Ellwood, G. F. (1996). Distressing near-death experiences as photographic negatives. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 15(2) 83-114.
Abstract: This essay presents various interpretative frameworks for painful near-death experiences (NDEs). It describes Bruce Greyson and Nancy Evans Bush’s three-part typology of inverted NDEs, everlasting void experiences, and hellish experiences, suggesting a further breakdown of the latter into entity-centered and fire-centered. A potential fourth category is the empathetic life review. As a religious context for distressing experiences, I present Rudolf Otto’s concept of the nonrational mysterium tremendum. The major rational paradigms that have been applied to such experiences can be categorized as the supernaturalistic, the reductionistic, and the one-world types. I give examples of several kinds of one-world views, particularly three Christian mystics of early modern times, and offer suggestions of ways in which elements of different one-world views might be combined.
Copyright: © 2008 International Association for Near-Death Studies
Link: http://www.iands.org
Topics:
Accounts of NDEs—Biographical, Cases
Aftereffects of NDEs—Orientation to Death
Aftereffects of NDEs—Out-of-Body Experiences
Afterlife, Belief in
Altered States and NDEs
Characteristics of NDEs—Autoscopy, Out-of-Body
Characteristics of NDEs—Emotions, Distressing
Characteristics of NDEs—Emotions, Pleasurable
Characteristics of NDEs—Emotions NOS
Characteristics of NDEs—Encountering Beings, Deceased or Living
Characteristics of NDEs—Encountering Beings, Spiritual
Characteristics of NDEs—Life Review
Characteristics of NDEs—Light, Mystical
Characteristics of NDEs—Otherworldly Environments
Characteristics of NDEs—Parapsychological Phenomena NOS
Characteristics of NDEs—Perception of Time
Characteristics of NDEs—Sensory, Sound, Hearing
Characteristics of NDEs NOS
Circumstances of NDEs—Accident
Circumstances of NDEs—Illness
Circumstances of NDEs NOS
Cultural, Social Influences on NDEs
Explanations of NDEs—Philosophical
Explanations of NDEs—Psychological
Famous People's NDEs
Health Care Professionals and NDEs—Psychological
Interpretations of NDEs
Religion and NDEs—Buddhism
Religion and NDEs—Christianity
Religion and NDEs—Mysticism
Religion and NDEs NOS
Spiritualism and NDEs
Spirituality and NDEs