Historically, the physical or metaphysical factors responsible for transpersonal experiences as reported by critically ill patients, their families, or friends, were believed to be hallucinations that resulted from hypoxia or temporal lobe dysfunction, and some believe they are signs of an afterlife.
However, more recently, Parnia et al. report that brain cells can be resilient to the effects of anoxia and may survive hours to days post-mortem (Parnia, 2022).
What is most relevant is that millions of people have these profound experiences every year. Lawrence (2017) in a study of 111 previously unconscious patients found that 23% had a transpersonal experience such as: near-death experiences, or out-of-body experiences, near-death visits, or other types of events. Some studies have reported Near-death experiences occurring to 15% to 17% of those who come close to dying (Long, 2014) with others saying only 5% experiencing NDEs (Parnia, 2022).
In a study of 60 records of cardiac arrest, the authors found near-death experiences can occur as often as 1/3 of all patients during a cardiac arrest (Kovoor et al, 2024).
Hashemi et al (2023) carried out a systematic analysis of case reports and qualitative research on near-death experiences. They reviewed 2,407 studies, focusing on 54 for their final review. These studies included 27 case reports, 20 case series, and 7 qualitative studies. They concluded that most near-death experiences were transpersonal experiences, especially the experience of leaving the body. The patterns mentioned by the NDEr's with a common core among them such as out-of-body experiences, passing through a tunnel, heightened senses, etc. The authors also stated that correct knowledge of near-death experiences is helpful in providing answers to patients.
This course will include descriptions of five types of transpersonal experiences recounted by terminal or critically ill patients and relatives:
In addition, these reported perimortem observations will be discussed:
There is an additional discussion about veridical perception; the knowing of a seemingly unknowable circumstance that is subsequently shown to be fact, e.g., coincident perception of the remote demise of a family member, without evidence of the usual methods of communication (Ring & Lawrence, 1993).
Since the article by Ring and Lawrence (1993), a number of researchers have attempted alternative explanations for veridical perceptions during NDEs (King, 2023; King, 2025; but so far no definitive alternative provides adequate explanations.
This course will assist the healthcare worker to identify and document the report of a transpersonal experience and to offer therapeutic approaches which may assist the patient and others to reconcile these event (Samoila & Corcoran, 2020).
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A veridical perception is an accurate description or knowledge of an object, person or event..
References Hashemi, A. , Oroojan, A.A., Rassouli, M., Ashrafizadeh, H. (2023). Explanation of near-death experiences: a systematic analysis of case reports and qualitative research. Front Psychol. 4/14:1048929. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1048929. PMID: 37151318; PMCID: PMC10158795. King, R. A. (2023). Onset of the Spontaneous Non-Transcendental Out-of-Body Experience: An Orienting Response to Threat. Journal of Mind & Behavior, 44. King, R. A. (2025). An exploratory study of alternative life experiences in comparison to transcendental near‐death experiences. Anthropology of Consciousness. Kovoor, J.G., Santhosh, S., Stretton, B., Tan, S., Gouldooz, H. & Moorthy, S. (2024). Near-death experiences after cardiac arrest: a scoping review. Discov Ment Health. 4(1),19. Lawrence, M. (2017). Near-Death and Other Transpersonal Experiences Occurring During Catastrophic Events. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 34(5), 486-492. Lawrence, M. (2014). The death view revolution: A guide to transpersonal experiences surrounding death. White Crow Productions Ltd. Lawrence, M. (1997). In a world of their own experiencing unconsciousness. Praeger. Long, J. (2014). Near-death experience. Evidence for their reality. Mo Med. 111(5):372-80. Parnia, S., Post, S.G., Lee, M.T., Lyubomirsky, S., Aufderheide, T.P., Deakin, C.D. et al. (2022). Guidelines and standards for the study of death and recalled experiences of death--a multidisciplinary consensus statement and proposed future directions. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1511(1), 5-21. Ring, K. & Lawrence, M. (1993). Veridical Perceptions During Near-Death Experiences, Journal of Near-Death Studies, 7, 107-120. Samoilo, L. & Corcoran, D. (2020). Closing the Medical Gap of Care for Patients Who Have Had a Near-Death Experience. Narrat Inq Bioeth. 10(1), 37-42. ©RnCeus.com