Phenomenological and Clinical Insights into Near-Death Experiences: A Retrospective Analysis in Aseer Province Population, Saudi Arabia
Abstract:
Near death experience (NDE) reported
as supernatural and emotional feelings with episodes involving a special state
of consciousness, including several special elements and these experiences
typically occur with often grouped contents commonly observed in
life-threatening conditions. Participants were provided with an Arabic version
of the Near-Death Experience (NDE) scale via mail and social media platforms,
along with a contact number for inquiries. NDE scale scores, used to assess the
depth of the near-death experience, were considered indicative of an NDE if
they were 7 or greater. A total of 14 participants of both sex aged between 18
and 56 years, with a mean age of 37.1 years (SD = 12.4). with a gender
dispersion of 57.1% (8 males) and 42.9% (6 females). The most commonly reported
incidence of near-death experiences was “sudden understanding of everything”
(93.0%), “time speeding up” (85.7%), and “feeling happy” (85.7%). Conversely,
the incidence reported least frequently was “visions of the
future” at 28.6% and “racing thoughts” at 21.4%. No statistically significant variation in the frequency of responses
across the 12 of NDE elements. The elements most frequently reported exhibited
narrow confidence intervals with elevated lower bounds: “sudden understanding
of everything” (93.0%, 95% CI [77.9%, 100.0%]), “time speeding up” (85.7%, 95%
CI [66.4%, 100.0%]), and “feeling happy” (85.7%, 95% CI [66.4%, 100.0]). This study shows that
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) involve sensory, emotional, cognitive, and
spiritual elements, with altered consciousness and neural links, showing no
gender differences.
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