It is generally accepted that NDEs are experienced in different ways by people with different cultural and religious views. A study led by Hadi Khoshab of the Bam University of Medical Sciences in Iran offers an alternative approach to this issue.
The authors interviewed eight Iranian survivors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The descriptions of the near-death experiences of Iranian Muslims did not essentially differ from the versions proffered by inhabitants of Western countries. All of the descriptions included the following general themes: out-of-body experience, flight, light, a sense of the other world, and memories from the person’s life.
According to the survivors, they saw everything that happened to them in the intensive care unit. Later, when they had regained consciousness, some were even able to give physical descriptions of the doctors who had fought for their lives. Regardless of their faith, the participants’ out-of-body experiences were described as enjoyable. They were characterized by the pursuit of light, the absence of the fear of death, and a sense of freedom or liberated spirit.
As we can see, most of these experiences are similar to those described by people from other cultures and have recurring universal motifs. Interestingly, this description does not coincide with the attitude towards death in Iranian Muslim society, where the topic is taboo. Only one of the participants considered his experience in a religious context: according to him, he heard his uncle reading the Koran, thus “healing” him.
The study therefore suggests that religion has a marginal effect on near-death experiences. Could it be because near-death experiences are just a phase state? What do you think?
The study was published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research in September 2020.
