Scientists have identified four recurring kinds of visual worlds in near-death experiences, from narrow, tunnel-like spaces to rounded scenes that seemed to surround people completely. The findings come from a study of 50 people who drew the spaces they remembered and described what they saw during their experiences.
Researchers identified cone-shaped views bounded by two lines, broad arcs resembling sections of a circle or ellipse, smaller arcs that appeared almost flat, and complete circular or oval spaces. The four categories were labeled A, B, C1-C4, and C5, respectively.
The team, led by France Lerner of the University of Haifa in Israel, examined 112 distinct stages recalled by participants. Of those, 108 matched one of the four categories.
They included 28 cone-shaped views, 31 broad arcs, 20 nearly flat arcs, and 29 enclosed circular or oval spaces. The remaining four did not fit those categories. Some participants recalled changing shapes within a single episode, moving from one kind of space to another.
How researchers mapped visual worlds in near-death experiences
Color varied noticeably between the shapes. Nearly 79% of cone-shaped spaces were described in black, white, or gray, while about 87% of broad arcs included color. The smaller arcs were colorful in 65% of cases, compared with nearly 59% of the fully enclosed spaces.
One participant described a broad curved space as a room made of “pink and gold light.” Another recalled being “in the center of an immense bubble of light” within a completely enclosed scene. The contrast between cone-shaped and broad curved spaces was the most consistent color difference in the statistical analyses.
The researchers combined questionnaires with drawings rather than relying on written accounts alone. Participants chose simple geometric outlines, altered them to match their memories, and marked where they felt located and how they moved. They also placed their experiences in chronological order.
What the drawings reveal about the sequence of experiences
This approach helped distinguish near-death scenes from out-of-body episodes, in which people reported feeling separated from or reunited with their physical bodies. Thirty-two participants reported at least one out-of-body component, while 18 reported none.
The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, also suggest that cone-shaped views often appeared near the beginning or end of a sequence. Curved and enclosed spaces sometimes followed one another, with people reporting changes in perspective or the apparent size of their surroundings.
The accounts were retrospective, with the experiences occurring a median of about 15 years before the study. Researchers said the recurring shapes provide a way to compare experiences that can be difficult to describe, rather than proof that everyone sees the same scenes.
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