Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Near-death experiences in India: They have tunnels too

  • Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Near-Death Studies

Abstract

An advertisement in an Indian newspaper solicited accounts from people who had come close to death. Of 19 received, 7 reported no experiences, 4 reported dreamlike experiences, and 8 reported near-death experiences (NDEs). These DNEs were comparable to those reported by Ray-mond Moody, and included tunnels, dark spaces, and bright lights, contrary to previous reports of Indian cases. Many respondents reported positive life changes regardless of whether or not they had an NDE.

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

  • Blackmore, S. J. (1993).Dying to live: Science and the near-death experience. London, England: Grafton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, S. J., and Troscianko, T. (1989). The physiology of the tunnel.Journal of Near-Death Studies, 8, 15–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, D. B. (1982). Pathophysiology of stress-induced limbic lobe dysfunction: A hypothesis relevant for NDEs.Anabiosis: The Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2, 75–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, L. (1988). A comparison of UFO and near-death experiences as vehicles for the evolution of human consciousness.Journal of Near-Death Studies, 6, 240–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, M., Tattersfield, A. E., Adler, M. W., and McNicol, M. W. (1971). Attitude and long-term adjustment of patients surviving cardiac arrest.British Medical Journal, 3(5768), 207–212.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Druss, R. G., and Kornfeld, D. S. (1967). The survivors of cardiac arrest: A psychiatric study.JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 201, 291–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, C. P. (1982). Meanings and implications of NDEr transformations: Some preliminary findings and implications.Anabiosis: The Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2, 3–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabbard, G. O., and Twemlow, S. W. (1984).With the eyes of the mind: An empirical analysis of out-of-body states. New York, NY: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grey, M. (1985).Return from death: An exploration of the near-death experience. London, England: Arkana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greyson, B. (1983). The Near-Death Experience Scale: Construction, reliability, and validity.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171, 369–375.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Judson, I. R., and Wiltshaw, E. (1983). A near-death experience.Lancet, 2, 561–562.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorimer, D. (1990).Whole in one: The near-death experience and the ethic of interconnectedness. London, England: Arkana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moody, R. A., Jr. (1975).Life after life. Covington, GA: Mockingbird.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morse, M. L., Venecia, D., Jr., and Milstein, J. (1989). Near-death experiences: A neurophysiological explanatory model.Journal of Near-Death Studies, 8, 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osis, K., and Haraldsson, E. (1977). Deathbed observations by physicians and nurses: A cross-cultural survey.Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 71, 237–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owens, J. E., Cook, E. W., and Stevenson, I. (1990). Features of “near-death experience” in relation to whether or not patients were near death.Lancet, 336, 1175–1177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pasricha, S., and Stevenson, I. (1986). Near-death experiences in India: A preliminary report.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 174, 165–170.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Penfield, W. (1955). The role of the temporal cortex in certain psychic phenomena.Journal of Mental Science, 101, 451–465.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Persinger, M. A. (1983). Religious and mystical experiences as artifacts of temporal lobe function: A general hypothesis.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 57, 1255–1262.

    PubMed  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 

  • Ring, K. (1992).The Omega Project: Near-deat experiences, UFO encounters, and Mind at Large. New York, NY: Morrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saavedra-Aguilar, J., and Gómez-Jeria, J. (1989). A neurobiological model for near-death experiences.Journal of Near-Death Studies, 7, 205–222.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of the West of England, St. Matthias College, BS16 2JP, Bristol, England

    Susan J. Blackmore Ph.D. (Senior Lecturer)

Authors
  1. Susan J. Blackmore Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Blackmore, S.J. Near-death experiences in India: They have tunnels too. J Near-Death Stud 11, 205–217 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01078238

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01078238

Keywords

Search

Navigation