Etymology

near-death experience

Today it means: A sensation of detachment from one's body, the presence of a tunnel of light, the apparent viewing of one's own body from on high, and similar manifestations, experienced by people whose heart and brain have temporarily ceased to function. Full definition →

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The story

Coined by John C. Lilly in 1972, and popularized by Raymond Moody from 1975.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.