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Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences
Progress in medical science has increased our understanding of what happens when the brain begins to fail. Psychology delves ever more deeply into the nature of the self. In Dying to Live, Blackmore, a leading expert in near-death experiences, explores what psychology, biology, and medicine have to say about this extraordinary aspect of death and dying.
294 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 1993
3 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Susan Blackmore
32 books310 followersSusan Jane Blackmore is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. She has a degree in psychology and physiology from Oxford University (1973) and a PhD in parapsychology from the University of Surrey (1980). Her research interests include memes, evolutionary theory, consciousness, and meditation. She practices Zen and campaigns for drug legalization. Sue Blackmore no longer works on the paranormal.
She writes for several magazines and newspapers, blogs for the Guardian newspaper and Psychology Today, and is a frequent contributor and presenter on radio and television. She is author of over sixty academic articles, about fifty book contributions, and many book reviews. Her books include Dying to Live (on near-death experiences, 1993), In Search of the Light (autobiography, 1996),Test Your Psychic Powers (with Adam Hart-Davis, 1997), The Meme Machine (1999, now translated into 13 other languages), Consciousness: An Introduction (a textbook 2003), Conversations on Consciousness (2005) and Ten Zen Questions (2009).
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/Artic...
She writes for several magazines and newspapers, blogs for the Guardian newspaper and Psychology Today, and is a frequent contributor and presenter on radio and television. She is author of over sixty academic articles, about fifty book contributions, and many book reviews. Her books include Dying to Live (on near-death experiences, 1993), In Search of the Light (autobiography, 1996),Test Your Psychic Powers (with Adam Hart-Davis, 1997), The Meme Machine (1999, now translated into 13 other languages), Consciousness: An Introduction (a textbook 2003), Conversations on Consciousness (2005) and Ten Zen Questions (2009).
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/Artic...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 8, 2015
If you have even a passing interest in the study of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), I highly recommend this book. There is surprisingly little attention paid to this fascinating phenomenon, and the majority of popular (and even research) treatment of the subject takes for granted that NDEs are legitimate windows into the afterlife. Dying to Live is an important look at the much simpler hypothesis that the characteristic feelings of peace, dark tunnels, bright lights, out-of-body travel, life review, loved ones, angelic beings, and life-or-death decisions... are natural phenomena generated by a distressed brain.
Blackmore is a gifted explainer, shifting continually between the stories, the research, popular understanding, and her own hypotheses. Each aspect of the NDE experience is visited in turn, and we learn quickly that the pieces of the narrative almost never come together for any individual. Rather, each component is triggered by a different set of circumstances. Your life is more likely to flash before your eyes when you're drowning, or when taking certain drugs that act on specific neural pathways. The tunnel and the light do not always come together, and can also be triggered in jet pilots under the effects of extreme gravity. The out-of-body experience can be recreationally induced with practice or with the aid of select drugs. The feeling of peace is the most commonly reported, but is still only felt by 60-something percent of "NDErs", who are already a small subset (roughly 12 percent) of those who undergo life-threatening situations.
While the book is over 20 years old, it feels remarkably current. My external research (and that of my friend and podcast co-host Carrie Poppy) reveals that the researchers mentioned in this book are still alive and still the chief voices in the field. Not much has changed in the intervening time. No new evidence has come forth in favor of the supernatural hypothesis, and nothing has dulled the strength of Blackmore's arguments. I would love to see more legitimate research into what is happening within the brain as these experiences occur, which they unquestionably (if not reliably) do. It's a research subject fraught with difficulty, as it is hard to predict who will narrowly escape death, only a fraction of patients recall related experiences, and the researcher's chief concern must always be ensuring successful recovery.
It is impressive how much research Blackmore corralled into a very readable book, and this serves as an excellent treatise on the subject.
Blackmore is a gifted explainer, shifting continually between the stories, the research, popular understanding, and her own hypotheses. Each aspect of the NDE experience is visited in turn, and we learn quickly that the pieces of the narrative almost never come together for any individual. Rather, each component is triggered by a different set of circumstances. Your life is more likely to flash before your eyes when you're drowning, or when taking certain drugs that act on specific neural pathways. The tunnel and the light do not always come together, and can also be triggered in jet pilots under the effects of extreme gravity. The out-of-body experience can be recreationally induced with practice or with the aid of select drugs. The feeling of peace is the most commonly reported, but is still only felt by 60-something percent of "NDErs", who are already a small subset (roughly 12 percent) of those who undergo life-threatening situations.
While the book is over 20 years old, it feels remarkably current. My external research (and that of my friend and podcast co-host Carrie Poppy) reveals that the researchers mentioned in this book are still alive and still the chief voices in the field. Not much has changed in the intervening time. No new evidence has come forth in favor of the supernatural hypothesis, and nothing has dulled the strength of Blackmore's arguments. I would love to see more legitimate research into what is happening within the brain as these experiences occur, which they unquestionably (if not reliably) do. It's a research subject fraught with difficulty, as it is hard to predict who will narrowly escape death, only a fraction of patients recall related experiences, and the researcher's chief concern must always be ensuring successful recovery.
It is impressive how much research Blackmore corralled into a very readable book, and this serves as an excellent treatise on the subject.
June 16, 2019
I want to read more with updated science and research!
August 2, 2025
PROBABLY THE BEST SKEPTICAL ANALYSIS OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
Susan Jane Blackmore (born 1951) is an English psychologist. Interestingly, although she earned her Ph.D. in psychology and physiology with a thesis on, "Extrasensory Perception as a Cognitive Process," and herself had an out-of-body experience, she has since become a skeptic, and prominent member of CSICOP. She has written other books such as 'The Adventures of a Parapsychologist,' 'Beyond The Body: An Investigation of Out-of-the-Body Experiences,' etc.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, "There is no heaven toward which evolution progresses. And no ultimate purpose... Yet our minds have evolved to create purposefulness and cling to the idea of a self because that will more efficiently keep alive the body and perpetuate its genes... our evolution makes it very hard for us to accept the idea of ... our own individual pointlessness... The discovery and study of near-death experiences [NDEs] has taught us about the experience of nearly dying... This book is an attempt to explore what psychology, biology and medicine have to say about death and dying."
She rejects Carl Sagan's suggestion [in 'Broca's Brain'] that NDEs recapitulate the experience of birth; she states, "The idea that we return to birth in death has an obvious appeal and a superficial plausibility, I do not believe it has any more than this... the birth canal is nothing like a tunnel with a light at the end... it takes a vast leap of imagination to make the two comparable." (Pg. 79)
She later adds, "No explanation of the NDE is worthwhile unless it can explain why it feels the way it does." (Pg. 93) She asserts, "It is my contention that there is no soul, spirit, astral body or anything at all that leaves the body during NDEs and survives after death. These... are all illusions and the NDE can be accounted for without recourse to any of them." (Pg. 114) She suggests, "try an experiment on yourself. Shut your eyes now and try to imagine where you are but from above... You may be surprised at how much you can 'see' but this is just a reflection of how information is stored in our memories." (Pg. 117)
She notes, "It is also now common practice to speak about the [dying] patient as though they might be able to hear. Medical personnel in operating theatres are trained not to discuss the patient's illness or possible demise as though they were a lump of inanimate flesh but to realize that they might hear what is going on." (Pg. 121) She contends, "Endorphins are released during stress and one of their effects is to lower the threshold for seizures in the limbic system and temporal lobe. The resulting abnormal activity ... causes the flashbacks and associated feelings of familiarity and meaningfulness." (Pg. 214)
She summarizes, "The joy and peace are consistent because of the natural opiates released under stress. The tunnel, light and noises are consistent because they depend on the structure of the brain's cortex and what happens to it when it is deprived of oxygen or is affected by disinhibition and random activity... The life review is consistent because the endorphins cause random activation and seizures in the temporal lobe and limbic system where memories are organized... And it is this dissolution of self that accounts for the mystical experiences and aftereffects." (Pg. 261)
Whether one accepts any or all of Blackmore's suggested explanations, this is clearly a crucial skeptical work, that demands careful study by anyone interested in NDEs.
Susan Jane Blackmore (born 1951) is an English psychologist. Interestingly, although she earned her Ph.D. in psychology and physiology with a thesis on, "Extrasensory Perception as a Cognitive Process," and herself had an out-of-body experience, she has since become a skeptic, and prominent member of CSICOP. She has written other books such as 'The Adventures of a Parapsychologist,' 'Beyond The Body: An Investigation of Out-of-the-Body Experiences,' etc.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, "There is no heaven toward which evolution progresses. And no ultimate purpose... Yet our minds have evolved to create purposefulness and cling to the idea of a self because that will more efficiently keep alive the body and perpetuate its genes... our evolution makes it very hard for us to accept the idea of ... our own individual pointlessness... The discovery and study of near-death experiences [NDEs] has taught us about the experience of nearly dying... This book is an attempt to explore what psychology, biology and medicine have to say about death and dying."
She rejects Carl Sagan's suggestion [in 'Broca's Brain'] that NDEs recapitulate the experience of birth; she states, "The idea that we return to birth in death has an obvious appeal and a superficial plausibility, I do not believe it has any more than this... the birth canal is nothing like a tunnel with a light at the end... it takes a vast leap of imagination to make the two comparable." (Pg. 79)
She later adds, "No explanation of the NDE is worthwhile unless it can explain why it feels the way it does." (Pg. 93) She asserts, "It is my contention that there is no soul, spirit, astral body or anything at all that leaves the body during NDEs and survives after death. These... are all illusions and the NDE can be accounted for without recourse to any of them." (Pg. 114) She suggests, "try an experiment on yourself. Shut your eyes now and try to imagine where you are but from above... You may be surprised at how much you can 'see' but this is just a reflection of how information is stored in our memories." (Pg. 117)
She notes, "It is also now common practice to speak about the [dying] patient as though they might be able to hear. Medical personnel in operating theatres are trained not to discuss the patient's illness or possible demise as though they were a lump of inanimate flesh but to realize that they might hear what is going on." (Pg. 121) She contends, "Endorphins are released during stress and one of their effects is to lower the threshold for seizures in the limbic system and temporal lobe. The resulting abnormal activity ... causes the flashbacks and associated feelings of familiarity and meaningfulness." (Pg. 214)
She summarizes, "The joy and peace are consistent because of the natural opiates released under stress. The tunnel, light and noises are consistent because they depend on the structure of the brain's cortex and what happens to it when it is deprived of oxygen or is affected by disinhibition and random activity... The life review is consistent because the endorphins cause random activation and seizures in the temporal lobe and limbic system where memories are organized... And it is this dissolution of self that accounts for the mystical experiences and aftereffects." (Pg. 261)
Whether one accepts any or all of Blackmore's suggested explanations, this is clearly a crucial skeptical work, that demands careful study by anyone interested in NDEs.
July 7, 2025
Susan Blackmore's "Dying to Live" - the strongest skeptical take on NDEs. While her science is solid, her dismissal of verified cases reveals materialist blind spots. Sometimes the best opposing arguments strengthen your own beliefs! 🧠✨ #soulfulbooks #NDE #consciousness #spirituality
Read my full Review: https://wp.me/p9J5H9-qj
February 21, 2024
Not what I was looking for
January 4, 2009
This is the NDE book I recommend.
I've read a, maybe surprising, number of NDE books.
The first time I read a Blackmore book I thought she was a highschool journalist.
It was an advanced copy so maybe it got better but I guess it's besides the point.
She does understand scientific method.
She's not afraid of eastern ideals or the unknown.
Which makes her, basically, the most qualified writer on the subject.
If you see any poor reviews of this book it's IANDS! Those freaks are a cult, SS style.
I've read a, maybe surprising, number of NDE books.
The first time I read a Blackmore book I thought she was a highschool journalist.
It was an advanced copy so maybe it got better but I guess it's besides the point.
She does understand scientific method.
She's not afraid of eastern ideals or the unknown.
Which makes her, basically, the most qualified writer on the subject.
If you see any poor reviews of this book it's IANDS! Those freaks are a cult, SS style.
July 22, 2008
inhibition is a large part of brain activity. this in turn is inhibited during shut down and strange things happen as a result. this explains why people AWLAYS smile when they wake up after getting choked in BJJ!
NDEs are easily and simply explained physiologically.
NDEs are easily and simply explained physiologically.
April 13, 2009
Near death experiences have many people intrigued about the possibility of the hereafter. Is there anything to it? Parapsychologist Susan Blackmore takes a hard-nosed look at this popular yet misunderstood phenomenon.
March 31, 2014
Through compassion, which consists of understanding, forgiveness, commonality, acceptance and love, the outcome of this life is most understood. Gives new meaning to totality with oneself, humanity, and the Eternal Light of the All in All - a time of rebirth.
September 3, 2013
After a while it got really redundant; couldn't finish it.
April 1, 2016
THE best book on NDE's I have ever read and I have read a lot of them.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews