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JNDS, Volume 26, Number 3
Letter from P. M. H. Atwater to the editor discussing how memories of near-death experiences appear to be more stable over time than other traumatic memories
The evolving self : finding meaning in near-death experiences using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Objectives: A variety of anomalous experiences have been reported in the research literature as enhancing, rather than indicating poor mental health. The out-of-body experience (OBE), where the personās self and body are phenomenologically separate, is a relatively common anomalous experience. The aim of this study was to investigate the experience of an OBE and its resultant after-effects. Design: An idiographic, phenomenological, qualitative approach was adopted. Methods: Three participants took part in recorded face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: IPA found experients perceived their OBEs as occurring at times of personal significance. They were inextricably linked with participantsā lives beyond their point of occurrence and played an adaptive role in response to difficult life events. The process of integration was helped or hindered by the varying reactions from others to the disclosure of the OBE. Conclusions: The idiographic nature of this study was instrumental in highlighting the subtle personal and social factors that influenced how the OBE was managed and integrated