Near-death experiences, or NDEs, are mesmerizing events that change a person’s perspectives, their motivations, and their trajectories through life. They can also be surprisingly lonely experiences, too. But finding NDE support doesn’t need to be a challenge!
As beautiful and life-changing as near-death experiences so often are, they can be rather challenging, too. They’re difficult to interpret and understand. You’re left feeling as though you can’t talk about your experience openly with others, who may not understand what you’ve gone through.
They might not take you seriously, or worse—they may think you’ve gone off the deep end. And let’s be honest … that’s what you’d have thought had someone described any of this before to you prior to your own NDE, right? It seems only natural others might be judgmental, or hesitant, or downright dismissive.
But here’s the thing. Your NDE was real. No, you’re not losing your mind, and no, it wasn’t a hallucination or a dream (and yes, there’s real science to back that up, too). And if you feel like this is too much to process all at once, don’t worry: you don’t need to take all of this on by yourself.
You need and deserve support following an NDE
There are undeniable stigmas surrounding near-death experiences that prevent many experiencers from seeking the help they need. It can be challenging to talk about your NDE with loved ones, with medical practitioners, or with mental health providers. And these challenges can be especially compounded for youths, veterans, and others.
While NDEs may be misunderstood and even underappreciated by the general public, you can and should seek out communities that can help you navigate these profound experiences. IANDS organizes and advertises events and NDE support groups all over the world. If you feel up to it, we strongly encourage you to find an NDE support group in your area or online.
The IANDS NDE Support Library
You’ll find useful support content below that can guide you through conversations regarding your NDE and point you toward valuable resources. And we’re also sharing educational content, which can help you better understand your near-death experience and answer some of the questions you and your loved ones might have regarding NDEs in general.
NDE Support Content
IANDS is devoted not only to researching near-death experiences and related phenomena, but to offering support, education, outreach, and more. We organize and advertise events and NDE support groups all over the world. We publish everything from scientific research in the Journal of Near-Death Studies to IANDS Q&A and IANDS Glossary entries intended to make that information accessible to everyone.
- Life After a Near-Death Experience: What You Need to Consider
- Advice: Sharing Your Near-Death Experience with People You Trust
- How to Find a Mental Health Provider
- Children and Near-Death Experiences: Advice You Need to Know
- Combat Veterans: Valuable Information You Need to Know
- IANDS Sharing Groups: Building Connection, Support, Understanding
Educational Content
We also provide free educational resources. Let’s start with our content aimed toward everyday people, including experiencers and their loved ones, and those who are simply interested in learning more about NDEs.
- IANDS Glossary: A glossary of scientific, medical, and technical words and phrases, with expanded definitions and explanations. The IANDS Glossary is great for quickly referencing phrases you spot in other articles.
- IANDS Q&A: Frequently asked (and Internet-searched) questions regarding NDEs and related phenomena are answered in an approachable, digestible way.
Some specific educational articles:
- What Causes Near-Death Experiences, and Who Has Them?
- Pleasurable and Distressing Near-Death Experiences
- The Characteristics of a Near-Death Experience
- The Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences
And here are some additional educational resources:
- Vital Signs Magazine: A quarterly magazine published by IANDS with articles discussing NDEs and more. It’s a great read, and it’s free!
- The Journal of Near-Death Studies: Published by IANDS for more than 40 years, the Journal of Near-Death Studies is a scholarly, peer-reviewed academic journal focused on near-death experiences and related phenomena.
- IANDS Fact Sheets: IANDS occasionally publishes academic fact sheets regarding terminology and concepts These are invaluable resources for those diving into the research side of NDEs.