STUDENT: Gabrielle Geldhof

ADVISOR: Dr. Renae McNair

ABSTRACT:

Since the beginning of time people have wondered what happens after death. One may get a glimpse into the afterlife by experiencing a near-death experience (NDE). One that has experienced a NDE (or for short a NDEr), has been pronounced dead and is brought back to life with profound stories of experiences they had while dead. From the literature that was gathered, it was concluded that consciousness allows one to experience and process events, thoughts, and actions throughout life. There is little found about experiences that happen to one in the afterlife. This conceptual research is going to be closing the gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between near-death experiences and consciousness. This sample is comprised of n=30 NDErs that are over the age of 18 and of mixed ethnicity and gender. They were each required to provide an Electroencephalography EEG test before the NDE and a detailed account of their NDE. Brain activity plays a key role in the make-up of the conscious mind and will be studied in this research by comparing the tests taken both before and after the NDE. An EEG test will be held before the interview and thematic analysis will be done to compare the themes throughout the NDEs. The data from the thematic analyses will be combined with the EEG tests to see if there is a correlation between consciousness and NDEs. The expected results are that those that experience similar brain activity will experience similar accounts when encountering death.