Near Death Experience Research Paper

Near Death Experiences

Since the beginning of time, mankind has questioned the meaning of life. The desire to know what purpose we serve is a universal interest. This burning question knows no boundaries; none in regard to religious belief, ethnicity, or geographical location. Discovering the ultimate meaning of life remains on the forefront of human curiosity. Over the years, many theories have been proposed, yet this achievement remains unconquered. There has been a recent shift in the desire to understand what happens after death, and the increase in occurrence of near-death experiences 's (NDE 's) have acted as miniature victories for philosophers and researchers world-wide. It is theorized that if an understanding of what occurs at

Dr. Kenneth Ring, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut was inspired by Dr. Raymond Moody 's work and set out to gather more evidence to support it. He gathered one hundred and two near-death survivors fora his research, and only used verifiable stories (Ring, 1982). For example, if an experiencer reported having seen something in an operating room during an out of body experience, Dr. Ring verified that particular event actually occurred. The more extensive that Dr. Ring 's research became, the more he began to explore the effect of NDE 's on the individual. Nearly all individuals who experienced an NDE found their lives transformed (Ring, 1982). Individuals reported a change in their values and attitudes about life (Ring, 1982). They also gained a deeper belief in love and altruism (Ring, 1982). Many people concluded that they indeed had purpose in life and knew without a doubt that the NDE was meant to act as a “wake-up call” (Ring, 1982). Individuals reported having a deeper understanding of their purpose in life. This purpose always included living “more deeply, more appreciatively, more lovingly, and more spiritually” (Ring, 1982). Individuals also report feeling less fear about death in the future after experiencing an NDE, and feel that a positive experience will take place when they actually

What is particularly interesting is that despite multiple reports from experiencer 's of NDE, there is still a wealth of skepticism. Thousands of NDE 's have been reported to medical professionals, and yet they are often brushed off as hallucinations, or insanity. It is my opinion that NDE 's do occur, but the purpose of these experiences is still debatable. Considering that the most substantial research efforts occurred in the 1980 's it is probably pre-mature to determine exactly what the cause and purpose of NDE 's are. I think what is comforting is that individuals who survive NDE 's come back with a noted vibrancy and zest for life. I believe that NDE 's create only positivity in people 's lives, and for that reason, I would never discount someone 's story about their own NDE. It is my sincere hope that there are future endeavors to understand NDE 's not only among experiencers, but also among scientists, medical doctors and psychologists. Perhaps a joint effort including multiple experts would result in the most