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A near-death experience, or NDE, is a profound psychological and spiritual phenomenon that typically occurs during a trauma, health crisis or clinical death, although similar experiences can happen spontaneously in emotionally intense situations or during every-day life. Each near-death experience is unique, but as a group NDEs display common features. By itself, coming close to death without any of these special features is not what is meant by a "near-death experience."

No scientific explanation so far accounts for all aspects of NDEs or their effects. For example, lack of oxygen is not a factor in all NDEs, nor is the presence of drugs. Whereas hallucinations tend to be individual, and produce confusion and hazy memories, NDEs follow a broad general pattern that crosses cultures; they remain in memory for decades as being "realer than real." The research continues.

Thousands of documented NDEs challenge mainstream Western thinking and belief systems. For example, some people who have an NDE accurately report events that occurred around their bodies when they were unconscious or even clinically dead. Some NDEs have revealed family secrets, such as the existence of a never-mentioned sibling. Expectations about an afterlife may be challenged, and some people abruptly develop radically new interests and abilities after an NDE. Importantly, the effects of an NDE are enduring, powerful, and often life-altering.

The International Association for Near-Death Studies, Inc. (IANDS) is the only professional organization in the world devoted exclusively to the study of near-death and related experiences. IANDS publishes a peer-reviewed journal and a member newsletter, and sponsors conferences for NDE experiencers, scholars, and the public. We invite you to join today to become a part of this mission and keep up-to-date on research developments.