New Zealand psychology researchers are putting the effects of near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences and meditation experiences under the microscope.

Massey University psychology lecturer Dr Natasha Tassell-Matamua and psychologist Dr Karen Frewin, a senior lecturer in counselling and guidance at Massey’s Institute of Education, are investigating the psychological impacts of spiritually transformative experiences in a way to better inform psychology practice.

Dr Frewin said the study will provide a foundation for bridging the competence and training gap for health professionals, including psychologists, when it comes to addressing clients’ concerns around spiritual experiences and how they impact on their lives.

“What we do know is that often these experiences precipitate a variety of life changes and pervasive psychological shifts in those who have them,” Dr Frewin said.

“Positive implications can include increased quality of life and perceived wellbeing. Often a greater sense of spirituality is also a consequence.”

Spiritually transformative experiences can also be confused with mental illness, she said.

The researchers are calling for New Zealanders to participate in the study. They will collect and analyse data from participants about the types of spiritually transformative experiences in New Zealand and whether participants seek assistance in the wake of their experience.

“We are interested in finding out who has these experiences, how they are described, and the ways people who have them integrate them into their lives,” Dr Tassell-Matamua said.

“The positive and negative implications are of equal importance to us. We want to gain a snapshot of how ordinary New Zealanders view spiritual experiences and how they are transformed by them.”

Dr Tassell-Matamua, an expert on near-death experiences, said spiritually transformative experiences can range from near-death experiences, such as a sense of leaving the body or travelling down a tunnel to being absorbed in a bright light, while near death-like experiences focus on the same phenomena but without the physiological danger of dying.

Other spiritually transformative experiences can include out-of-body experiences, meditation experiences and kundalini, which is achieved through yogic meditation.

Earlier Massey University research on near-death experiences has studied the sociological and psychological perspectives surrounding the phenomenon and also the life-changing impact of near-death experiences.

Research has also investigated how well end-of-life and palliative care models cater for Maori culture, spiritual beliefs and traditions.