Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Near-death experiences precipitated by suicide attempt: Lack of influence of psychopathology, religion, and expectations

  • Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Near-Death Studies

Abstract

Near-death experiences (NDEs), transcendental or mystical events experienced on the threshold of death, have been speculated to arise from psychopathology or from pre-existing expectations of the dying process, although such speculations have never been tested. Sixty-one consecutive suicide attempters were interviewed in this empirical study of persons who would be expected to have a high rate of both psychopathology and coming close to death; 16 (26%) reported near-death experiences (NDEs) as a result of the attempt. The group reporting NDEs and the group not reporting NDEs did not differ from each other in any parameters measuring psychopathology, religious background, or expectations of death and dying.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Greyson, B. (1981). Near-death experiences and attempted suicide.Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 11, 10–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greyson, B. (1983). The psychodynamics of near-death experiences.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171, 376–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greyson, B. (1986). Incidence of near-death experiences following attempted suicide.Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 16, 40–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greyson, B., and Harris, B. (1987). Clinical approaches to the near-death experiencer.Journal of Near-Death Studies, 6, 41–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greyson, B., and Stevenson, I. (1980). The phenomenology of near-death experiences.American Journal of Psychiatry,137, 1193–1196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, R., Jr. (1980). Attitude changes following near-death experiences.Psychiatry, 43, 234–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ring, K. (1980).Life at death: A scientific investigation of the near-death experience. New York, NY: Coward, McCann and Geoghegan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ring, K. (1984).Heading toward omega: In search of the meaning of the near-death experience. New York, NY: Morrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabom, M.B. (1982).Recollections of death: A medical investigation. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Connecticut, USA

    Bruce Greyson M.D. (Associate Professor of Psychiatry)

Authors
  1. Bruce Greyson M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

At the time of this study, he was Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greyson, B. Near-death experiences precipitated by suicide attempt: Lack of influence of psychopathology, religion, and expectations. J Near-Death Stud 9, 183–188 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074180

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074180

Keywords

Search

Navigation