Near-death experience as mystical experience.
Journal of religion and health March 1, 1986 DOI: 10.1007/bf01533055 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractNear-death experiences share many characteristics with mystical awareness. Walter Pahnke's nine-category typology of mystical experience, originally used to assess psychedelic experiences, is applied here to illustrate the mystical nature of near-death experiences. The typology also describes the self-transformation that follows mystical states of consciousness, and such self-transformation is a known result of near-death experiences. The author argues that Pahnke's typology characterizes the near-death experience and allows it to be defined as a mystical state.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Mystical experience Mysticism Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Afterlife experiences Out-of-body experiences Profound experiences |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key finding | Near-death experiences can be characterized and defined as a mystical state using Pahnke's nine-category typology of mystical experience. |
Abstract
Near-death experience exhibits many attributes of mystical awareness. Assessing the mystical quality of psychedelic experience, Walter Pahnke identified a nine-category typology of mystical experience. It is used here to illustrate the mystical nature of near-death experience. The typology also describes the self-transformation which follows the mystical state of consciousness. Self-transformation results from near-death experience. Pahnke's mystical typology characterizes the near-death experience and allows for a definition of near-death experience as a mystical state.