image: Bial Foundation brings together researchers to discuss end-of-life experiences
Credit: Bial Foundation
“End-of-life experiences” is the theme of the 2026 edition of the “Behind and Beyond the Brain” Symposium, promoted by the Bial Foundation, which will take place from April 8 to 11 at Casa do Médico, in Porto, and for which registrations are now open.
This 15th edition brings together some of the most prominent international researchers in neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy for a deep reflection on one of the most universal and challenging phenomena of the human condition.
The symposium aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue between different approaches — scientific, philosophical, and cultural — to explore what is scientifically known about the biological processes that occur when life ends, how different cultures interpret death, and whether the experience of death can alter our understanding of reality.
Axel Cleeremans (Brussels, BE), psychologist and president of the organising committee, states that “the goal of the symposium is not so much to bring new data to the community, but rather to promote the exchange of ideas in an open-minded and creative format. Certainly, one of the core aspects of the debates will be focused on the tension between strictly scientific approaches to death and more spiritual approaches, which often leave open the possibility of continued existence after death”.
Opening
The Symposium will open on April 8th with an evening lecture by the eminent neuroscientist Christof Koch (Seattle, US), who will appeal to extraordinary experiences such as near-death experiences to question physicalism - the perspective that consciousness can be fully reduced to material particles and their interactions. Contra such views, Koch defends idealism and panpsychism, both of which he describes as compatible with naturalism and the scientific method.
First Session
The first session, dedicated to “End-of-life processes”, will take place on the morning of April 9th. Moderated by Helané Wahbeh (Novato, US), it is dedicated to approaching the many processes that take place as death nears, and will feature lectures by Michael Rera (Paris, FR), Daniel Kondziella (Copenhagen, DK) and Marjorie Woollacott (Eugene, US). Rera will focus on the biology of dying. Kondziella will explore the evolutionary origin of near-death experiences. Woollacott’s lecture will be dedicated to the striking phenomenon of terminal lucidity. The session will close with a keynote lecture by Michael Nahm (Freiburg, DE), who will overview the unusual phenomena associated with end-of-life experiences.
Second Session
The second session, titled “End-of-life moments”, taking place on the morning of April 10th, is focused on near-death experiences (NDEs). Moderated by Etzel Cardeña (Lund, SE), it will open with a lecture by Janice Holden (Denton, US), who will focus on how to approach the anomalous experiences reported by NDE experiencers. Charlotte Martial (Liège, BE) will follow up by offering a neuroscientific perspective on NDEs. Bárbara Gomes (Coimbra, PT) will ask what matters most to people in their last moments of life. Finally, the keynote lecture by Jim Tucker (Charlottesville, US) will examine intriguing reports of past-life memories by children and ask how we should think about them.
Third Session
The third session, taking place on the morning of April 11th, is focused on “End-of-life beliefs and impacts” and will be moderated by Veena Kumari (London, UK). It aims to document how the cultural context in which death takes place shapes its experience. Mira Menzfeld (Zurich, CH) will develop an ethnographic approach to the perception and experience of death across cultures. Allan Kellehear (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) will show how an anthropological approach to the experience of death can help understand the conditions in which dying can be sufficiently meaningful. Marieta Pehlivanova (Charlottesville, US) will overview the impacts of NDEs and support needs of experiencers. The morning will close with a keynote lecture by Fanny Charrasse (Brussels, BE), who will focus on the shamanic and psychological accounts of the near-death experiences reported by people undergoing Ayahuasca rituals.
Blitz oral session
In addition to organising its biannual symposium, the Bial Foundation also supports fundamental research relevant to the study of the mind. On the afternoon of April 9th, the recipients of Bial Foundation grants will have an opportunity to present their work in a blitz oral session during which they will give a 2-minute overview of their research poster, exhibited throughout the symposium. This exciting session will be moderated by Mário Simões (Lisbon, PT).
Workshops
The symposium will further be greatly enhanced by an outstanding set of four participatory workshops taking place in parallel on the afternoon of April 10th. In Workshop 1, Rainer Goebel (Maastricht, NL) and Stefan Schmidt (Freiburg, DE) will interact with guest Yesche Regel (Bonn, DE) around how the Buddhist tradition conceives of death and how its practices help people prepare for it. Workshop 2, moderated by Chris Roe (Northampton, UK), will feature Etzel Cardeña and Marieta Pehlivanova, who will offer an in depth-exploration of near-death experiences. Workshop 3, steered by Rui Costa (Seattle, US) and featuring Julia Verne (London, UK), will be dedicated to the personal and societal dimensions of palliative care. Finally, Workshop 4, moderated by Miguel Castelo-Branco (Coimbra, PT), will see Bárbara Gomes offer an intimate, interactive session during which participants will be able to (anonymously) share what they value most of the end of life and compare their choices with those of other cultures.
Final roundtable
The symposium will conclude on the afternoon of April 11th with a final roundtable moderated by Axel Cleeremans (Brussels, BE) and featuring Etzel Cardeña, Janice Holden, Christof Koch, Charlotte Martial and Marieta Pehlivanova. This final event will be an opportunity to further reflect upon and share the core findings from the symposium, and to offer a final opportunity for the audience to interact with representative speakers.
With its 15th Symposium, the Bial Foundation hopes to engage speakers and the audience around a deep, interdisciplinary reflection about what is undoubtedly one of the core experiences of human life: the realisation that it will end.
The 15th Symposium will be held exclusively in person. Registrations are now open and can be submitted here.