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Near-death experiences (NDEs) are fascinating, mysterious occurrences that remain largely misunderstood by modern science. These events are often described as experiences triggered by life-threatening situations, where individuals feel as if they are conscious and able to observe both their own body and the world beyond it. In some cases, NDEs happen after a person has been officially declared clinically dead, only to later revive and continue their life.
To determine if someone has had an NDE, researchers use the 13-question Greyson NDE scale. This scale evaluates experiences such as recalling past memories, seeing a bright light, encountering otherworldly realms, feeling detached from the body, and meeting deceased or spiritual beings. However, scientists have proposed that these experiences may be linked to multisensory integration within the brain's cortex.
Although NDEs might seem like contemporary phenomena, their origins stretch back to ancient history. Modern researchers like Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Raymond Moody have been instrumental in documenting and explaining these events in the 21st century. However, NDEs have long been depicted in earlier cultural artifacts, such as ancient Spanish and French cave paintings. Historical records are filled with accounts of such experiences, and notable figures like Thomas Edison, Carl Jung, and Ernest Hemingway have all shared their own NDE stories. It's both intriguing and enlightening to explore 10 of the earliest and most significant NDE accounts, many of which date back well before the 18th century.
10. Er (circa 375 BC)
Er’s story is recounted in Plato’s Republic (LINK 4) and centers on a soldier who undergoes an NDE. Er dies in battle and finds himself in a realm with doors: two leading to the sky and two to the earth. Judges determine the fate of each soul based on their earthly actions. Virtuous souls ascend to the sky, while those who led wicked lives return to the earth. Souls returning from the sky speak of joy, while those from the earth recount their suffering and punishment. The most corrupted souls (such as murderers and criminals) are unable to leave the earth. Er learns that he is not to be judged but is there to describe these events to humankind. After several days, Er is taken to the Spindle of Necessity, where souls are given a lottery chance to choose their next lives. Following this, they are guided to the River Lethe (Forgetfulness) to drink from its waters and forget their past lives. As each soul falls asleep, they are sent into new bodies. Er, however, bypasses this step to retain his memory of the process.
When Er awoke, he found himself in his own body on a funeral pyre alongside other soldiers. Miraculously, Er was saved.
9. Cleodemus (200 BC)
In Lucian’s work The Liar, he tells the tale of Cleodemus. After suffering from a severe illness and being treated by Antigonus, Cleodemus’ condition worsened. Finally, after enduring a fever for seven days, Cleodemus experiences an NDE.
Cleodemus awakens to find a spectral young man wearing a white cloak. The young figure guides Cleodemus to a place resembling Hades (the Underworld). There, Cleodemus witnesses Tantalus (a wealthy but immoral king), Tityus (a giant bound to a rock), and Sisyphus (a king doomed to eternally push a boulder uphill). He is then led to the Judgment Hall, where he meets Aecus (the king of Justice) and Charon (the ferryman of Hades). Eventually, Hades (the God of the Underworld) arrives and begins to call the names of those who are destined to die. Pluto tells Cleodemus to depart, as his time has not yet come. However, Pluto’s true intention is to claim a blacksmith named Demylus instead.
When Cleodemus regained consciousness, his fever had subsided, while Demylus passed away not long after.
8. Prince Gad (AD 20–46)
The 'Acts of Thomas' is a 3rd-century New Testament text. This potentially apocryphal narrative (depending on one's interpretation of the Bible) tells the story of Thomas, the Christian 'apostle to India,' and the Indo-Parthian King Gondophares. In one section of the text, Thomas visits India where King Gondophares I’s brother, Gad, falls ill. Shortly thereafter, the king imprisons Thomas and the merchant Habban, and Gad dies.
Gad ascends to heaven and sees that Thomas has built a palace for the king there. The angels then allow Gad to return. As they dressed him, Gad’s soul re-entered his body, and he was revived.
This event leads both King Gondophares and Gad to convert to Christianity, and together with Thomas and others, they partake in the Eucharist.
7. Timarchus of Chaeronea (AD 46–119)
Timarchus was a young pupil of Socrates, and his story was told by Plutarch to Simmias of Thebes, another follower of Socrates. Timarchus’ tale began with his isolation after he ventured into a crypt for two days and nights. By this point, everyone had lost hope for Timarchus, and his family mourned his death.
Upon emerging from the crypt, Timarchus shared his NDE. Initially, he was engulfed in darkness, prayed, and then lay still for what seemed like an eternity, unsure if he was awake or dreaming. He then felt a blow to the head, and his soul seemed to depart. Almost immediately, he began hearing buzzing sounds and other strange noises. Timarchus also described peering into the Underworld through a vast chasm, hearing the cries of both animals and humans. A spectral, guide-like figure approached him and offered to show him his relatives. Timarchus was also granted a brief vision of the future.
Timarchus eventually recovered from his experience, only to realize he was lying on the floor of the crypt, precisely where he had first collapsed.
6. A Roman Shepherd (252–260/264)
During a plague that ravaged Rome, a shepherd in the service of Emperor Valerian became infected. When the shepherd’s family and friends believed him to be dead, he experienced an NDE.
The shepherd recounted being taken to heaven, where he was told the names of everyone who would die in the house of Valerian. He noted, however, that Valerian himself was destined to survive. To prove the truth of his encounter to Valerian, the shepherd spoke in several foreign languages, including Greek, which he had never known before. He claimed to have acquired this knowledge during his NDE.
Sadly, two days later, the shepherd passed away. Over time, all those named by the shepherd succumbed to the plague, but Valerian survived.
5. Curma (circa 354–430)
Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis (Saint Augustine), a Latin philosopher and theologian from the Roman Empire's Africa Province, wrote a book called Caring for the Dead. In this work, he discusses burial practices, the prayers of saints, prayers for the dead, and provides instructions for the Vatican regarding burials. The book also includes a significant near-death experience.
Curma, an official from the town of Tullium near Hippo in Algeria, was a poor working-class man who fell gravely ill. He lay unconscious, nearly dead, for several days before he noticed faint breaths from his nostrils, signaling he was still alive. During his visions, Curma saw people he had known in life, and witnessed the dead being judged based on their actions while alive. He also described entering paradise. Once released from there, Curma was told he must return to his family and be baptized if he wished to enter heaven.
When Curma regained consciousness, he asked for someone to visit the house of an ironworker named Curma. Upon arrival, it was discovered that this other Curma had passed away. Curma explained that it was he, the ironsmith, who was supposed to die, not Curma the official.
4. Thespesius (563–568)
Plutarch recounted the story of Aridaeus of Soli, who fell from a great height and landed on his neck, leading to his death. On the third day, as his body was being prepared for burial, Aridaeus unexpectedly revived.
Aridaeus shared that after his death, he experienced his spirit leaving his physical body through his head. He also described gaining the ability to observe all directions instantly and effortlessly. He was then shown the workings of the afterlife before being revived. Following his recovery, Aridaeus underwent a profound transformation, becoming purer in heart and more supportive of his community. He even changed his name to Thespesius, meaning divine or wonderful.
3. Pierre-Jean du Monchaux’s Patient (1740)
This case, which is more recent than others, marks the first documented instance of a physician recording an NDE. The report was written by Pierre-Jean du Monchaux, a physician from Northern France, who detailed a near-death experience he witnessed.
The patient, a prominent pharmacist from Paris, fell unconscious, and Monchaux's staff feared he might not wake up. During his NDE, the pharmacist experienced a light so intense and pure that he believed he was in heaven. He also recalled that it was the most peaceful moment he had ever experienced.
In his scientific approach, Monchaux proposed a rational explanation, suggesting that the mystical sensations might have been caused by an excessive blood flow to the brain.
2. Saint Christina the Astonishing (late 1100s)
Saint Christina lived during the 12th and early 13th centuries. While working as a shepherd in her early twenties, she experienced a seizure and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the ground and was declared dead, leading to a funeral being arranged.
During the funeral, Christina miraculously revived. She began to levitate, even ascending to the roof. When the levitation ceased, Christina shared that she had died. Her soul had departed from her body, and she had witnessed purgatory. God offered her a choice: stay alive or ascend to heaven. Out of compassion for those suffering, Christina chose to return to life and devote herself to penance. She lived thereafter in poverty, avoiding human interaction. She subjected herself to intense trials, such as throwing herself into fires and letting dogs attack her, yet always emerged unharmed.
Christina's strange actions led to widespread concerns that she was possessed by demons, and she was jailed twice, although both times briefly. After her second release, she joined a Dominican monastery and lived there until the age of 74.
1. Venerable Nichizo (941)
The Japanese monk Nichizo's journey to heaven and hell was illustrated in the 13th-century manuscript Origins of Kitano Tenjin Shrine, among other works. In 941, he experienced a high fever followed by the swelling and closure of his throat, tongue, and windpipe. Unable to speak or call for help, he struggled to breathe and soon passed away.
Nichizo's near-death experience began when a monk appeared and offered him a drink of mountain water. Soon after, several youths presented him with additional food and drink. Then, the Bodhisattva Zaogongen appeared, seated atop a boulder in the form of a humble monk, and guided him to the mountain peaks, where a pure land was said to exist.
The monk informed Nichizo that in his previous life, he had been a peacock and instructed him to follow the Bodhisattva Protector of Law. Soon, the Prime Minister Dignified Moral God descended from the heavens, inviting Nichizo to tour his palace located on an island. Afterward, Nichizo was shown both heaven and hell. His near-death experience concluded as he crawled into a hole to be reborn.
When Nichizo regained consciousness, he realized that thirteen days had passed.
