ABSTRACT
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound subjective events with transcendental or mystical elements that are reported by about one third of people who have been close to death (Gallup & Proctor, 1982; Greyson & Stevenson, 1980; Sabom & Kreutziger, 1977). These experiences typically include enhanced cognitive functioning, including a life review; strong positive affect, often associated with an encounter with ineffable light; apparent paranormal elements, including an out-of-body experience; and a sense of being in an unearthly realm or dimension of being ( Greyson, 1983b ). Though their etiology has yet to be established conclusively, NDEs have been shown to precipitate a wide variety of pervasive and long-lasting personality transformations (Flynn, 1982; Greyson, 1983a ; Noyes, 1980; Ring, 1984).
