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Spiritual Aftereffects of Incongruous Near-Death Experiences: a Heuristic Approach

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Spiritual Aftereffects of Incongruous Near-Death Experiences: a Heuristic Approach SPIRITUAL AFTEREFFECTS OF INCONGRUOUS NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES: A HEURISTIC APPROACH A dissertation presented to the Faculty of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Sciences by Robert Waxman San Francisco, California November 2012 UMI Number: 3552161 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3552161 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 UMI Number: All rights reserved © 2012 by Robert Waxman Approval of the Dissertation SPIRITUAL AFTEREFFECTS OF INCONGRUOUS NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES: A HEURISTIC APPROACH This dissertation by Robert Waxman has been approved by the committee members below, who recommend it be accepted by the faculty of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Sciences Dissertation Committee: ______________________________ ________________________ Robert McAndrews, Ph.D., Chair Date ______________________________ ________________________ Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Date ______________________________ ________________________ Willson Williams, Ph.D. Date ii Abstract SPIRITUAL AFTEREFFECTS OF INCONGRUOUS NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES: A HEURISTIC APPROACH Robert Waxman Saybrook University Many individuals have experienced a transformation of their spirituality after a near-death experience (NDE). Some of these near-death experiencers (NDErs) have reported an incongruous spiritual experience (ISE) during their NDEs. Such an experience occurs when NDErs perceive certain communications and/or visions that are incompatible or inconsistent with their previous religious/spiritual beliefs. In the present study the researcher examined NDE- and ISE-related phenomena, utilizing the qualitative techniques of heuristic analysis. An initial pool of 84 survey participants completed Greyson’s NDE Scale and a questionnaire developed by the researcher to measure various elements of an incongruous spiritual experience. Subsequently, eight participants were interviewed, utilizing Moustakas's heuristic analysis to investigate their NDE/ISE- related experiences. The results indicated that all the participants altered their religious/spiritual beliefs after coping with varying intensities of cognitive dissonance. Therefore, it was concluded that the participants' reports of incongruous elements during their NDEs were spiritually transformative. iii Acknowledgments I wish to thank Dr. Raymond Moody for the generous amount of time he spent with me in Virginia Beach, VA, at The Afterlife Conference. His advice was invaluable during the course of the current study. I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Stanley Krippner for encouraging me to investigate cognitive dissonance as an aftereffect of the NDE and for offering constructive insights that have helped me to improve the quality of the research. I am grateful to Dr. Robert McAndrews for inspiring me during my coursework and for serving as Chair of the Dissertation Committee. I also wish to acknowledge and thank Dr. JoAnn McAllister for introducing me to Saybrook and for continually supporting my efforts. Finally, I offer my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Willson Williams, who has worn several hats as my academic adviser, professor, and Dissertation Committee member. Throughout my Ph.D. program, Dr. Williams has been a source of wisdom, knowledge, and compassion. As a dedication, I wish to express my love to Dianne Martino-Reynolds, who has been patient, nurturing, and understanding all along the way. iv Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................1 Personal Background ...........................................................................................................2 Definitions of Key Terms .....................................................................................................5 Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................9 Research Question ............................................................................................................. 11 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................12 Background ........................................................................................................................12 Recent and Current Scientific Research ............................................................................15 Trends in Near-Death Studies ............................................................................................17 Qualifying and Quantifying NDEs ....................................................................................18 The Core NDE ...................................................................................................................18 Moody’s 12 NDE Traits .........................................................................................19 Ring’s Five Phases of the NDE ..............................................................................21 Greyson’s Four NDE Components ........................................................................21 Sabom’s Three NDE Categories ............................................................................23 Transformative Aftereffects of NDEs ................................................................................24 Attitudes toward Life and Death ........................................................................................26 Emotional, Spiritual, and Behavioral Changes ..................................................................27 Physiological Changes .......................................................................................................29 Renewed Purpose in Life ...................................................................................................31 Cross-Cultural Research ....................................................................................................31 Recreating NDEs ...............................................................................................................35 Cognitive Dissonance ........................................................................................................37 Framework for NDEs .........................................................................................................38 Perceived Communications during NDEs .........................................................................40 Prophetic Visions ...............................................................................................................47 Prophetic Revelations ........................................................................................................49 Perceived Communications with Spiritual Beings ............................................................50 Changes in Spiritual Beliefs...............................................................................................54 Spiritually Transformative Experiences .............................................................................64 Cognitive Dissonance Relating to Changes in Spiritual Beliefs ........................................65 Summary ............................................................................................................................68 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................69 Choice of Method ..............................................................................................................69 Participants .........................................................................................................................70 Instruments .........................................................................................................................71 Greyson’s NDE Scale (1983a) ...............................................................................71 Incongruous Spiritual Experience Questionnaire (ISEQ) ......................................72 v Procedure ...........................................................................................................................72 Heuristic Inquiry ................................................................................................................73 Initial Engagement .................................................................................................75 Immersion ..............................................................................................................75
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