Shared End-of-Life Experiences: Recognizing the Healing and Clinical Potential of a Unique Type of Transpersonal Experience

End-of-life experiences (ELEs) comprise a range of significant dreams, visions, and sensations had by dying persons that are at times reported to be shared by their caregivers and/or loved ones. The earliest empirical studies on ELEs focused on how such experiences challenged a materialist paradigm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Journal of transpersonal psychology Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 198 - 212
Main Authors:	Kinsella, Michael, Ma, William Peters
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Stanford Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 01-07-2023
Subjects:	Caregivers Death & dying Interviews Medical research Qualitative research Research data management
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	End-of-life experiences (ELEs) comprise a range of significant dreams, visions, and sensations had by dying persons that are at times reported to be shared by their caregivers and/or loved ones. The earliest empirical studies on ELEs focused on how such experiences challenged a materialist paradigm and offered possible evidence for survival of personality after bodily death. Most contemporary medical studies have focused on ELEs as naturally occurring, subjective experiences of dying and have ignored reports of shared ELEs by caregivers and loved ones. This article reviews first-hand reports of shared ELEs to highlight that such experiences can be deeply transformative for those that have them. It is argued that by approaching shared ELEs as transpersonal experiences, professionals working in end-of-life care and bereavement support may best assist individuals reporting them to access their full therapeutic potential. Finally, this article calls for ongoing studies into shared ELEs, as much about this phenomenon remains unclear.
ISSN:	0022-524X