Are near-death experiences real? The experiences themselves are real in the way that matters first: large numbers of people report them, and the accounts are vivid, organized and often life-changing. What researchers still debate is what they are. This guide lays out the evidence, the skeptics’ best arguments and what experiencers say, so you can weigh it for yourself.
Few subjects divide people like this one. A hospital cardiologist can describe a patient who recalled a conversation held while his heart was stopped, and a neuroscientist can answer with a plausible brain-based explanation in the same breath. Both are doing honest work. Our approach at Next Level Soul is to listen to each side with respect, attribute every claim to the person who made it, and leave the conclusion to you.
This guide focuses on one question, whether near-death experiences are real. For the full overview of what NDEs are, how they unfold and what they mean, see our complete guide to near-death experiences. For first-person accounts, read our collection of near-death experience stories, and for further reading, our list of near-death experience books.
Key Takeaways
- The experiences are real as reports: people across countries and decades describe a consistent pattern of light, peace, a life review and a sense of return.
- What they are is debated: brain-based and consciousness-based explanations both have serious defenders and neither has settled the question.
- The strongest studies are prospective: the 2001 Dutch study and the AWARE studies followed patients in hospitals rather than relying only on memory years later.
- Verified perception is rare: a few compelling cases exist, such as Pam Reynolds, but none has been confirmed under controlled conditions.
- No single chemical explains the full pattern: oxygen loss, DMT, endorphins and REM intrusion each explain part of the experience.
- They are not proof of an afterlife: Dr. Bruce Greyson has said NDEs are not evidence for or against the existence of God.
The Short Answer: Real Reports, Open Explanation
Ask three different questions and you get three different answers. Is the experience real to the person? Yes, without serious dispute. Do people report the same pattern again and again? Yes, across cultures and decades. Does the experience show that consciousness survives death? That is where honest researchers part ways, and where this guide spends most of its time.
| Question | What Is Reasonably Established | What Is Still Open |
|---|---|---|
| Do people report NDEs? | Yes, consistently, after cardiac arrest and other crises | Exact frequency, which varies by study |
| Is it a simple hallucination? | Simple explanations do not account for the clarity, structure and lasting aftereffects | Whether a fuller brain-based model will |
| Can people perceive events while unconscious? | A few compelling cases exist | None confirmed under controlled conditions |
| Does it prove an afterlife? | Greyson has said NDEs are not evidence for or against the existence of God | The deeper interpretation is reasoning and personal belief |
What People Actually Report
The modern study of the subject began in 1975, when psychiatrist Dr. Raymond Moody published Life After Life and gave the phenomenon its name. He described a cluster of features that experiencers mentioned again and again: a sense of leaving the body, a tunnel or passage, a brilliant light, meeting deceased loved ones, a review of one’s life and a reluctant return. Not everyone reports every feature, and the order varies.
To measure the experience more precisely, Dr. Bruce Greyson developed a 16-item NDE Scale. In the research summarized on this site, a score of 7 or higher is the usual threshold for calling an experience an NDE.
The Father of Near-Death Experiences, Dr. Raymond Moody with Dr. Raymond Moody. Dr. Raymond Moody talks with Alex Ferrari about interviewing thousands of near-death experiencers and what they say about love. It is the best place to hear where the modern field began.
Afterlife and Life After Death Audiobooks on Next Level Soul TV
The Skeptics Case: Are NDEs Hallucinations?
The most common scientific response is that an NDE is a product of a brain under extreme stress. This is a serious position held by serious researchers, and it deserves a fair hearing. Five explanations come up most often.
| Explanation | What It Can Explain | Where It Struggles |
|---|---|---|
| Low oxygen | Tunnel vision, confusion, altered perception | NDEs are typically clear and organized, while hypoxia usually causes confusion. In the Dutch study, NDEs were not linked to how long the arrest lasted |
| Brain chemistry (endorphins, ketamine-like effects, DMT) | Euphoria, dissociation, visions | No chemical has been shown to produce the full pattern, including the life review and lasting change |
| Gamma surge in the dying brain | A burst of organized activity could underlie a vivid inner experience | Found in only a few patients, and not yet linked to reports from survivors |
| REM intrusion | Dream-like imagery and vivid sensations, more common in people who scored 7 or higher on the Greyson scale in one study (47 percent vs. 26 percent) | Does not by itself explain a life review or the accurate perceptions some report |
| Expectation and culture | Different cultures describe different imagery, such as guides, angels or divine figures | Children and people with no prior knowledge report the same core features |
A note on how to read this table: “where it struggles” does not mean an explanation is wrong. It means science has not closed the question. Good researchers on every side say so.
What About DMT?
DMT is a naturally occurring compound, and people who take it often describe vivid, otherworldly visions. That makes it a popular candidate for explaining NDEs. The difficulty, as noted in the table, is that no chemical has been shown to reproduce the whole pattern, especially the structured life review and the lasting change in values. DMT may contribute to part of the experience. Whether it can account for all of it is still an open question. For a related topic, see our guide to the third eye and pineal gland.
The Evidence People Point To
The strongest claims concern what people seem to perceive while unconscious. Here are the cases and studies that come up most, with the support and the pushback for each.
The Dutch Study (2001)
Cardiologist Pim van Lommel and colleagues followed 344 resuscitated cardiac arrest patients in ten hospitals. Sixty-two of them, or 18 percent, reported an NDE. The study was prospective, meaning patients were interviewed after the event rather than recruited long afterward. The researchers found the experience was not explained by the length of the arrest, medication or fear of death. The pushback: some critics say that interviews, even prospective ones, rely on memory, and that more objective measures were needed.
The AWARE Studies
Critical care physician Dr. Sam Parnia led two large hospital studies of awareness during resuscitation. AWARE-II followed 567 in-hospital cardiac arrests between 2017 and 2020 in the United States and United Kingdom, added brain monitoring, and was published in the journal Resuscitation in 2023. About 4 in 10 survivors recalled some awareness during CPR, and six of 28 survivors interviewed (21 percent) described a recalled experience of death that fits what is commonly called an NDE. Brain monitoring picked up signs of activity associated with higher mental function, in some cases as long as 60 minutes into CPR. The limit: the study also tested hidden images and sounds in the room, and the results did not show that patients perceived the external environment. Some press coverage went further than the authors did, so it is worth reading what the study actually reports.
The Case of Pam Reynolds (1991)
Pam Reynolds, a 35-year-old singer and songwriter from Atlanta, underwent surgery for a giant brain aneurysm using a rare technique called hypothermic cardiac arrest. Her body was cooled, her heart stopped and blood was drained from her head, while her eyes were taped shut and small devices were placed in her ears. Afterward she described floating above the table, hearing the surgical saw and a conversation among the team. Cardiologist Michael Sabom compared her account with the operative report and found parts of it seemed to match. The pushback: critics argue that some of what she described may have happened during lighter moments of anesthesia, before or after the standstill period. Neither side has a clean win.
Maria’s Shoe (1977)
Social worker Kimberly Clark Sharp was working at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle when a patient named Maria, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, described seeing a tennis shoe on a third-floor ledge. Sharp went to look and found it. The pushback: in the 1990s skeptics placed a shoe on that ledge and found it easy to see from the outside, arguing the account does not require anyone to have left their body. Sharp stands by it.
Dr. Janice Holden on What NDE Research Says with Dr. Janice Holden. Dr. Janice Holden explains what research says about near-death experiences, cultural differences, life changes afterward and her own experience.
More Reading on the Other Side
Three more classics on life after death and the spirit world, all included with Next Level Soul TV membership.
Veridical NDEs: Do People Perceive Real Events?
A “veridical” NDE is one where a person reports details of the physical world that were later checked and found accurate. These cases are the heart of the argument, because they would be hard to explain by a hallucination alone. They are also rare and difficult to verify. Pam Reynolds and Maria’s shoe are the most discussed, and both have credible pushback. In 1999, Kenneth Ring and Sharon Cooper reported in Mindsight on 31 blind people, including 14 blind from birth, who described NDEs, and several said they had visual impressions. Researchers continue to debate how to interpret such accounts, since they rely on memory and are hard to confirm independently.
The fair summary: a few compelling cases exist, and none has been confirmed under controlled conditions. Anyone who tells you the question is closed in either direction is going beyond the evidence.
Hear It from the Researchers
Two Next Level Soul Podcast guests have spent years inside the research.
Dr. Jeffrey Long on a Massive NDE Study with Dr. Jeffrey Long. Dr. Jeffrey Long shares findings from a study of over 800 people, why he says physicalism falls short, and why he believes love is the glue of the universe.
Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove on Patterns in 1,700 NDE Cases with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove. Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove shares what he says research on past life cases, near-death experiences and consciousness suggests about survival after death.
What the Dying Brain Studies Add
In 2013, neurologist Jimo Borjigin and colleagues at the University of Michigan found organized gamma-wave surges in the brains of dying rats after the heart stopped. In 2023, her team reported similar surges in two of four comatose patients who died while being monitored. Gamma waves are associated with heightened mental activity. The authors themselves wrote that they cannot rule out that the surge is a dying process unrelated to conscious experience. Pim van Lommel, who was not part of the study, noted there is no evidence these surges correlated with any experience. This is promising science, not a settled answer, and Scientific American covered it in detail.
Why the Aftereffects Matter
One reason many researchers feel simple explanations fall short is what happens afterward. Experiencers frequently describe a lasting shift in values, with less fear of death and a deeper sense of connection. A study by Khanna and Greyson on near-death experiences and spiritual well-being is available from the University of Virginia. A dream or a drug effect usually fades. These changes often last for years. That is not proof of anything beyond the brain, but it is data any complete theory has to explain.
Anton Grosz: Light, Dimensions and “We Are One” with Anton Grosz. Anton Grosz shares what he says he experienced: light, many dimensions, deep peace and the idea that we are one. It is a good example of how a personal account sounds in the voice of the person who lived it.
Not Every Experience Is Peaceful
A fair account has to include experiences that are frightening or distressing. Researchers Nancy Evans Bush and Bruce Greyson have written about them in Distressing near-death experiences: The basics, and the Psi Encyclopedia summarizes the topic. If an experience of your own is troubling you, a licensed counselor or an experiencer support group such as those listed by IANDS can help.
How to Weigh It Yourself
If you want to move from reading to deciding, a few questions help. Does the claim come from a prospective study or a recollection years later? Did anyone check the details against a record? Is the author describing what they found, or what they believe it means? Can a simpler explanation account for the same facts? Asking these questions is not cynicism. It is how good researchers on every side work, and it is how you can honor both the experiencers and the evidence.
If this subject is personal for you, our guided meditations and audio courses offer a gentle way to sit with questions about life and death, and the complete NDE guide goes further into what the experience is like. For related ideas, see the silver cord in astral projection and near-death lore and the astral journey.
Episodes to Watch Next
More Next Level Soul conversations with researchers and experiencers on near-death experiences, the evidence and what comes next.
Sources and Further Reading
- Near-death experience (Wikipedia)
- Pam Reynolds case (Wikipedia)
- Pim van Lommel (Wikipedia)
- Sam Parnia (Wikipedia)
- AWARE-II study, Resuscitation (2023)
- Near-death experiences after cardiac arrest: a scoping review (PMC)
- Distressing near-death experiences: The basics (PMC)
- NDE Scale description (University of Virginia)
- International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS)
Spirituality for the Rest of Us™
Movies, teachings and community on Next Level Soul TV.
Near-Death Experience Documentaries on Next Level Soul TV
Frequently Asked Questions: Are Near-Death Experiences Real?
Are near-death experiences real?
The experiences are real in the sense that people consistently report them, and the reports share a recognizable pattern. What they mean is still debated. Some researchers favor brain-based explanations, others think consciousness may reach beyond the brain, and the evidence does not yet settle the question.
Are near-death experiences hallucinations?
Some researchers say they are hallucinations produced by a stressed brain. Others point out that NDEs are typically clear, organized and remembered in detail, which is unlike most hallucinations. Neither view has been proven, and thoughtful scientists hold both.
What percentage of people have a near-death experience?
It depends on who is counted. In the Dutch study of 344 resuscitated cardiac arrest patients, 62 people, or 18 percent, reported one. Other studies report different rates, depending on how they define and measure the experience.
Can DMT explain near-death experiences?
DMT is one of several chemicals proposed as a cause. Researchers note that no chemical has been shown to produce the full NDE pattern, including the life review and the lasting life changes, so DMT remains a possible contributor rather than a complete explanation.
What is the best evidence for near-death experiences?
The most cited sources are the 2001 Dutch prospective study published in The Lancet, the AWARE studies led by Dr. Sam Parnia, and heavily monitored cases such as Pam Reynolds. Each has supporters and critics, which this guide lays out.
What do skeptics say about near-death experiences?
Skeptics point to low oxygen, brain chemistry, REM intrusion and expectation. They also note that reports of accurate perception while unconscious are rare, hard to verify and sometimes explained by events before or after the unconscious period.
What is a veridical near-death experience?
A veridical NDE is one in which a person reports details of the physical world that were later checked and found accurate, even though they appeared unconscious. A few compelling cases exist, but none has been confirmed under controlled conditions.
Do near-death experiences change people?
Many experiencers report lasting changes in values, such as less fear of death and a stronger sense of connection. Researchers including Bruce Greyson have studied these aftereffects, which are one reason simple explanations feel incomplete to some.
Are all near-death experiences peaceful?
No. Some people report distressing experiences. Researchers Nancy Evans Bush and Bruce Greyson have written about them, and the topic is covered by the Psi Encyclopedia. If an experience troubles you, a counselor or an experiencer support group can help.
Do near-death experiences prove an afterlife?
No single study proves it. Dr. Bruce Greyson has said NDEs are not evidence for or against the existence of God, and the deeper interpretation remains a matter of reasoning and personal belief.
Who can I hear from directly?
The Next Level Soul Podcast has interviewed researchers and experiencers, including Dr. Jeffrey Long, Dr. Janice Holden, Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Eben Alexander and Anton Grosz. Their episodes are embedded and linked in this guide.
Go Deeper with NLS Mastery: Beyond the Veil
A grounded exploration of what lies beyond death and how that understanding changes how we live. Julie Ryan teaches it in Beyond the Veil, part of NLS Mastery. Watch the course preview below.
