Phenomenology of Near-Death Experiences: An Analysis of a Māori Case Study.

Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been recorded in the oral and written histories of virtually every culture since antiquity. Based on some of these accounts, attempts have been made to investigate whether the phenomenology of the NDE is cross-culturally variable or similar. The present article contributes to this literature by analyzing the only known historical account of an NDE reported by a Maori individual. Although this account has been previously analyzed for its association with features typically reported in Western NDE accounts, it has not been analyzed for its conformity to prevailing Maori beliefs about the afterlife. The analysis of this single case study suggests the NDE was influenced by cultural beliefs, which supports two converging viewpoints: that NDE phenomenology is universal but expressed in culturally-relative ways and that NDE phenomenology is culture-bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]