Losing the Self in Near-Death Experiences: The Experience of Ego-Dissolution

Many people who have had a near-death experience (NDE) describe, as part of it, a disturbed sense of having a “distinct self”. However, no empirical studies have been conducted to explore the frequency or intensity of these effects. We surveyed 100 NDE experiencers (Near-Death-Experience Content [NDE-C] scale total score ≥27/80). Eighty participants had their NDEs in life-threatening situations and 20 had theirs not related to life-threatening situations. Participants completed the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) and the Ego-Inflation Inventory (EII) to assess the experience of ego dissolution and inflation potentially experienced during their NDE, respectively. They also completed the Nature-Relatedness Scale (NR-6) which measures the trait-like construct of one’s self-identification with nature. Based on prior hypotheses, ratings of specific NDE-C items pertaining to out-of-body experiences and a sense of unity were used for correlational analyses. We found higher EDI total scores compared with EII total scores in our sample. Total scores of the NDE-C scale were positively correlated with EDI total scores and, although less strongly, the EII and NR-6 scores. EDI total scores were also positively correlated with the intensity of OBE and a sense of unity. This study suggests that the experience of dissolved ego-boundaries is a common feature of NDEs.

Revelation in Near-Death Experience

Accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) across cultures often include claims of encounters with deities or spirits who impart information to the experiencer. Other accounts involve the experiencer obtaining knowledge by other means, without the assistance of a non-human supernatural being. While some cases involve deceased relatives, the most significant factor in others might be the soul’s perceptions of the body from a vantage point outside it, seeing or travelling to other realms, having a panoramic life review, encountering the soul of a person not previously known to have died, having prophetic visions, or more generalized impressions of universal understanding and/or union. In all these senses, NDEs can be seen as revelatory experiences, with profound information being conveyed to the individual through ostensibly mystical or ‘religious’ experiences.

„Der Club bringt mich noch ins Grab“ – oder doch nicht?

Sudden emotional stress can lead to cardiovascular diseases and, potentially, to death. Some studies argued that even watching a stressful soccer match could be such a trigger for mortality. The results from the literature are ambiguous, though. Our analysis focuses on the second leg of the relegation matches between Nuremberg and Ingolstadt in July 2020. 1. FC Nuremberg, which has a reputation of losing in the very last second, won in the last minute of overtime. The stress of watching the match was supposedly so intense for supporters of 1. FC Nuremberg that a well-known journalist wrote a book "Fußball als Nahtoderfahrung" (soccer as a near death experience).Two days after the match the number of male deaths in Nuremberg was, indeed, extremely high: The number of deaths was only once higher on comparable days during the past 20 years. But the city of Nuremberg also experienced a large increase in temperature in the preceding days which may have caused some heat-related mortality. Thus, we can only speculate that the stress of the soccer match may have been instrumental for the relatively large number of deaths but we can not rule out other factors (e.g. temperature) either.Despite the lack of unambiguous results we are convinced that our results are worth reporting to counteract the well-known publication bias in favor of significant results.

We’re Teaching IT All Wrong: A Need for Premortem Analysis in Hotel Strategy Education (and Practice)

Can hoteliers take the possibility of disasters such as COVID-19 into account? We think so. However, it does require a paradigm shift, a different approach to the strategic decision-making process. A shift is required from optimism to paranoid optimism or cautious optimism with the premise that (a) success is always seen as temporary (to avoid optimistic exuberance) and (b) that the finiteness of a hotel business must always be considered (to avoid hubris). That is, the unthinkable and worst scenario must become a part of the strategic plan. In the business plan, hoteliers must invariably simulate a near-death experience for the company. This is referred to as premortem analysis. Yes, hotel organizations are not immortal, and we have to consider the possibility of mortality. Drawing from the prospective hindsight technique, this article celebrates ICHRIE’s past, present, and future by reflecting on why and how hoteliers should prepare for unexpected events.