Intensity and memory characteristics of near-death experiences

• Published in: Consciousness and cognition Vol. 56; pp. 120 - 127
• Main Authors: Martial, Charlotte, Charland-Verville, Vanessa, Cassol, Héléna, Didone, Vincent, Van Der Linden, Martial, Laureys, Steven
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2017; Elsevier BV; Academic Press
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Death; Female; Greyson NDE scale; Humans; Intensity; Male; Memory; Memory - physiology; Memory Characteristics Questionnaire; Middle Aged; Near death experiences; Near-death experience; Neuropsychological Tests; Phenomenological characteristics; Phenomenological research; Psychologie cognitive & théorique; Retrospective Studies; Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie; Social & behavioral sciences, psychology; Theoretical & cognitive psychology; Phenomenological characteristics; Near-death experience; Memory Characteristics Questionnaire; Greyson NDE scale; Memory; Intensity
• ISSN: 1053-8100; 1090-2376; 1090-2376
• DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.06.018

•Memory details of near-death experience according to the intensity of the experience.•Clarifying associations with the characteristics of near-death experiences memories.•Discussing the particularity of near-death experiences memories. Memories of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) seem to be very detailed and stable over time. At present, there is still no satisfactory explanation for the NDEs’ rich phenomenology. Here we compared phenomenological characteristics of NDE memories with the reported experience’s intensity. We included 152 individuals with a self-reported “classical” NDE (i.e. occurring in life-threatening conditions). All participants completed a mailed questionnaire that included a measure of phenomenological characteristics of memories (the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire; MCQ) and a measure of NDE’s intensity (the Greyson NDE scale). Greyson NDE scale total score was positively correlated with MCQ total score, suggesting that participants who described more intense NDEs also reported more phenomenological memory characteristics of NDE. Using MCQ items, our study also showed that NDE’s intensity is associated in particular with sensory details, personal importance and reactivation frequency variables.