The Phenomenology of Distressing Near-death Experiences and Their Aftereffects

Objective: To explore what it is like to have a distressing near-death experience (NDE) and its aftereffects. Method: We accessed all distressing NDE narratives from the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) database and analyzed eight individual narratives using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Distressing NDEs include features such as disturbing feelings and experiences of darkness and frightening images in different forms. Participants reported emotional and social difficulties in dealing with the NDE afterwards. Aftereffects such as receiving negative feedback when talking about the experience and heightened emotions were mentioned. We found hybrid experiences, where the distressing experience had positive features as well. Conclusion: Future research about NDEs should focus on hybrid experiences and employ mixed methods and more qualitative research in general.