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4555
qualitative
journal
Greyson, Bruce. "Near-Death Experiences and Spirituality." Zygon 41, no. 2 (June 2006): 393-414. Case: 31-year-old woman, open-heart surgery.
Zygon, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 393-414, 2006
1985
2006
31
F
During open-heart surgery, a 31-year-old woman found herself suddenly elevated above her body in a profound out-of-body experience. She described finding herself in a dark place with patches of mist, with nothing underneath her, completely detached from the physical world below. Though she never saw her physical body on the operating table, she was acutely aware of having left it behind.
Initially, she experienced no fear despite the strangeness of her situation. She wondered why she wasn't afraid but felt completely natural in this elevated state. Then an overwhelming feeling of love and joy enveloped her entire being. This love was not directional but seemed to surround her from all sides. Her attention was automatically drawn to a circle of light in the distance that she would never forget. She could feel intense love emanating from that light, not as a focused beam but as an all-encompassing presence that filled the space around her. The beauty of the light was beyond her ability to describe. As she moved toward it with her arms extended, wanting to embrace it, she could feel the vibrations and air as she traveled, though she wasn't walking. The movement felt perfectly natural. As she drew closer to the light, she found herself in an internal argument about whether to continue. Part of her questioned if she should return to care for her children, but she emphatically said "No!" She loved her children both on earth and in that realm, but it was a different kind of love - pure, true, and free of earthly worries. After this profound experience of absolute pure love that transcended earthly attachments, she was returned to her body during the surgery. The experience left her with a completely transformed understanding of love and life.
3
Hospital
7
0
7
Weak Evidence
0
Open-heart surgery with deep anesthesia
No veridical observations reported
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1.00
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7/23/2025
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