Healing and Paranormal Gifts:  Survey Results Between Near-Death Experiencers and Non-Near-Death Experiencers
by Jody

Reprint requests may be sent to Jody A. Long, J.D. at blueheron78@yahoo.com

People who are near-death experiencers (NDErs) are people who have died or experienced an imminent life-threatening event and subsequently come back to life.  They return with a collection of memories that occurred during the time of death.  Some of these memories are associated with an awareness of how to use certain gifts that may or may not have been present prior to the experience.  One of the more interesting things that some NDErs report after a near-death experience, is that they come back with healing gifts.  It is also highly intriguing that one of the most significant correlations between what is observed and expected is between “universal order and purpose” and “paranormal gifts” (Long, 2002).[1]  When my research colleague, Dr. Jeff Long, and I conceived of studying healing gifts as a presentation for the International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) 2003 annual conference, the presentation seemed quick and easy.  To our surprise, the project took on a life of its own and grew exponentially from there.  What resulted were answers to a newly conceived survey form in which 124 NDErs responded and 75 non-NDErs responded.  The pool of non-NDErs came from two of our websites: 1) those who submitted to www.nderf.org (NDERF) who did not have a NDE according to our definition of NDE and; 2) those who shared with the www.oberf.org (OBERF) website experiences that were not a NDE or after death communication, mainly consisting of out of body experiences, near-death like experiences, spiritually transformative events, and other spiritual spectrum experiences. 

Relatively few studies have been done on this topic.  A search of prior literature shows a 1983 study by Richard Kohr, who compared psi, dreams, and mystical states.  One element of the psi category consisted of healing.  Here, a group of 84 NDErs, who subjectively labeled themselves as NDErs, showed that the near-death experiencers were significantly different from group of “non-experiencers” and a group of “close to death only” experiencers  with a p<0.05.  The NDE group reported more psi-related experiences than the other two groups.  The suggestion for further study was that more data was needed to “trace the manner in which NDEs, spiritual and “growth” practices, attitudes, and peak experiences influence one another.

Kohr noted the earlier study by Bruce Greyson in which Greyson found a significantly greater incidence of reported psi and psi-related experiences after the NDE than before (Greyson, 1983, p. 171).  Greyson gave three alternative explanations for psi susceptibility following a NDE.  These explanations were: 1) the NDE may have enhanced the individual’s awareness of the psi abilities already possessed; 2) there may be some recall bias or exaggerated delusions based on after-the-fact recollection, or; 3) there may be “some underlying third factor that may have given rise to the NDE and was also responsible for the subsequent increase in psi experiences” (p. 172).  In summary, these alternative explanations can be summed up as existing abilities prior to the NDE, abilities caused by the NDE, dysfunctional memory, the same factor causes both, NDE and paranormal gifts, or some combination of all or some of these factors.    

A 1989 Australian study by Cherie Sutherland, involved 40 persons who subjectively labeled themselves as NDErs. (Sutherland, 1989).  This study looked at the incidence of reports of psychic phenomena associated beliefs prior to and after the NDE and compared to the general population.  It is unclear where the data for the general population came from or how many subjects were analyzed.  However, the following NDE results are notable and applicable to our study:

Reports of Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs Before and After NDE (p. 99)

General Population       Before NDE     After NDE

Intuition                   No data                     60%              95%
Healing ability           No data                       8%              70%
Life after death          42-59%                     47%             100%
Fear of death            No data                      78%                0%          

When Sutherland asked each subject what the most significant change for them since the NDE, not one person mentioned an increase in psychic phenomena.  Her main finding was that NDErs are not more psychically gifted prior to the NDE than the general public. 

Bruce Horocek’s 1997 study focused on the healing aspects of the NDE on dying and grieving individuals (Horacek, 1997).  The knowledge of the afterlife and the continuity of life was a great comfort to these people.  Lastly, Kenneth Ring’s 1991 study about the amazing grace of NDEs talks about the spiritually transformative and healing nature of NDEs and NDE-like experiences on formerly anguished and hopeless lives when the experience transforms personal, daily lives as a consequence of integrating the NDE with reality on earth. (Ring, 1991).  The knowledge of what life is like on the other side gives purpose, hope, and meaning to our temporary suffering on earth.

A few examples from the medical world involve placebo effects and environment.  One example is how Beecher at Anzio beach head cared for wounded soldiers.[2]  Not one requested morphine.  His comment was that if in a hospital probably most would request morphine.  Conclusion:  environment can influence how we respond.  Another observation is that human responses to placebo are strange.   Around 30-40% of patients with many medical conditions will respond just as well to a placebo as to medicine, e.g., even gastric ulcers.  Thus when testing a new drug placebos must be included in testing, unless ethical considerations are present.

Findings from the survey data yield important clues to healing, what it means and how it works.  This study spring-boards from Kohr’s research and delves into the manner in which NDEs, spiritual and “growth” practices, attitudes, and peak experiences influence one another.  It supports Sutherland’s Australian study, because participants discuss their views in relation to intuition, healing ability, life after death, and lack of fear of death.  Additionally echoed in sentiments expressed by both, NDE and non-NDE participants, is the great comfort that death is not the end of life and that there is a greater purpose to our existence on earth.  In the ensuing discussion, healing elements are contextualized and expanded to understand how they might fit into a greater, universal purpose.

METHODOLOGY

Questions asked on a survey of healing, specifically designed for the IANDS presentation, pertained to the meaning of healing, physical healing, emotional healing, healing of others, healing abilities prior to and after the experience, and substance sensitivity.  This survey was posted on the website www.nderf.org.  The survey was e-mailed to 315 NDErs who met the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) definition of “A lucid experience associated with perceived consciousness apart from the body occurring at the time of actual or threatened imminent death"  (Long, 2002).  The survey was e-mailed to 359 people who submitted to the NDERF web survey who did not meet the definition of a NDE.  The survey was also e-mailed to a total of 108 people who had contributed to the web survey on www.oberf.org.  Those people who did not respond or whose e-mail addresses were automatically returned were then snail mailed via the U.S. Postal Pervice. 

Out of a total of 315 NDErs, 124 (39.4%) responded to the survey.  Out of 467 non-NDErs, 75 (16.1%) responded to the survey.  It is recognized that there is some selection bias based on those who considered their experience important enough to share with others, those who use the internet, those who are willing to participate in lengthy surveys, and those who experienced healing would be more likely to answer the survey than others.  Additionally, there was a significant portion of those who did not answer the survey for whom we did not have current information to alert them about the survey.  These people were not discovered until e-mail bounced and letters containing the survey were returned as undeliverable.

Raw data were either imported or hand-entered into either a NDE or a non-NDE database.  Both investigators cross-checked the data to ensure that those answering the survey were accurately placed in the proper database. 

Each “yes,” “no,” “no response,” or “uncertain” (Y/N/NR/U) answer to questions was tabulated for both tables and percentages of each response were calculated based on all answers and again for only those who responded.  A chi square analysis was calculated to see if any of the answers between NDErs and non-NDErs were statistically significant with a p<0.05.    

Further, narrative explanations to the Y/N/NR/U answers were analyzed for content.  The answers were then scored and placed into main categories that were mentioned by the NDErs.  Although one answer might be scored in more than one category, there was only one experience answer per each category.  Consequently, it is valid to compare percentages of participants who answer in each category with the total population who gave narratives answers to the question.  However, percentages calculated using a cross-comparison between the categories would not be valid.

Healing abilities were compared before and after the experience.  Participants were asked if they experienced any changes in their healing abilities.  Although there was statistical significance between NDErs and non-NDErs, the results were not really valid when compared for internal consistency and with the narrative explanations.  Figures were adjusted into two categories; whether they had healing abilities and whether this represented a change from abilities prior to the experience.  For instance if someone reported no healing abilities prior to their experience, and reported healing abilities after their experience, then there should be a “yes” answer in the change column rather than a “no response” answer. 

Both, the NDERF and the OBERF websites, were ask the question, “Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience you did not have prior to the experience?”  Out of 280 NDErs 259 (92.5%) and out of 330 non-NDErs 198 (60%) answered the Y/N/NR/U part of the question.  Those answering the narrative portion of the question were 200 (63.49%) NDErs and 147 (44.6%) non-NDErs for a total of 347 narrative responses.  Narrative answers were categorized and scored the same way as the narrative explanations for the healing survey discussed above and limited to only those answers that could be considered in the context of healing.

RESULTS

The meaning of healing holds the key to how people answered the survey questions.  Out of 124 NDErs, 112 (90.32%) answered the question.  Out of 75 non-NDErs, 68 (90.67%) answered the question, “What does healing mean to you?”