Do you believe that people can leave the body and hover around in the form of a detached consciousness? Do you believe that at the moment of death, people see the souls of deceased loved ones, which help them make the transition to another world?
Regardless of our faith, people who were on the verge of death and experienced similar visions undergo real psychological changes. In many cases, positive.
Aggressive alcoholic turned into a decent person
Dr. Bruce Grayson, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia who studies the paranormal, said in an interview with The Epoch Times: "As a psychiatrist, I am more interested not in explaining NDEs, but in the effect they have on how they change people's lives."
“Psychiatrists and psychologists have to do painstaking work to get people to change their way of life. And after such experiences, people are completely transformed in an instant - it's amazing."
Grayson gave an example, when an alcoholic who regularly beat his wife, after a near-death experience, completely changed - he stopped drinking, stopped bullying his wife, and after Hurricane Katrina even went to New Orleans to help the victims.
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Near death experiences differ from person to person, but there are some common features. People see dead relatives, angels or other supernatural beings, feel lightness and euphoria, and see their physical body from the outside.
Deathbed visions bring a sense of calm
Dr. Erlendur Haraldsson, professor of psychology at the University of Iceland, has studied the paranormal and conducted a survey of doctors and nurses in the United States and India to find out what patients experience on their deathbed.
Patients often see deceased loved ones who help them move to another world. After such visions, they die calmly and without fear.
Diane Corcoran is a retired colonel in the US Army.
Post-traumatic syndrome
Studies in the US, Germany and Australia indicate that 4-15% of the population have experienced near-death experiences. Military personnel encounter this phenomenon much more often. Corcoran estimates that between 15% and almost 50% of the military experienced the sensation of death.
According to Corcoran, this phenomenon must be taken into account when providing psychological assistance to soldiers suffering from post-traumatic combat syndrome.
Synchronicity in psychotherapy
Psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung coined the term synchronicity. It denotes surprise when a thought that arises in the head is reflected in real events in the outside world. Moreover, there is no apparent causal relationship between them.
Dr. Bernard Bateman, author of Coincidence Studies, refers to synchronicity as strange coincidence.
Some people consider such coincidences to be signs from above. Others believe that this is just an accident and do not attach importance to them.
However, Jung used such coincidences to help people reflect on their inner state. Bateman also believes that the study of coincidences can be useful in the field of psychology.
Impact of near-death experience on psychological state
Published this month, Consciousness Beyond the Body: Evidence and Reflection, brings together scientific research on clinical death and out-of-body travel.
Nelson Abro, an out-of-body experiment researcher, former trainee in the laboratory for the study of anomalies at Princeton University and one of the authors of the book, writes: “Almost all people who have experienced near-term experiences have decreased or completely disappeared fear of death … Almost all people with such experience (98%) began to believe in life after death”.
"People who have had a near-death experience after attempting suicide usually do not try again after that … The vast majority of people (80%, according to one study) who have experienced a near-death experience develop a desire to care for others and take on new meaning in life."