A Review of Near Death Experiences
by Michael Schroeter-Kunhardt
Psychiatrisches Landeskrankenhaus Weinsberg, 74189 Weinsberg, Germany
Volume 7 Number 3: Page 219 of Journal of Scientific Exploration (SSE)
Near death experiences (NDEs) have been reported throughout time in essentially all cultures.
The contents of modern NDEs is independent of gender, age, and profession. The frequency of
occurrence is estimated to lie between 10 and 50 percent of all near- death situations. This
frequency could be higher still, perhaps even 100 percent, were it not for the dreamlike and
dissociative character of the experience and the amnesia-prone participation of the temporal lobe
causing a clear tendency to forget the NDE. A number of similar elements are common to NDEs,
such as an out-of-body experience (OBE) in which the physical body and its surroundings are
observed from various external vantage points, often from above. Numerous cases exist in which
the reality of the OBE-observation can be independently verified, by external conditions,
situations, people, objects, etc. Even previously non-religious ND experiencers subsequently
show a markedly decreased fear of death and a corresponding increase in belief in life after death.
Certain elements of NDE-like experiences can be induced by, for example, electrical stimulation
of the right temporal lobe or the use of hallucinogenic substances. It is possible that hallucinogenic
transmitters (and endorphins) or the brain itself play a role in the NDE. Nevertheless, there are
NDE-elements, such as the frequently reported life-review and certainly the acquisition of
external, verifiable information concerning the physical surroundings during the experience, that
cannot be explained by physiological causes. Wish-fulfillment, death-denial or other defense
mechanisms of the brain are also not adequate explanations. The large body of NDE data now
accumulated point to genuine evidence for a non-physical reality and paranormal capacities of
the human being.
