The evolving self: finding meaning in near-death experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Near-death experiences (NDEs)

Spirituality and Creativity in Coping, Their Association and Transformative Effect: A Qualitative Enquiry

“…Self-esteem has been shown to be an effective buffer against stress (e.g., [10,22]), implicated in coping with chronic illness [23], and to support well-being [1], positive affect in chronic disease patients [22] and mental health [24]. Meaning in life, in particular, has been strongly associated with coping and mental health [12,13,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Interpreting the Anomalous: Finding Meaning in Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences

“…6 Further themes extracted from the analysis of the data so far are currently in various stages of publication. A paper discussing the findings of the NDE group has been published (Wilde & Murray, 2009) The brief discussion about embodiment herein naturally raises questions about the veridicality of OBEs. This is a hotly debated topic in psychology and parapsychology and one which currently resists explanation.…”

“…The authors would like to stress that our conception of "anomalous" is simply as a term referring to experiences that are infrequent and unusual, without any predilection to pathologising the experient. In our understanding, experients often report how normal their experiences feel to them and emphasize their positive, life-affirming aspects (Wilde & Murray, 2009). …”

‘It’s about having exposure to this’: investigating the training needs of therapists in relation to the issue of anomalous experiences

“…It is also important for therapists to be aware that for some individuals AEs can be comforting, lifeenhancing, and adaptive, and can contribute to better psychological wellbeing (e.g., Braud, 2012;Grof & Grof, 1989;Kennedy & Kanthamani, 1995;Roxburgh & Roe, 2011;Wilde & Murray, 2009). …”