Bruce Greyson
Biographic Data
| ID | 650766 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bruce Greyson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bruce |
| FAMILY NAME | Greyson |
| SIGNATURE | GREYSON B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Virginia Health System |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2192-7898 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Operationalizing near‐death experiences: Stability of the NDE Rasch hierarchy over two decades
Impacts on Caregivers of Witnessing Terminal Lucidity in Children
Cases of terminal lucidity (TL) in children have recently been documented in contemporary literature, yet no studies have examined the impact on caregivers of witnessing TL in children. Using an online survey, this study assessed the impact of witnessing TL in children on seven caregivers who described a total of 11 cases of TL in children. Findings revealed that witnessing TL in children was considered a spiritual experience that influenced care…
Which near-death experience features are associated with reduced fear of death
Death is a common existential concern, and fear of death is widespread at subclinical levels. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound mystical experiences that may occur close to death, and they are usually followed by dramatic reductions in fear of death. The content of these experiences varies in each case, but NDEs tend to have common features among individuals and across cultures. While many studies using different tools to measure fear of…
The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: Development and psychometric validation
Characteristics of memories for near-death experiences
Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are vivid experiences that often occur in life-threatening conditions, usually characterized by a transcendent tone and clear perceptions of leaving the body and being in a different spatiotemporal dimension. Such experiences have been reported throughout history in diverse cultures, and are reported today by 10% to 20% of people who have come close to death. Although cultural expectations and parameters of the brush…
Mystical experiences associated with seizures
Alterations of consciousness are critical factors in the diagnosis of epilepsy and seizure disorders. With this alteration in consciousness, some persons report unusual experiences that have been thought to resemble spontaneous mystical experiences. This study was designed to identify and characterize the mystical experiences associated with seizure activity, through the use of a quantitative instrument with well-documented reliability and validi…
Daily spiritual experiences before and after near-death experiences
People who have near-death experiences (NDEs) often report a subsequently increased sense of spirituality and a connection with their inner self and the world around them. In this study, we examined daily spiritual experiences, using Underwood and Teresi’s (2002) Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, among 229 persons who had come close to death. Frequency of daily spiritual experiences before the close brush with death did not differentiate particip…
Near-Death Experiences and Spiritual Well-Being
The Death of Anna Katharina Ehmer: A Case Study in Terminal Lucidity
Terminal lucidity, the unexpected return of mental clarity and memory shortly before the death of patients suffering from severe psychiatric and neurologic disorders, has raised the curiosity of numerous physicians and laypersons in the past. However, this peculiar phenomenon has received little attention in the recent decades. In previous publications, we have presented overviews of cases of terminal lucidity in various neurologic and psychiatri…
Congruence Between Near-Death and Mystical Experience
Near-death experiences, altered states during a brush with death, may include mystical features like a sense of sacredness and divine union, timelessness/spacelessness, positive mood, noetic quality, and ineffability. We quantified mystical elements in near-death experience by comparing responses on the Mysticism Scale of 292 near-death experiencers and 34 persons who had come close to death without near-death experiences. Two thirds of near-deat…
Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology
Classical physics, anchored in materialist reductionism, offered adequate descriptions of everyday mechanics but ultimately proved insufficient for describing the mechanics of extremely high speeds or small sizes, and was supplemented nearly a century ago by quantum physics, which includes consciousness in its formulation. Materialist psychology, modeled on the reductionism of classical physics, likewise offered adequate descriptions of everyday …
Seeing Dead People Not Known to Have Died: “Peak in Darien” Experiences
The ubiquitous belief that, after death, our consciousness might persist in some discarnate form is fueled in part by phenomena like near‐death experiences (NDEs) and deathbed visions, mystical experiences reported on the threshold of death. Some NDEs, called “Peak in Darien” experiences, include visions of deceased people who are not known at the time to be dead. Cases of this kind provide some of the most persuasive evidence for the survival of…
False Positive” Claims of Near-Death Experiences and “False Negative” Denials of Near-Death Experiences
Some persons who claim to have had near-death experiences (NDEs) fail research criteria for having had NDEs ("false positives"); others who deny having had NDEs do meet research criteria for having had NDEs ("false negatives"). The author evaluated false positive claims and false negative denials in an organization that promotes near-death research and in psychiatric outpatients. The frequency of false positives and negatives varied in samples th…
Auditory Hallucinations Following Near-Death Experiences
Among persons who reported having had near-death experiences, 80% also reported subsequent auditory hallucinations. Experiencers’ attitudes toward these hallucinations were over-whelmingly positive, as contrasted with the overwhelmingly negative attitudes of patients with schizophrenia toward their auditory hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations not related to disease processes are common and may be highly valued by those who hear them
A Rasch scaling validation of a 'core' near-death experience
For those with true near-death experiences (NDEs), Greyson's (1983, 1990) NDE Scale satisfactorily fits the Rasch rating scale model, thus yielding a unidimensional measure with interval-level scaling properties. With increasing intensity, NDEs reflect peace, joy and harmony, followed by insight and mystical or religious experiences, while the most intense NDEs involve an awareness of things occurring in a different place or time. The semantics o…
Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences
Persons who report "near-death experiences" (NDEs) acknowledge more intrusive symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who came close to death without NDEs, but not more avoidance symptoms, suggesting a nonspecific stress response. Although dissociation generally increases vulnerability to PTSD, the positive affect that distinguishes NDEs from other dissociative experiences may mitigate subsequent PTSD symptoms
Can Experiences Near Death Furnish Evidence of Life after Death
Most people who have a near-death experience (NDE) say that the experience convinced them that they will survive death. People who have not had such an experience, however, may not share this conviction. Although all features of NDEs, when looked at alone, might be explained in ways other than survival, there are three features in particular that we believe suggest the possibility of survival, especially when they all occur in the same experience…
Defining near-death experiences
Researchers have failed to distinguish definitions of near-death experiences (NDEs), criteria for identifying them and tests of those criteria. Few researchers specify criteria or apply standard tests; those who do often use those tests inappropriately. Tests of NDEs may either describe their common features, measure their depth, or 'diagnose' their occurrence; all three have been used to define NDEs, although they serve different purposes. Since…
Near-death experiences and the physio-kundalini syndrome
Near-Death Experiences and Antisuicidal Attitudes
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been reported to decrease fear of death and foster a “romanticized” view of death, yet also promote antisuicidal attitudes. This study was an empirical investigation of psychodynamic hypotheses suggested to explain that paradoxical effect, using a thirty-six-item questionnaire constructed for this purpose. One hundred-fifty near-death experiencers (NDErs) and forty-three individuals who had come close to death b…
Reduced death threat in near-death experiencers
Near-death experiences (NDEs), profound mystical or transcendental experiences occurring on the threshold of death, have been reported to reduce fear of death and death anxiety. This study compared responses to the Threat Index, a widely used measure of the threat implied by one's personal death, of (a) 135 near-death experiences, (b) 43 individuals who had come close to death but not had an NDE, and (c) 112 individuals who had never come close t…
The Near-Death Experience: Problems, Prospects, Perspectives
The Near-Death Experience Scale: Construction, Reliability, and Validity
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been described consistently since antiquity and more rigorously in recent years. Investigation into their mechanisms and effects has been impeded by the lack of quantitative measures of the NDE and its components. From an initial pool of 80 manifestations characteristic of NDEs, a 33-item scaled-response preliminary questionnaire was developed, which was completed by knowledgeable subjects describing their 74 ND…
Reduced death threat in near-death experiencers
Near-death experiences (NDEs), profound mystical or transcendental experiences occurring on the threshold of death, have been reported to reduce fear of death and death anxiety. This study compared responses to the Threat Index, a widely used measure of the threat implied by one's personal death, of (a) 135 near-death experiences, (b) 43 individuals who had come close to death but not had an NDE, and (c) 112 individuals who had never come close t…
Congruence Between Near-Death and Mystical Experience
Near-death experiences, altered states during a brush with death, may include mystical features like a sense of sacredness and divine union, timelessness/spacelessness, positive mood, noetic quality, and ineffability. We quantified mystical elements in near-death experience by comparing responses on the Mysticism Scale of 292 near-death experiencers and 34 persons who had come close to death without near-death experiences. Two thirds of near-deat…
A Rasch scaling validation of a 'core' near-death experience
For those with true near-death experiences (NDEs), Greyson's (1983, 1990) NDE Scale satisfactorily fits the Rasch rating scale model, thus yielding a unidimensional measure with interval-level scaling properties. With increasing intensity, NDEs reflect peace, joy and harmony, followed by insight and mystical or religious experiences, while the most intense NDEs involve an awareness of things occurring in a different place or time. The semantics o…
False Positive” Claims of Near-Death Experiences and “False Negative” Denials of Near-Death Experiences
Some persons who claim to have had near-death experiences (NDEs) fail research criteria for having had NDEs ("false positives"); others who deny having had NDEs do meet research criteria for having had NDEs ("false negatives"). The author evaluated false positive claims and false negative denials in an organization that promotes near-death research and in psychiatric outpatients. The frequency of false positives and negatives varied in samples th…
The Near-Death Experience Scale: Construction, Reliability, and Validity
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been described consistently since antiquity and more rigorously in recent years. Investigation into their mechanisms and effects has been impeded by the lack of quantitative measures of the NDE and its components. From an initial pool of 80 manifestations characteristic of NDEs, a 33-item scaled-response preliminary questionnaire was developed, which was completed by knowledgeable subjects describing their 74 ND…
The Near-Death Experience: Problems, Prospects, Perspectives
Reduced death threat in near-death experiencers
Near-death experiences (NDEs), profound mystical or transcendental experiences occurring on the threshold of death, have been reported to reduce fear of death and death anxiety. This study compared responses to the Threat Index, a widely used measure of the threat implied by one's personal death, of (a) 135 near-death experiences, (b) 43 individuals who had come close to death but not had an NDE, and (c) 112 individuals who had never come close t…
Near-death experiences and the physio-kundalini syndrome
Near-Death Experiences and Antisuicidal Attitudes
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been reported to decrease fear of death and foster a “romanticized” view of death, yet also promote antisuicidal attitudes. This study was an empirical investigation of psychodynamic hypotheses suggested to explain that paradoxical effect, using a thirty-six-item questionnaire constructed for this purpose. One hundred-fifty near-death experiencers (NDErs) and forty-three individuals who had come close to death b…
Defining near-death experiences
Researchers have failed to distinguish definitions of near-death experiences (NDEs), criteria for identifying them and tests of those criteria. Few researchers specify criteria or apply standard tests; those who do often use those tests inappropriately. Tests of NDEs may either describe their common features, measure their depth, or 'diagnose' their occurrence; all three have been used to define NDEs, although they serve different purposes. Since…
Can Experiences Near Death Furnish Evidence of Life after Death
Most people who have a near-death experience (NDE) say that the experience convinced them that they will survive death. People who have not had such an experience, however, may not share this conviction. Although all features of NDEs, when looked at alone, might be explained in ways other than survival, there are three features in particular that we believe suggest the possibility of survival, especially when they all occur in the same experience…
Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences
Persons who report "near-death experiences" (NDEs) acknowledge more intrusive symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who came close to death without NDEs, but not more avoidance symptoms, suggesting a nonspecific stress response. Although dissociation generally increases vulnerability to PTSD, the positive affect that distinguishes NDEs from other dissociative experiences may mitigate subsequent PTSD symptoms
Auditory Hallucinations Following Near-Death Experiences
Among persons who reported having had near-death experiences, 80% also reported subsequent auditory hallucinations. Experiencers’ attitudes toward these hallucinations were over-whelmingly positive, as contrasted with the overwhelmingly negative attitudes of patients with schizophrenia toward their auditory hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations not related to disease processes are common and may be highly valued by those who hear them
A Rasch scaling validation of a 'core' near-death experience
For those with true near-death experiences (NDEs), Greyson's (1983, 1990) NDE Scale satisfactorily fits the Rasch rating scale model, thus yielding a unidimensional measure with interval-level scaling properties. With increasing intensity, NDEs reflect peace, joy and harmony, followed by insight and mystical or religious experiences, while the most intense NDEs involve an awareness of things occurring in a different place or time. The semantics o…
False Positive” Claims of Near-Death Experiences and “False Negative” Denials of Near-Death Experiences
Some persons who claim to have had near-death experiences (NDEs) fail research criteria for having had NDEs ("false positives"); others who deny having had NDEs do meet research criteria for having had NDEs ("false negatives"). The author evaluated false positive claims and false negative denials in an organization that promotes near-death research and in psychiatric outpatients. The frequency of false positives and negatives varied in samples th…
Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology
Classical physics, anchored in materialist reductionism, offered adequate descriptions of everyday mechanics but ultimately proved insufficient for describing the mechanics of extremely high speeds or small sizes, and was supplemented nearly a century ago by quantum physics, which includes consciousness in its formulation. Materialist psychology, modeled on the reductionism of classical physics, likewise offered adequate descriptions of everyday …
Seeing Dead People Not Known to Have Died: “Peak in Darien” Experiences
The ubiquitous belief that, after death, our consciousness might persist in some discarnate form is fueled in part by phenomena like near‐death experiences (NDEs) and deathbed visions, mystical experiences reported on the threshold of death. Some NDEs, called “Peak in Darien” experiences, include visions of deceased people who are not known at the time to be dead. Cases of this kind provide some of the most persuasive evidence for the survival of…
The Death of Anna Katharina Ehmer: A Case Study in Terminal Lucidity
Terminal lucidity, the unexpected return of mental clarity and memory shortly before the death of patients suffering from severe psychiatric and neurologic disorders, has raised the curiosity of numerous physicians and laypersons in the past. However, this peculiar phenomenon has received little attention in the recent decades. In previous publications, we have presented overviews of cases of terminal lucidity in various neurologic and psychiatri…
Congruence Between Near-Death and Mystical Experience
Near-death experiences, altered states during a brush with death, may include mystical features like a sense of sacredness and divine union, timelessness/spacelessness, positive mood, noetic quality, and ineffability. We quantified mystical elements in near-death experience by comparing responses on the Mysticism Scale of 292 near-death experiencers and 34 persons who had come close to death without near-death experiences. Two thirds of near-deat…
Daily spiritual experiences before and after near-death experiences
People who have near-death experiences (NDEs) often report a subsequently increased sense of spirituality and a connection with their inner self and the world around them. In this study, we examined daily spiritual experiences, using Underwood and Teresi’s (2002) Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, among 229 persons who had come close to death. Frequency of daily spiritual experiences before the close brush with death did not differentiate particip…
Near-Death Experiences and Spiritual Well-Being
Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are vivid experiences that often occur in life-threatening conditions, usually characterized by a transcendent tone and clear perceptions of leaving the body and being in a different spatiotemporal dimension. Such experiences have been reported throughout history in diverse cultures, and are reported today by 10% to 20% of people who have come close to death. Although cultural expectations and parameters of the brush…
Mystical experiences associated with seizures
Alterations of consciousness are critical factors in the diagnosis of epilepsy and seizure disorders. With this alteration in consciousness, some persons report unusual experiences that have been thought to resemble spontaneous mystical experiences. This study was designed to identify and characterize the mystical experiences associated with seizure activity, through the use of a quantitative instrument with well-documented reliability and validi…
Characteristics of memories for near-death experiences
The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: Development and psychometric validation
Which near-death experience features are associated with reduced fear of death
Death is a common existential concern, and fear of death is widespread at subclinical levels. Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound mystical experiences that may occur close to death, and they are usually followed by dramatic reductions in fear of death. The content of these experiences varies in each case, but NDEs tend to have common features among individuals and across cultures. While many studies using different tools to measure fear of…
Impacts on Caregivers of Witnessing Terminal Lucidity in Children
Cases of terminal lucidity (TL) in children have recently been documented in contemporary literature, yet no studies have examined the impact on caregivers of witnessing TL in children. Using an online survey, this study assessed the impact of witnessing TL in children on seven caregivers who described a total of 11 cases of TL in children. Findings revealed that witnessing TL in children was considered a spiritual experience that influenced care…
Operationalizing near‐death experiences: Stability of the NDE Rasch hierarchy over two decades
Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs (24 works) · Psychology (21 works) · Biofield Effects and Biophysics (12 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Medicine (9 works) · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments (8 works) · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Mysticism (6 works)