Published in October 2026, a new study in Frontiers in Psychology reveals that the geometry of spaces reported during near-death experiences is systematically linked to the colors experiencers recall seeing.
For decades, descriptions of near-death episodes have focused on familiar narrative patterns: rushing through darkness toward a bright opening, reviewing life events, or meeting departed loved ones. Yet these accounts have largely remained locked in subjective storytelling. A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology shifts the inquiry from raw narrative to spatial geometry, asking fifty individuals to visually reconstruct the exact environments they remember encountering.
Research on near-death experience phenomenology has utilized several complementary approaches.
Mapping the Architecture of Near-Death Spaces
Led by Lerner along with colleagues, the investigation bypassed the limits of standard clinical surveys by employing a graphic reconstruction task. Participants divided their experiences into distinct chronological sequences. Using a catalog of geometric pictograms in guided online sessions, they mapped the shapes of the spaces, marked their own perceived positioning within them, traced their movement, and noted the colors present.
The resulting database revealed four primary categories of spatial configurations. Researchers identified conical spaces—which encompassed the classic tunnel—alongside broad and curved spaces resembling archways, flatter environments with gentle curves, and massive, enveloping realms reminiscent of the interior of a sphere or oval.
The Intersection of Shape and Color Vision
The most striking pattern to emerge from the maps involved the relationship between geometry and chromaticity. Of the 28 conical spaces reconstructed by participants, 22 were achromatic, perceived strictly in black, white, gray, or uncolored light. Conversely, 27 of the 31 broad, curved spaces were experienced in full color.
This stark contrast points toward underlying perceptual processes. As reporting published by ScienceAlert notes, researchers drew parallels to ordinary waking vision. Tunnel vision naturally occurs when blood or oxygen supply to the retina or brain drops, restricting the field of sight. Similarly, the dominance of achromatic tones in tight conical spaces mirrors how human eyes function in low-light conditions, where color-sensitive cells give way to dim-light receptors. Meanwhile, expansive and enveloping spaces share traits with the Ganzfeld effect, where a blank, unchanging visual field induces unusual perceptions and hallucinations.
Methodological Boundaries and Previous Psychometric Scales
The study builds upon decades of quantitative work examining near-death phenomenology. Early systematic collections date back to Heim in 1892, with the term itself introduced by Egger in 1896.
Nevertheless, the research team acknowledged distinct limitations. The participant pool was small and self-selected, relying on memories spanning many years. Furthermore, providing pre-selected geometric pictograms and guided sessions may have subtly shaped how participants reconstructed their recollections.
To examine these accounts further within academic settings, initiatives such as a new course titled Witnessing the Afterlife: Anthropological and Islamic Approaches to Near-Death Experiences, offered by the University of Chicago Divinity School, allow students to grapple with these accounts in an academic environment.
