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Five minutes after death: A study of beliefs and expectations

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Journal of Near-Death Studies

Abstract

This paper examines the beliefs and expectations that a sample of 508 people hold about the first five minutes after death. A substantial minority believed that they will experience the main elements of the neardeath experience (NDE). In general these elements were cited more frequently than were Biblical images. Six percent of the sample said that postmortem survival for them will be a negative and disturbing experience. We discuss these results in terms of their methodological implications for other survey work and their theoretical contribution toward our understanding of negative NDEs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New England, Australia

    Harvey Irwin Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New England)

  2. Department of Sociology, La Trobe University, 3083, Bundoora, Australia

    Allan Kellehear Ph.D. (Lecturer in Sociology at La Trobe University)

Authors
  1. Allan Kellehear Ph.D.
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  2. Harvey Irwin Ph.D.
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Kellehear, A., Irwin, H. Five minutes after death: A study of beliefs and expectations. J Near-Death Stud 9, 77–90 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074208

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01074208

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