Shared Death Experiences: A Little-Known Type of End-of-Life Phenomena Reported by Caregivers and Loved Ones

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some loved ones and caregivers of dying patients undergo a type of end-of-life phenomena known as a shared death experience or SDE, whereby one feels that one has participated in a dying person’s transition to a post-mortem existence. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that SDEs can have a range of profound psycho-spiritual-emotional effects. However, SDEs have been all but ignored in hospice and palliative medicine, leaving professional bereavement services uninformed about SDEs and leaving individuals who report SDEs without adequate professional support to process and integrate them. To better understand the features and effects of SDEs, an inductive content analysis was performed on written accounts and transcripts of semi-structured interviews with 107 persons reporting a total of 164 SDEs. Analysis revealed 4 distinct though non-exclusive modes of an SDE: remotely sensing a death, witnessing unusual phenomena, feelings of accompanying the dying, and feelings of assisting the dying. Analysis also revealed 3 major domains of SDE effects: changes in belief, the reconciliation of grief, and the perception of continued relational bonds with the deceased. Interviews highlighted both difficulties and therapeutic value in people openly discussing their experiences with health professionals. We believe that integration of information about SDEs offers an opportunity to add to the breadth and quality of psychological, spiritual, and bereavement care.

Shared Death Experiences: A Multicultural Survey

“…Similar to Elsaesser et al, 4,11 Penberthy et al, 8 and the Shared Cross Initiative, 5,6 most of our participants were women. Does this finding suggest that women are more prone to SDEs/ADCEs, because they express stronger emotional bonds with their deceased?…”

“…The prevalence of visual and visual-auditory experiences observed in our study is similar to those reported by Elsaesser et al, 4,11 Penberthy et al, 8 and the Shared Cross Initiative. 5,6 The main difference was related to tactile experiences which were reported as more frequent in the above cited studies than in our one.…”

“…Similar to the Shared Cross Initiative, 5,6 and Elsaesser et al, 4,11 studies, SDEs/ADCs were lived both in a dream state and in a normal state of consciousness and at a distance from the dead or dying person.…”

“…A recent large-scale survey of ADCEs survey conducted with English, French and Spanish people, 4,5 revealed that the most common form of ADCEs was during sleep and, apart their sensorial characteristics, some participants claimed to have perceived a sense of an external presence. Furthermore, for many participants these experiences were deeply meaningful with significant positive effects in their sense of spirituality, but not religiosity and a comforting effect for their grieving condition.…”