Near-Death Experience Research and Resources

Near-death experiences are reports of vivid perceptions and changes in awareness during a close brush with death or a life-threatening event. IANDS provides an accessible introduction, experiencer accounts, and educational context.

IANDS is an educational and peer-support organization, not a medical authority or treatment provider. Its materials are a starting point, not diagnosis, counseling, or crisis care.

Peer-reviewed NDE research includes prospective hospital studies, scale-development work, aftereffects research, and critical analysis. The IANDS research library offers topic-level navigation and links to scientific publications.

Research findings describe reported patterns and associations; they do not prove a spiritual interpretation or diagnose an individual experience. Read the original paper whenever a claim depends on a specific study.

Bruce Greyson's original 1983 paper introduced a 16-item scale used to identify and compare reported NDE features in research. The PubMed record links to the peer-reviewed source and bibliographic details. The Greyson NDE Scale is a research tool, not a diagnosis or a spiritual scorecard. It cannot decide what an experience means or what anyone must believe.

Retired Army Colonel Diane Corcoran, a nurse and longtime military NDE advocate, has documented the gap of care that can follow disclosure by service members and veterans. Her official resource explains why informed listening and referral matter.

This material is educational and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or crisis care. Military experience alone does not make an NDE a medical or mental health condition.

ACISTE offers education and support resources for people integrating near-death and other spiritually transformative experiences. Its integration guidance addresses meaning, relationships, daily life, and finding informed support.

ACISTE is not emergency care, and peer or spiritual support does not replace licensed medical or mental health treatment. Use qualified care for persistent symptoms or safety concerns.

Sometimes the first relief is simply being understood. IANDS local and online groups connect experiencers and families with people familiar with NDE disclosure and aftereffects. Peer support can offer belonging, understanding, and shared language. For psychotherapy, medical care, or crisis support, please turn to an appropriately qualified service. Ask about the group's expectations and choose the support that fits your needs.

Some NDEs are frightening, empty, confusing, or emotionally painful. IANDS educational material acknowledges distressing experiences without treating them as moral failure or forcing a positive interpretation.

Persistent fear, intrusive memories, sleep disruption, despair, or safety concerns deserve qualified support. Educational and peer resources do not replace licensed care or emergency services.

Wounded Warrior Project's Project Odyssey is a general veteran program focused on connection, resilience, and support. Chase has described attending a Project Odyssey retreat in October 2020 as an important point in his own disclosure journey.

Project Odyssey is not an NDE clinic and does not establish what caused or means a near-death experience. Use official veteran services and licensed care for needs beyond peer or program support.

Books and films can preserve personal testimony and show how experiencers describe events in their own language. We Touched Heaven, edited by Claudia Watts Edge, includes Chase's account among many first-person contributions.

Personal accounts are testimony, not research findings or clinical evidence. Use official author, publisher, or production pages, and read them alongside peer-reviewed research when evaluating factual claims.

In the United States, call or text 988 for immediate crisis support. Veterans and service members may call 988 and press 1, or text 838255, to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

This website is not monitored for emergencies and does not provide crisis care. Call 911 for an immediate medical emergency or danger, and use licensed professionals for ongoing treatment.