Dr Perera provides an overview of the phenomenon of NDE (Near Death Experience) for clinicians and general audiences.

1. An overview of the
Near Death Experience
Dr Mahendra Perera
MBBS, PhD, MD, MRCPscyh, FRANZCP, FAChAM

2. Overview
 What is NDE, when and frequency of
occurrence
 Components of the phenomenon and
illustration with narratives
 Theories
 What does this mean
 Discussion

3. Patient successfully
resuscitated
Following the successful resuscitation,
everybody was pleased – everybody
except the patient 1
1. van Lommel (2010) Consciousness Beyond Life. New York: Harper One.
p. v ISBN 978-0-06-1777257

4. The Book
that started me on the journey

5. Definition
A lucid experience
A consciousness of self but
outside or different from the
body

6. DEFINITION (cont)
 occurring at the time of actual or
threatened danger
which may result in imminent
death

7. P
• Person Faced with a potentially fatal situation
• Person
E
• Profound psychological event, Including
transcental and mystical elements
• Experience
R
• They tell others about it either by their own
volition or only under certain circumstances
• Recollection

8. Prevalence*
General Population
• Australia 8%
• USA 15%
• Germany 4%
• India <0.01%
•
Selected Groups
• Suicide att.0-100%
• Cardiac arr. 25%
• Psych OP. 7%
• Life threat 25%
• Hospital in Sri
Lanka 20%
*Perera & Jayasuriya (2012) A critical review of Epidemiological Studies
In Making Sense of Near Death Experiences: Eds. Perera, Jagadheesan
and Peake London: Jessical Kingsley, ISBN 978 84905 149 1

9. NDE’s Occur
in
Children*
Morse, M and Perry (1990) Closer to the light:
Learning from the near death experiences in
children

10. ELEMENTS
as outlined by
Raymond Moody

11. Dr Raymond Moody

12. Out of body
Pronounced dead
Tunnel
Noise
Meeting others
A common theme in many cultures

13.  Ineffability/transcendence
 Feelings of peace and quiet

14.  Being of light
 The review
 The border or limit

15. A case Vignette
 Accident at the age if 22 yrs
 Told story at 57yrs
 3 in the car and two died
 Remembers seeing all 3 go to a wall
 She was bounced back but other two went
through
 Unexpectedly rapid healing

16. Cont/
 Several episode of the out of body and
blissful feelings while in the Hospital
 Intuitively knows things
 Others in need are drawn to her
 NO Residual damage/when she was told
she would not even walk without aids
 CLEAR RECOLLECTION TO THIS DAY

17. Story told by a daughter
 Mother had an NDE under anaesthesia for
an operation
 Out of body
 Felt at peace
 Did not want to return
 Spoke of her guilt feelings – not wanting to
come back even thought children alive

18. OTHER
FEATURES

19. Time changes
Healing of ailments
Fear
Attitudinal changes
Astral travel

20. What constitutes to a Near
Death Experience ??
 Presence of some elements
 Clarity of the memory/recollection
 Occurring in the context of an event

21. * Palmieri, A., Calvo, V., Kleinbub, J. R., Meconi, F., Marangoni, M., Barilaro, P., et al. (2014).
“Reality” of near-death-experience memories: evidence from a psychodynamic and
electrophysiological integrated study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 429.
doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00429
** Augustine, K. (2007) Psychophysiological and cultural correlates undermining a survivalist
interpretation of near-death experiences. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 26 (2) 89-125

22. Science & NDE*
 The Narratives have themes that are
unchanging over time and across cultures
Hence there is not much reason to doubt the
veracity of the accounts
 Science keeps evolving and giving us new
paradigms
This helps further our understanding
*Mobbs, D., & Watt, C. (2011). There is nothing paranormal about near-death
experiences: how neuroscience can explain seeing bright lights, meeting the
dead, or being convinced you are one of them. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 1–
3. doi:10.1016/j.tics.

23. THEORIES*
 Biological & Psychological
 Social & Cultural
 Religious & Mythical
* Facco, E., & Agrillo, C. (2012). Near-death experiences between science and
prejudice. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1–7.
doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00209/abstract

24. Significance
 There are exit points – some within
conscious control
 More to life than the material world we see
 Evaluate our actions – think of its effects
on the other/s
 Review current lifestyle rather than fear
dying

25.  Undeveloped potential
 Life after life
 Other planes of existence
 Not everyone in Near-Death situations
have had NDEs

27. Some informative websites
 iands.org
 www.nderf.org
 raymondmoody.org
 www.nde.net.au/

28. The trifling of life create difference but in the
higher order of things we are
ONE

29. An event that is remembered
Usually pleasant and life changing
Sometimes engenders fear
Universal
Varied explanations are offered
Science for an unified explain

30. Thank You