Basics for psychotherapy and counselling of near-death patients

Abstract

The presented article outlines significant principles to be taken into consideration in the counseling and psychotherapy of individuals who have had a near-death experience. Since Moody’s worldwide bestseller “Life after Life”, near-death research has advanced considerably, with the phenomenon meanwhile being explored worldwide. Hence, we can truly speak of a “mass phenomenon”. It is therefore all the more scandalous that, barring Transpersonal Psychology, psychologists and physicians still widely hush up these experiences, and appear overwhelmed in dealing with them. This is especially problematic when people with near-death experience need urgent therapeutic support and receive a negative response, as is often the case, even from experts. Therapists specializing in “spiritual” or “transpersonal” psychology are the exception, which shows that training within therapeutic guidelines is insufficient. This article attempts to explain the meaning of near- death experience and to outline the additional therapeutic qualifications needed to deal with individuals affected by near-death experience.