The infinity object: neurophenomenology and psychoanalytic corollaries of near-death experiences
- 1epartment of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
Abstract
As technological advances have occurred in medicine, including improvements in rates of resuscitation, descriptions of near-death experiences (NDEs) have increased significantly. However, NDEs have been present within religious, literary, and biographical texts for centuries. The phenomenology of NDEs encompasses an inward journey wherein review of one’s life, seeing the dead, and an encounter with a spiritually powerful “being of light” may be reported. The subjective transformations that take place in survivors, as well as the insights generated from NDEs, can be linked with dimensions of the depressive position and Bion’s concept of O. The neurophenomenology of NDEs will be discussed, focusing primarily on neurotransmitter systems. Parallels and contrasts from psychedelic literature will also be explored. Drawing from these various dimensions, the concept of the infinity object will be outlined.
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BibTeX
@article{miller2026infinity,
title = {{The infinity object: neurophenomenology and psychoanalytic corollaries of near-death experiences}},
author = {Christopher W. T. Miller},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1951380},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1951380},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The infinity object: neurophenomenology and psychoanalytic corollaries of near-death experiences
AU - Christopher W. T. Miller
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1951380
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1951380
AB - As technological advances have occurred in medicine, including improvements in rates of resuscitation, descriptions of near-death experiences (NDEs) have increased significantly. However, NDEs have been present within religious, literary, and biographical texts for centuries. The phenomenology of NDEs encompasses an inward journey wherein review of one’s life, seeing the dead, and an encounter with a spiritually powerful “being of light” may be reported. The subjective transformations that take place in survivors, as well as the insights generated from NDEs, can be linked with dimensions of the depressive position and Bion’s concept of O. The neurophenomenology of NDEs will be discussed, focusing primarily on neurotransmitter systems. Parallels and contrasts from psychedelic literature will also be explored. Drawing from these various dimensions, the concept of the infinity object will be outlined.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -