Near-death experiences are rare but can be emotionally loaded occurrences for those who go through them. But what kind of mark do these unsettling experiences leave? A new study claims it can now offer an “unbiased” evaluation of people’s descriptions of near-death experiences.

Share on Pinterest The word that appears most frequently in narratives of near-death experiences, according to a new study, is ‘light.’

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are states of altered consciousness that can occur in the context of a life threatening event, such as a heart attack or near drowning.

While it is unclear how many people around the world have ever had an NDE, they are a rare occurrence.

The International Association for Near-Death Studies — a not-for-profit organization based in Durham, NC — quotes an estimated 774 NDEs occurring in the United States every day.

While uncommon, such experiences are undoubtedly very potent, and reports describing NDEs range from serene and positive to scary and dark, although anecdotal evidence suggests that positive descriptions are more common.

Recently, a team of researchers from Western University in Ontario, Canada, and the University of Liège in Belgium has developed a new method of analyzing NDE accounts, which it argues is unbiased.

The new method combines artificial intelligence technology and text mining — using automated text analysis software — to form a more accurate image of what NDEs are like for the people who go through them.

A study paper explaining the new method and presenting the findings now appears in PLOS One.