New study examines near-death experiences during CPR, shows 5 consistent themes within a narrative arc

A new study examining unconscious patients as they received CPR has shown an increase in brain activity after cardiac arrest — even in patients who are “technically dead” — as well as five consistent themes within a narrative arc among near-death experiences.

Published online in the journal Resuscitation on Thursday, the study cites a team of doctors from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine who worked in conjunction with 25 hospitals across the U.S. and U.K.

Their findings showed that up to an hour after patients’ hearts had stopped, some who were revived through CPR had clear recollections of experiencing death and showed brain patterns related to thought and memory while they were unconscious.

“Interestingly, even up to an hour into the resuscitation, we saw spikes — the emergence of brain electrical activity, the same as I have when talking or deeply concentrating,” said Dr. Sam Parnia, an NYU Langone physician who co-authored the study.

Researchers also found that there were certain themes and “a specific narrative arc” that patients had in common, with five consistent categories:

1. A perception of separation from the body, often with a recognition of having died

2. A perception of heading towards a destination

3. A purposeful, meaningful and educational reevaluation of life

4. Returning to a place like felt like home

5. The decision to return to life

The study also identified a common theme of “dream-like experiences … including visions of rainbows, fish, elevators, igloos, humanoid beings [and] wooden houses.”

Through their research, Parnia concluded that “the recalled experience of death is real.” Doctors were even able to identify a brain marker related to the event.

Other researchers, however, are skeptical of the significance of the study.

“This latest report of persistent brain waves after cardiac arrest has been blown out of proportion by the media,” said Dr. Bruce Greyson, a professor emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

“All [the study] has shown is that in some patients there is continued electrical activity in the head that occurs during the same period that other patients report having [near-death experiences],” Greyson added.

In its conclusion, the study has argued for more practical implications of its findings, saying the data showed “people undergoing CPR may have consciousness despite the absence of visible external signs of consciousness.”