After-math: Counting the Aftereffects of Potentially Spiritually Transformative Experiences (open access)

After-math: Counting the Aftereffects of Potentially Spiritually Transformative Experiences

Abstract: This article provides a summary of current literature regarding the nature of spiritual development, types of potentially spiritually transformative experiences (pSTEs), and both short- and long-term aftereffects of pSTEs— biological, psychological, spiritual, and social. The author concludes that in the aftermath of pSTEs, experiencers, their intimates and associates, and their healthcare providers should be prepared to experience integration that can be manageable or be deeply challenging and that can be relatively brief or can last for years.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Texts Related to Survival of Consciousness (open access)

Book Review: Texts Related to Survival of Consciousness

Review outlining the various range of scholarly and non-scholarly characterizations regarding the survival of human consciousness after death by analyzing four books on the topic: "Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death" (Chris Carter); "The Fun of Dying: Find Out What Really Happens Next!" (Roberta Grimes); "The Science of Life after Death: New Research Shows Human Consciousness Lives On" (Stephen Hawley Martin); and "There is Life after Death: Compelling Reports from Those Who Have Glimpsed the Afterlife" (Roy Abraham Varghese).
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Kinsey, Lee
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
''Til Death Do Us Part:' Marital Aftermath of One Spouse's Near-Death Experience (open access)

''Til Death Do Us Part:' Marital Aftermath of One Spouse's Near-Death Experience

Abstract: Research has revealed that following a near-death experience (NDE) a majority of experiencers (NDEers) change fundamentally in values, religious/spiritual beliefs, and relationship to paranormal phenomena. Much less is known about the relationship between aftereffects of one spouse's NDE and subsequent marital adjustment and stability. In this preliminary retrospective study, we addressed this question quantitatively with supplementary narrative data. Using the framework of John Gottman's (1999) Sound Marital House, we analyzed self-reported adjustment in and stability of the marriages of 26 NDEers before and after a self-identified life-changing event (LCE) unrelated to NDEs. Results indicated a significant reduction in marital meaning (p = .008), adjustment (p = .007), and stability (p = .005) in NDE compared to LCE couples, with a majority of NDE (65%) but only a minority of LCE (35%) couples' marriages ending in divorce. Implications for health professionals are discussed.
Date: Summer 2012
Creator: Christian, Rozan & Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library