for a Post-Materialist/­Physicalist Perspective
    Janice Miner Holden
  • Near-death experience: ­a buddhist interpretive approach
    Ngoc Minh
  • Consciousness Beyond Matter: ­Phenomenology of a Near-Death ­Experience (NDE) During Sudden Cardiac Arrest – A Patient-Perspective Case Study and a Challenge for Modern Medicine
    Żaklina Henzel
  • The Scientific Paradigm from a Cross-Cultural Perspective: Western Naturalism and Holistic Conceptions of Consciousness in Eastern Traditions
    Joanna Różycka-Tran
Debating Near-Death Experiences: Philosophical, Scientific, and Psychological Perspectives

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September 30, 2026

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