Near-death experience: memory recovery during hypnosis

Abstract

Increasing numbers of research studies have offered evidence regarding awareness of verified events during near-death experiences (NDEs) occurring during cardiac arrest and severely impaired brain function. The prevalence of patients reporting core NDEs under these conditions is reported as 10–12 %. One question that is often asked is why this percentage is low. Though it may be hypothesized that NDEs are limited to this low percentage of patients, it is also possible that more patients experience an NDE, but that memory is impaired sufficiently such that the NDE is not recalled. In this article I present a detailed and extensively verified case study of a woman, Stephanie Arnold, who experienced an NDE during the birth of her second child when she was 41 years old. The data provide evidence that supports the hypotheses 1) that during cardiac arrest an NDE may occur, but not be remembered until hypnotic regression therapy reveals extensive details of the events that could not have been perceived with the five senses, both in the operating room and elsewhere during resuscitation. 2) that there may also be pre-cognition of the events leading to the cardiac arrest, reported in clear detail, and 3) that NDEs lead to a fundamental transformation in an individual's understanding of the nature of consciousness, their quest for meaning and purpose, their concern for others, and their appreciation of life.