Chris
2019-07-03, 08:17 AM
The results of a new survey-based study on NDEs were presented at a scientific meeting in Norway last week. Here is the press release:
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/...062519.php
Here is a short draft paper:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/20...1.full.pdf
Prevalence of near-death experiences and REM sleep intrusion in 1034 adults from 35 countries
Daniel Kondziella, Markus Harboe Olsen
Abstract
Background: Near-death experiences have fascinated humans for centuries, but their origin and prevalence remain unknown.
Methods: Using an online crowdsourcing platform, we recruited 1034 lay people from 35 countries to investigate the prevalence of near-death experiences and self-reported REM sleep intrusion. Reports were validated using the Greyson Near-Death Experiences Scale (GNDES) with a score of ≥7 as cut-off point for identifying near-death experiences.
Results: Near-death experiences were reported by 106 of 1034 participants (10%; CI 95% 8.5-12%). REM sleep intrusion was more common in people with near-death experiences (n=50/106; 47%) than in people with experiences with 6 points or less on the GNDES (n=47/183; 26%) or in those without any such experience (n=107/744; 14%; p=<0.0001). Following multivariate regression analysis to adjust for age, gender, place of origin, employment status and perceived danger, this association remained highly significant; people with REM sleep intrusion were more likely to exhibit near-death experiences than those without REM sleep abnormalities (odds ratio 2.85; CI 95% 1.68-4.88; p=0.0001).
Conclusions: The prevalence of near-death experiences in the public is around 10%. While age, gender, place of residence, employment status and perceived threat do not seem to influence the prevalence of near-death experiences, there is a significant association with REM sleep intrusion. This finding is in line with the view that despite imminent threat to life, brain physiology must be well-preserved to perceive these fascinating experiences and store them as long-term memories.
And here is an article at LiveScience discussing the findings, including comments from Sam Parnia:
https://www.livescience.com/65838-near-d...sleep.html
The main finding is the confirmation of a statistical association between NDEs and REM sleep intrusion, which had been reported previously but which might have been the result of biased sampling. As discussed in the LiveScience article, this would be consistent with the theory that NDEs are a blend of the waking and dreaming states. Parnia criticised the study on several grounds - the inclusion of experiences of people who weren't near death, the possibility that an underlying medical cause of REM sleep intrusion might explain the statistical association, and the lack of an explanation for awareness during cardiac arrest.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/...062519.php
Here is a short draft paper:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/20...1.full.pdf
Prevalence of near-death experiences and REM sleep intrusion in 1034 adults from 35 countries
Daniel Kondziella, Markus Harboe Olsen
Abstract
Background: Near-death experiences have fascinated humans for centuries, but their origin and prevalence remain unknown.
Methods: Using an online crowdsourcing platform, we recruited 1034 lay people from 35 countries to investigate the prevalence of near-death experiences and self-reported REM sleep intrusion. Reports were validated using the Greyson Near-Death Experiences Scale (GNDES) with a score of ≥7 as cut-off point for identifying near-death experiences.
Results: Near-death experiences were reported by 106 of 1034 participants (10%; CI 95% 8.5-12%). REM sleep intrusion was more common in people with near-death experiences (n=50/106; 47%) than in people with experiences with 6 points or less on the GNDES (n=47/183; 26%) or in those without any such experience (n=107/744; 14%; p=<0.0001). Following multivariate regression analysis to adjust for age, gender, place of origin, employment status and perceived danger, this association remained highly significant; people with REM sleep intrusion were more likely to exhibit near-death experiences than those without REM sleep abnormalities (odds ratio 2.85; CI 95% 1.68-4.88; p=0.0001).
Conclusions: The prevalence of near-death experiences in the public is around 10%. While age, gender, place of residence, employment status and perceived threat do not seem to influence the prevalence of near-death experiences, there is a significant association with REM sleep intrusion. This finding is in line with the view that despite imminent threat to life, brain physiology must be well-preserved to perceive these fascinating experiences and store them as long-term memories.
And here is an article at LiveScience discussing the findings, including comments from Sam Parnia:
https://www.livescience.com/65838-near-d...sleep.html
The main finding is the confirmation of a statistical association between NDEs and REM sleep intrusion, which had been reported previously but which might have been the result of biased sampling. As discussed in the LiveScience article, this would be consistent with the theory that NDEs are a blend of the waking and dreaming states. Parnia criticised the study on several grounds - the inclusion of experiences of people who weren't near death, the possibility that an underlying medical cause of REM sleep intrusion might explain the statistical association, and the lack of an explanation for awareness during cardiac arrest.