The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation

by Janice Miner Holden (Editor), Bruce Greyson (Editor), Debbie James (Editor)

Experts from around the world share the history and current state of near-death experience (NDE) knowledge. They explore controversies in the field, offer stories from their research, and express their hopes for the future of investigation into this fascinating phenomenon.

As modern medical techniques for resuscitation advance, NDEs are more frequently reported. These include more than the popular notions of moving through a tunnel or seeing a light. They also include people, once revived, knowing things their knowledge of which can't currently be explained. As The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation makes clear, great controversy exists in the medical and psychological fields concerning NDEs. Are they caused by physiological changes in the brain, or are they biological reactions to oxygen loss or impending death? Are they a product of changing states of consciousness? Or are they caused by something else altogether? All of these ideas and more are discussed in this unique and comprehensive volume.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paranormal

332 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2009

Reviews

[Letitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of articles detailing various forms of research into NDEs. Very academic, rather than narrative, but useful to see how much science has been put into sussing out what exactly is happening when people experience - and come back from - death. It reveals several universals, but also is careful to name cultural and religious differences in the experiences (although I think it's clear with close examination that the elements are pretty consistent, but named and perceived according to one's cultural and religious background). It also touches on, and explains the difficulty of, researching negative or terrifying NDEs. This is the most disturbing portion of the book, and it's easy to see why research on it would be limited. First of all who wants to share that experience and second what researcher wants to discover that the afterlife might be hellish?

I appreciated the scholarship, the variety of angles, and the deeper scientific dive into this topic that interests me.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gold standard summary of research on near-death experiences.