Near-Death Experiences

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are intensely vivid and often life-transforming experiences, many of which occur under extreme physiological conditions such as trauma, ceasing of brain activity, deep general anesthesia or cardiac arrest in which no awareness or sensory experiences should be possible according to the prevailing views in neuroscience.

Dr. Greyson interviewing a near-death experiencer

List of Typical Features

sensation of leaving the body
mind functioning more clearly and rapidly than usual
sensation of being drawn into a tunnel or darkness
brilliant light, sometimes at the end of the tunnel
sense of peace, well-being, and/or unconditional love
sense of having access to unlimited knowledge
“life review” or recall of important events in the past
preview of future events yet to come
encounters with deceased loved ones, or other beings generally identified as religious figures

While these features are commonly reported, many NDEs differ from this pattern and include other elements. For example, some NDEs may be frightening or distressing rather than peaceful.

Have you had a NDE?

Contact Us – We are interested in hearing about all kinds of NDEs, particularly veridical ones. Veridical NDEs occur when experiencers acquire verifiable information that they could not have obtained by any normal means. For example, some experiencers report seeing events going on at a distant location, such as another room of the hospital. These cases bear on the question of whether the mind can function outside the physical body, and on whether we may survive bodily death.

If you would like to speak with other people who have had a near-death experience, you can find a list of support groups at the International Association of Near-Death Studies.

NDE - Anita Moorjani

Bruce Greyson, Anita Moorjani and Brian Walker, May 2019

Dr. Greyson, Anita Moorjani, and Dr. Walker

Anita Moorjani and her former doctor, Dr. Brian Walker, visited Dr. Greyson at DOPS in May 2019 for a lively discussion on the topic. Dr. Walker was a witness to Anita’s severely deteriorated medical condition before she had her NDE.

In her best-selling book “Dying to Be Me“, Anita describes the events and serious illness which led to her NDE, in addition to the life-affirming changes that followed for her after the experience.

NDE - Dr. Eben Alexander

Dr. Bruce Greyson, Anita Moorjani, and Dr. Eben Alexander visting DOPS, May 2019

Dr. Greyson, Anita Moorjani, and Dr. Alexander

Dr. Eben Alexander and Anita Moorjani had complex, medically documented illnesses at the time they experienced their NDEs. Both individuals were gravely ill at the time and their recoveries perplexed the attending medical professionals.

Eben, a neurosurgeon, wrote a best-selling book detailing his experience: “Proof of Heaven“. He also granted Dr. Greyson permission to review his medical records, resulting in an academic analysis of this case.

Fifty Years of Research - Dr. Bruce Greyson

Dr. Greyson researching with Dr. Pehlivanova

Bruce Greyson, MD began his research into NDEs here at the University of Virginia in the mid-1970’s. Throughout his career, Dr. Greyson has studied over 1000 cases and documented the profound effects on individuals’ attitudes, beliefs, values, and personalities. His research has also shown why these experiences cannot be dismissed as dream states or hallucinations.

He continues to collaborate with esteemed scientific colleagues from all around the world, even after his retirement in 2015. At DOPS, he works with Dr. Marieta Pehlivanova, providing mentorship and collaboration on a variety of ongoing NDE research projects. Dr. Greyson’s extensive research on NDEs challenges us to think more deeper about the relationship between the mind and brain, as well as consider the possibility of consciousness surviving death.

To view Bruce’s personal website, click here

Books and Academic Publications Podcasts/Radio Interviews

Dr. Bruce Greyson appeared on Ologies to talk about quasithanatology: near-death experiences.

Tunnels of light. Unconditional love. Visions of dead aunts. And a lot of questions. What happens when you die… or almost die? GOOD QUESTION. Dr. Bruce Greyson chats about about brain activity during death, accounts from patients, out of body experiments, time dilation, the Swiss Alps, deathbed visions, accidental morgue visits, neurotransmitters, party drugs, religion vs. spirituality, and what matters most in life.

NPR- Up First Podcast: “Changed by a Near-death Experience: One man recounts his near-death COVID story”

When Randy Schiefer was hospitalized in March 2020 with COVID-19, his chances of survival didn’t look good. After nearly a month in a medically induced coma he pulled through, but an experience he had while unconscious left him forever changed. Randy shares the story of his near-death experience and psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Greyson shares what he’s learned from 50 years of studying what happens when people are close to death.

DOPS researcher Dr. Marieta Pehlivanova, recently appeared on the NPR-WNCU program “The Measure of Everyday Life”.

A force that animates all of our lives in some way is the concept of death. What if we had more certainty about what happens when we die? What if a preview of death could inform our life?

In this episode, Marieta Pehlivanova discusses the research on near-death experiences.

Sarah McConnel, Host of “With Good Reason“, interviewed Bruce Greyson about his research into Near-Death Experiences:

You only die once. But you can get close a few times. Bruce Greyson never was very spiritual, but after interviewing 1,000’s of people who have had near-death experiences he’s changed his mind about life after death. His new book is After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond. (June, 2021)

TREND FOLLOWING with MICHAEL COVEL. Bruce Greyson reveals his journey toward rethinking the nature of death, life, and the continuity of consciousness. Cases of remarkable experiences on the threshold of death have been reported since ancient times, and are described today by 10% of people whose hearts stop. Medicine has generally ignored these “near-death experiences,” dismissing them as “tricks of the brain” or wishful thinking. Greyson began to investigate after his patients started describing events that he could not ignore.

Bruce Greyson Interviewed on “Coast to Coast”: Popular radio host George Noory interviewed Dr. Bruce Greyson about his NDE Research. “Almost every experiencer that I’ve talked to has said they are no longer afraid of dying after their near-death experience”-Bruce Greyson

Red River Radio/NPR, Illuminations: Near-Death Experiences. Ranae Moran and Dee Anne Phillips explore the subject of near-death experiences with leading experts Dr. Bruce Greyson and Dr. Gary Habermas. More on the topic can be found in Dr. Greyson’s book, “After,” and “Beyond Death” by Dr. Habermas.

WUNC/The People’s Pharmacy: How Near Death Experiences Transform People’s Lives. People who report near death experiences often find that their lives have changed instantly and permanently, with new values and no fear of death. Joe and Terry Graedon PhD are the hosts.

What Near-Death Experiences Show About Our Brains And Our Beliefs –The State of Things, North Carolina Public radio, WUNC, hosted by Frank Stasio. In 2017, Dr. Bruce Greyson discussed his research into Near Death Experiences on the NPR program The State of Things . Host Frank Stasio interviewed Dr. Greyson about his NDE research along with Susan Amsden, a group leader of the International Association of Near-Death Studies in Durham, NC.

Listen to Dr. Bruce Greyson in a radio interview on Minnesota Public Radio- A glimpse of the afterlife through near-death experiences. On April 6th, 2015, Dr. Bruce Greyson did a live radio interview on MPR along with journalist Gideon Lichfield. Mr Lichfield wrote an article on near death experiences that appeared in “The Atlantic Magazine”, titled, ” The Science of Near Death Experiences-Empirically investigating brushes with the afterlife“.

Listen to author Mark Gober (Book: An End to Upside Down Thinking) interview Dr. Bruce Greyson on his podcast “Where is My Mind” about the topic of Near-Death Experiences. This is a very insightful and in-depth interview with Dr. Greyson (August, 2019). Listen to: Episode 5: Near-Death Experience‪s

Dr. Bruce Greyson is interviewed in this segment by our respected colleague Dr. Dean Radin, of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (www.noetic.org). They discuss the nature and scope of near-death experiences in this in-depth interview-highly recommended (October, 2014). Listen to: Dr. Bruce Greyson on NDEs-Interviewed by Dr. Dean Radin of IONS.