A near-death experience (or “NDE”) can be life-changing, affecting a person’s outlook on life and deeply, oftentimes permanently impacting their decision making process. But what exactly are the characteristics of a near-death experience? What factors define them?
Research has revealed rather conclusively that near-death experiences tend to share common characteristics. They happen in stages, the order and details of which may vary. But as a rule, both pleasurable and distressing near-death experiences have common features and attributes that typically define them.
Let’s explore the defining characteristics of a near-death experience and examine how an NDE can fundamentally change the person having it.
Shared characteristics of near-death experiences
While each near-death experience is unique, NDEs generally share the same features, with different emotional tones for pleasurable and distressing NDEs. These include:
- Intense emotions: commonly of profound peace, well-being, or love for pleasurable NDEs. Fear, horror, and/ or loss often accompany distressing NDEs
- A perception of seeing one’s body from above (referred to as an “out-of-body experience” or “OBE”). Some experiencers report watching medical resuscitation efforts or moving instantaneously to other places
- Rapid movement through darkness, often toward an indescribable light
- A sense of being “somewhere else,” in a landscape that may seem like a spiritual realm or world
- Incredibly rapid, sharp thinking and observations
- Encounters with one or more deceased loved ones, sacred religious figures, or unrecognized beings, with whom communication is mind-to-mind—these figures may seem consoling, loving, or terrifying
- A life review, reliving actions and feeling their emotional impact on others
- In some cases, a flood of knowledge about life and the nature of the universe
- Sometimes a decision to return to the body
Example of a pleasurable near-death experience
In the book Coming Back to Life, NDE researcher and prolific author P.M.H. Atwater describes the characteristics of a near-death experience, specifically those of a pleasurable NDE, as follows:
- A sensation of floating out of one’s body. All that goes on around the “vacated” body is both seen and heard accurately.
- Passing through a dark tunnel or some other kind of darkness. This is often accompanied by a feeling or sensation of movement or acceleration. “Wind” may be heard or felt.
- Ascending toward a light at the end of the darkness. A light of incredible brilliance, with the possibility of seeing people, animals, plants, lush outdoors, and even cities within the light.
- Greeted by friendly voices, people or beings who may be strangers, loved ones, or religious figures. Conversation can ensue, information or a message may be given.
- Seeing a panoramic review of the life just lived, from birth to death or in reverse order, sometimes becoming a reliving of the life rather than a dispassionate viewing. The person’s life can be reviewed in its entirety or in segments. This is usually accompanied by a feeling or need to assess loss or gains […] to determine what was learned or not learned.
- A reluctance to return to the earthplane, but invariably realizing either their job on earth is not finished or a mission must yet be accomplished before they can return to stay.
- Warped sense of time and space. Discovering time and space do not exist, losing the need to recognize measurements of life either as valid or necessary.
- Disappointment at being revived. […] There can be unpleasantness, even anger or tears at the realization they are now back in their bodies and no longer on “The Other Side.”
‘More Real than Real’—The aftermath of near-death experiences
Those who’ve gone through a near-death experience often define them as the most powerful event in their lives. And that seems to be true whether the NDE is pleasurable or distressing.
A common theme amongst NDE accounts is that these experiences are nothing like dreams—they’re “more real than real”. The characteristics of a near-death experience are more tangible and lifelike than everyday life. And it can be difficult for them to describe their experience, particularly given social stigmas that often prevent people from speaking out or seeking support.
People often walk away from NDEs reporting having a stronger understanding of reality. Their attitudes toward life, work, and relationships change fundamentally. They insist they know something new about reality itself—there’s more than what’s here, in the physical world.
Those experiencing pleasurable NDEs typically report losing their fear of death. They often believe that the essential purpose of our mortal lives is to further develop our capacity for love.
Meanwhile, those who experience disturbing NDEs will usually seek out explanations for their experience, having interpreted it as a warning or even a threat. They may attempt to change their habits or behaviors and/ or seek out religion.
Finding information and support
A near-death experience can leave someone feeling an overwhelming need for information and support. They have a difficult time communicating the details of their experience and trusting others with their stories. Better understanding the characteristics of a near-death experience can help. And so too can the work of The International Association for Near Death Studies.
At IANDS, we treat each and every near-death experience account with care, respecting the privacy and anonymity of experiencers while ensuring researchers can easily access useful tools to help advance the scientific study of this remarkable phenomenon.
Our website features NDE support information, educational resources, and useful tools for NDE research, including a comprehensive database of NDE reports and accounts. And we encourage you to explore our site, find support, and dive into the informational resources we provide here.
If you’ve had a near-death experience, you are not alone. Millions of people have had NDEs. And if you’re up for it, you can help researchers uncover the mysteries of NDEs by submitting your own account to our database. Together, we might one day better understand near-death experiences and uncover what causes them and what they mean.