Do the near-death experiences that some people have when they almost die provide a glimpse of the afterlife?
Such experiences are reported by 30%-40% of individuals who survive a close call with death. They include such commonalities as bright lights, dark tunnels, glowing human shapes, out-of-body experiences, and meeting spirits or dead relatives. They may provide evidence that there is an afterlife (Greyson, 1994). However, some researchers (Siegel, 1981; Kellehear, 1993) hypothesize that they are actually hallucinations, because they are very similar to hallucinations and could result from depriving the brain of adequate blood and oxygen. Of course, even if near-death experiences are hallucinations, that doesn’t mean there is no afterlife. For more informaton, see: Greyson, B. (1994). Varieties of Near Death Experiences. Psychiatry, 56(4), 390-399. Kellehear, A. (1993). Culture, biology, and the near death experience: A reappraisal. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders, 178(3), 150-160. Siegel, R. (1980). The Psychology of Life After Death. American Psychologist, 36(11), 911-931.
