Explaining ‘atheism’ after a brush with death: A qualitative study of how non-theists undertake meaning-making after a near-death experience.

Abstract

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are common and impactful. Research shows that: (i) NDEs can undermine one’s worldview, reducing wellbeing; and (ii) making sense of salient life experiences via worldview formation enhances wellbeing. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of scholarship exploring the processes of worldview formation post-NDE and how such information might be harnessed to support near-death survivors’ wellbeing, particularly—although not exclusively—among the non-religious. As religious nones are the fastest growing belief category in the UK and USA, this study addresses such lack with data from religious nones in these countries. It analyses semi-structured interviews with 33 near-death survivors, specifically non-theists. Narrative and connecting analysis is employed to identify the processes of worldview formation. Consequently, a new theory is proposed: existential interruption and cultural conformity—the navigation of experiential and structural factors in meaning-making after an abrupt interruption to one’s worldview. Such navigation, it is contended, has implications for wellbeing.