NDE 引起咗廣泛辯論:一方面,有唔少人視 NDE 為死後生命存在嘅證據[6];而另一方面,科學界又有嘗試諗可唔可以用一個唔涉及死後生命嘅假說解釋 NDE,例如有好多腦神經學家認為,NDE 源於一個就快死、缺氧嘅腦產生嘅幻覺,不過直至廿一世紀初為止,呢啲純腦神經學性質嘅假說並唔完全受科學證據支撐。所以對於 NDE 點解存在,科學界依然係眾說紛紜[7][8]。
類似瀕死體驗嘅體驗喺人類史早期經已存在[9],但呢種體驗要去到 1890 年代初先至引起學界注意。當時有心理學家研究一啲差啲冇命嘅人嘅體驗-呢啲人可能由高處跌落嚟、差啲浸死、上陣打仗... 等等,但最後大難不死。心理學家發現咗 NDE 呢種神秘現象,而當時法國心理學家兼知識論家維特·易加[歐 1]將呢種體驗命名做
根據 NDE 研究,唔同人經歷嘅 NDE 有好多共同特徵[4]。精神醫學專家布魯斯·格里臣[歐 5]指出,NDE 一般有覺得自己靈魂出竅、見到過咗身嘅親人同宗教人物、以及感覺超越咗個人界限等嘅特徵[12][16]。個人對呢啲體驗嘅了解可能會隨文化同宗教而有異,但個體驗都仲係好似:例如喺以基督教背景做主流嘅美國,多數人會將「NDE 嗰陣遇到嘅靈體」稱為耶穌或者天使,而印度教嘅信徒就比較傾向將呢啲靈體稱之為死神嘅使者-兩者共通點在於,喺 NDE 期間個人會遇到一啲「靈體」[17][18]。
瀕死研究[歐 11]係指對 NDE 嘅研究,包含咗醫學、心理學(例如研究經歷 NDE 會點影響一個人嘅行為)以及腦神經學(例如研究 NDE 期間個腦發生緊乜事)等嘅領域。瀕死研究嘅主要方法學係面談同生理數據:研究者會去醫院等嘅地方,搵一啲曾經試過差啲冇命、但最後救得返嘅病人,同呢啲病人進行面談,問呢啲病人喺成個「失去意識」至到「起死回生」之間感受到啲乜;好多時,研究者仲會訪問埋負責照顧呢啲病人嘅醫生同護士,問呢啲醫護人員攞病人喺經歷 NDE 期間嘅腦電圖[歐 12]等嘅生理數據;經過呢啲過程之後,佢哋會得到病人對自己嘅體驗嘅描述,可以攞嚟(例如)用類似聚類分析嘅方法將 NDE 分類,而腦電圖等嘅腦活動數據就可以攞嚟驗證腦神經學家對 NDE 作嘅假說[29]。
廿世紀尾係瀕死研究嘅創始階段。喺 1975 至 2005 年期間,齋係美國經已有 2,500 宗記錄咗嘅 NDE 個案,而美國外嘅西方國家就有 600 宗。跟住瀕死研究仲擴充咗去西方國家以外嘅地區嗰度:好似係喺 1993 年,天津安定醫院院長兼精神醫學專家馮志穎以及天津安定醫院副主任醫師劉建勛一齊喺《大眾醫學》(中國歷史最悠久嘅醫學科普雜誌)出咗篇論文講 NDE,令大中華地區全面展開咗瀕死研究;呢啲對世界唔同文化背景同宗教信仰嘅人做嘅瀕死研究令 NDE 專家發現咗 NDE 具有某啲無論個人文化宗教背景都有嘅特徵,呢點對 NDE 研究嚟講至關重要[9]。
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Ring, Kenneth. Heading toward Omega. In search of the Meaning of Near-Death Experience, 1984, p. 45. "Subsequent research on suicide-related NDEs by Stephen Franklin and myself [Ring] and by Bruce Greyson has also confirmed my earlier tentative findings the NDEs following suicide attempts, however induced, conform to the classic prototype."