An international research team has identified a recurring pattern in the visions reported by individuals who have had near-death experiences (NDEs). The study, which analyzed 50 such encounters, found that the geometry of the recalled spaces was consistently linked to the colors participants reported seeing. These findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Researchers asked individuals who had nearly died to draw maps of the spaces they remembered from their NDEs and to note the colors they perceived. The analysis revealed that the geometry of these experiences fell into four broad categories: conical spaces, such as the classic 'tunnel of light'; curved spaces resembling archways; flatter, gently curving spaces; and round or oval spaces that appeared to surround the observer.
A notable correlation emerged between the type of space and the colors reported. Of the 28 participants who described traveling through conical spaces, 22 reported seeing them in black and white. Conversely, 27 out of 31 participants who recalled broad, curved spaces reported experiencing them in bright colors.
These patterns suggest that different types of NDEs may share common physical causes, potentially related to known visual disturbances. Researchers pointed out similarities between the reported experiences and phenomena such as tunnel vision, which can occur with reduced oxygen to the eyes, and the Ganzfeld effect, which can induce vivid hallucinations in a uniform visual field. The dim-light conditions under which the eyes become less sensitive to color were also cited as a potential parallel.
While these similarities offer possible explanations for the striking visual aspects of NDEs, the researchers cautioned that they do not definitively prove the cause of these experiences. Studying NDEs presents significant challenges due to their often traumatic and highly emotional contexts, making it difficult for individuals to recall and articulate coherent details. Despite these challenges, the study's focus on geometric patterns and color associations provides a new framework for understanding these profound encounters at the threshold of death.
Common features reported in NDEs include feelings of peacefulness (80%), seeing a bright light (69%), and encountering spirits or other people (64%). Other reported experiences include speeding thoughts (5%) and precognitive visions (4%).
Previously, research in 2017 suggested that consciousness may continue to function for a period after the body has ceased showing signs of life, with some individuals able to recall events and conversations during cardiac arrest, which were later verified by medical staff.