Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences

by Jeffrey Long, Paul Perry

“There is currently more scientific evidence to the reality of near death experience (NDE) than there is for how to effectively treat certain forms of cancer,” states radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long is his groundbreaking new book Evidence of the Afterlife.

In 1998 Dr. Long and his wife, Jody, began the Near Death Experience Research Foundation with the goal of creating a forum for near death “experiencers” to share their stories. Grounded in first-hand evidence culled from over 1,600 verified NDE accounts, Evidence of the Afterlife presents the strongest argument yet for the underlying truth of those who have died and returned to share their tales.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Science, Religion, Death, Psychology, Audiobook

215 pages, Hardcover

Published January 19, 2010

About the author

Jeffrey Long, M.D., is a physician practicing the specialty of radiation oncology (use of radiation to treat cancer) in Houma, Louisiana. Dr. Long has served on the Board of Directors of IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies), and is actively involved in NDE research.

In August of 1998, the nonprofit Near Death Experience Research Foundation and coinciding website (nderf.org) was established by Dr. Long and his wife, Jody, to open up a forum for people from all over the world to share their personal experiences as well as a controlled environment in which to collect scientific data on this phenomenon. The website generates more than 400,000 unique pageviews each month and has generated the largest-known database of individual NDE experiences.

Reviews

[Diane Thorsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually experienced a near death event. 2 years ago I suffered a brain annuerysm as I was driving my 2 golden retriever grand-dogs home from day care. I was able to see the emergency crew working on me from above. It is something I will never forget and will be forever grateful for. I also saw both my parents and my aunt, all 3 had been gone for some time. my mom actually spoke to me, as did God, telling me it was not my time yet and I needed to get back to my life and was reassured everything would be alright. None of this was frightening, I felt only comfort and peace. I also wanted to stay where I was, i felt so safe and secure, and my family looked so beautiful and so happy. I view this as a gift from God and even though I have some disabilities from the event, I will be forever thankful and I look forward to when It really is my time to leave this life.

[Michael Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey Long is a very, very bright and amazing doctor. He goes into territory that few can and reports on a subject that our medical pros can't touch because its out of our understanding. Having had a NDE I will fully state that there is no doubt something more. I was dead for 24 minutes following a car accident on a secluded road with no one to help. I saw my body in the wreck and was fully aware of the events taking place. I even checked the time on the clock radio. I was taken through a tunnel to be greeted by other spirits. One claimed to be my brother, but my brother was alive. He was a miscarriage my mom had before me and didn't tell any of us. The other side is not like religions speak of per say. It is pure love. But no bearded man on a throne. I did not see God, but I felt him. He is the universe , everything. I learned a lot, about creation and mans purpose. Evolution of man is not how we came to be. We were created to iearn and love. But god will not interfere for we have free will. I did not see Jesus. I did not ask. If he was god in human form, I can believe it. I was told to go back to my body and do more work. My life review was not suitable. My body was covered and the ER docs had pronounced me dead. They worked on me for awhile but had given up. I popped back in and scared a nurse into screaming fits. These are not anticdotial. If you are a skeptic, then you will see soon enough. It wasn't a light show of a dying brain either. I was dead. Not dying.

[Bram · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is called "Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences". I though that this book would explain why people all over the world believe that afterlife exists and that the book would describe the science behind near-death experiences.

Wrong, the author argues that the afterlife exists. His so-called evidence: he performed a questionnaire to people who believe they had a near-death experiences, he influences them with some highly suggestive questions ("Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice?") and then he uses pseudostatistics to show that it can't be coincidence that many stories are similar, ignoring all other possible causes and ignoring the reason how the target audience was selected. There is only anecdotal evidence.

Sure, the author is a scientist. But that is all the science you'll see in this book.

Note to myself: don't select books anymore based on the title only.

[Julie Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how this Dr. drilled the points in over and over that there is an afterlife based on his observations and studies. It's really hard to dispute that after reading this book based on the many similar experiences people have had all over the world. I am very spiritual and a Christian, but I really liked how this book was written from a non-Christian standpoint. It only reinforced my beliefs and gave me hope.

[Laurent Videau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very updated book on hundreds of documented cases of NDEs.

How can any one continue to doubt the existence of life after death when so many cases, across culture, age, religion...say the same thing?

Doubters should try to read other books on the same topics. All these experiencers of NDEs are not expressing their opinions on the subject, they are recounting what they experienced. These experiences are not derived from polls, they are vivid recollections.

To explain this by brain circuitry being alive and neutrons firing up does not explain why millions of NDERs experience the same "dream" with more or less the 9 characteristics described in the book.

Besides, the evidence of life after death is overwhelming when one takes into account other studies, reports, experiences of past life regression under hypnosis. People regressed in their past lives is already a proof of the phenomenon, specially when facts or things they count are sometimes proven, but when they are regressed after their death in their previous lives (and before being reincarnated), they say the same things as all these NDERs.

Other (empirical) evidences of past life are derived from the numerous case studies of children remembering their past lives all over the world. Read Dr Ian Stevenson and so many other books.

Any one with an open mind can find enough studies and books in different fields to reach the conclusion that life after death is empirically proven. One day our level of science will be developed enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt every one. In the mean time, as Galileo once said "yet it moves".

[Radiantflux · Rating 1 out of 5]

31st book for 2016.

I feel like Scully on the X-Files. I want to believe - who doesn't want to live forever? - but commonsense just keeps getting in the way. I have a soft spot for NDEs. I read Moody's original book in 1970s as an impressionable teenager, and I am interested to see where the field has gone over the past 40-odd years. Apparently not that far.

This is a book written by a believer for believers. If you have your doubts about the validity of NDEs, this book will do nothing to change your mind. Despite the claims on the cover, the author simply does not make a convincing case that NDEs really offer strong proof of an afterlife (I'm willing to admit they offer some sort of proof - but the proof is just not convincing).

The book is a summary argument based on lots of NDEs reported on the authors website over the course of a decade. The problem is that it's not very convincing that all these reports are actually valid. There are lots of people claiming to have seen all sorts of things (Loch Ness monster; Big Foot; UFOs; compassionate neoliberals) that go against my notions of common sense. When someone reports having an NDE, I would at least like their report to be checked to make sure they were in hospital, that they nearly died etc. All we have in this book are people's claims that they had NDEs and then some not so impressive statistics to show some level of consistency in the reports.

It's a shame. I don't doubt NDEs exist, but to understand what they mean requires a much more critical assessment than given here.

[John Kaufmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the far better Heading Toward Omega: In Search of the Meaning of the Near-Death Experience or Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. This book took a slightly different tack, looking at "evidence" that the NDE is evidence of an afterlife. While interesting, I didn't think it was compelling, nor did I think it was "scientific."

The author organized the book around twelve threads common the NDEs - the "tunnel" experience, the "light," out-of-body experience, etc. He then presented common descriptions from people who have had these experiences, and proceeded to subject them to some scrutiny/analysis. His selections were good and concise, but nowhere near as extensive as other books on NDEs (that wasn't the purpose). While he did try to look at possible alternative explanations for several/each of the twelve themes individually, I didn't think he tried hard enough to shoot them down, and he didn't look at the major alternative explanations wholistically. He was too quick to accept the explanation that allowed the validity of NDEs to stand.

For example, Long asked how the person can be having this near-death experience if there is no brain activity. Very pertinent question. But I didn't think he really gave any significant alternative explanation serious consideration. Rather, he was too quick to accept that since people do have these experiences when their brains are "turned off," an afterlife must exist - i.e., that could then be the only remaining explanation for the experience/vision. Fundamentally, I feel the author was looking to "prove" the validity of NDEs rather than rigorously and objectively trying to disprove the hypothesis and analyzing alternative explanations.

I may be judging too harshly. I will accept that by its very nature, NDEs may be hard to prove/disprove. And there clearly is something that can't be explained - people have these experiences and they change their lives, yet we don't have an explanation as to "how" they can happen. But just because he couldn't dismiss the main attributes of an NDE, that doesn't mean that the NDE is evidence that there is an afterlife. And even if the author were correct and we can't "disprove" the afterlife based on NDEs, he didn't provide any mechanism by which an NDE happens, much less the causal chain upon which it would be accepted as proof of an afterlife. "Until we have a causal chain of "hows" that cannot be disproven, it is not science - it remains in the realm of "belief" or speculation until we have a "how."

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I began reading this book just days after my father's death. Though his death was expected, he was the first parent to go. His death came with many emotions and brought into more focus my own mortality.

Though I believe in a God, I am distrustful of much organized religion; I have seen--and felt--the pain my own religious tradition can cause.

I have often been intrigued by the stories of near death experiences I have heard through the years. This particular book did not really add much that was new, yet it was a good summary of what I have read. Furthermore, it also brings some comfort though we will never really know what lies beyond--if anything--until we experience it ourselves.

[Cristael Bengtson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1998 Dr. Jeffrey Long came up with the idea of using a carefully structured online questionnaire to form the basis of a serious scientific study of Near Death Experiences. Dr. Long founded the Near Death Experience Research Foundation along with its website, NDERF.org.

Over the succeeding twelve years, more than 1300 NDE'rs took hours of their time to fill out the questionnaire, and Dr. Long wound up with a gold mine of first-hand information on the Near Death Experience, all of it up on NDERF website.
Now Dr. Long has turned his years of research into a book that reaches the staggering conclusion that NDE's are medically inexplicable. It is absolutely impossible for people who are unconscious or clinically dead to have visionary Near Death Experiences at a time when their totally inactive brains have no capability for processing any kind of information.

I found it especially striking that those who experience near-death while under general anesthesia or during cardiac arrest experience a higher state of awareness and alertness than they ordinarily had in their everyday lives. I found this to be true in my own Near Death Experience in 1998. The memories I have of my NDE, which happened to me fourteen years ago, are still vivid and absolutely clear in my mind.

Dr. Long says that the elements of the Near Death Experience generally are consistent and logical in the way they unfold. This is something I experienced in my NDE. There was an orderly unfolding of events that gave it the weight of actual experience.

Something that I don't think the researchers have gotten is the three-dimensionality of the NDE. My experience was not like watching a movie playing up on a screen. Nor was it a fuzzy, ethereal, floaty state. The things, the places, and the people I saw in my life reviews (I had several) all had weight to them. The memories that came up all had a three-dimensional reality, and the colors were all incredibly brilliant.

That amazing Light had substance and intelligence and awareness to it. And size! As I said to myself at the time, "Everything up here is so bloody big!"
Dr. Long's nine lines of evidence were a revelation to me. I had read about all of these, but this was the first time I had ever seen them all put together like this. As Dr. Long says, "Any one of these nine lines of evidence individually is significant evidence for the reality of near-death experiences and the afterlife. " The combination of all nine lines form a convincing case for the existence of an afterlife.

I was somewhat disappointed to find that Dr. Long says very little about the intensive learning experiences many NDE'rs have. The most famous example of this is Tom Sawyer, a manual laborer who worked with heavy equipment. After Tom's NDE, he developed a serious interest in physics, which led him to enroll in college level physics courses.

This is only one of many reports from Experiencers who report that they have felt themselves to be literally immersed in information. I wonder how this relates to the idea that physicists have, that our universe is fundamentally made up of bits and bytes of information. Maybe it's not just our universe. Maybe the whole of creation, in all its many levels, is made up of infinite amounts of fascinating information. As one who has a background in education, this opens up whole new worlds of study. Are there ways in which we can begin to systematically tap into this information without having to nearly die to access it?

This is an exciting look at Near Death because it opens up so many avenues for more research and exploration regarding this most important phenomenon -- Life after death.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes some interesting points but, although I believe in life after death, I don't think the argument was all that strong. On the one hand it is hard to argue with the brute fact of people having experiences while there is no detectable brain activity - this is something that pretty much demands an explanation beyond our current scientific knowledge. On the other hand, there seemed to be a consistent confusion of a person having a real experience vs a person having an experience of an actual reality. To see the difference, consider a person having a hallucination: yes they are having a real experience, but no it isn't an experience of an actual reality. So the evidence really says that people have experiences when effectively brain dead, not that what they experience is real.

Some of the examples of cross-cultural similarities in NDEs appear to be evidence of the opposite. Even if they were consistent then this could as easily be interpreted as evidence that the experience has a biological basis, not that it is an experience of another reality. The fact that people could vividly recall the experience many years later could as easily be seen as a rehearsal effect: retelling the story many times strengthens a standard version of what they experienced.

So as I said at the beginning, to me the single strongest piece of evidence is experience while brain dead. Science is nowhere near explaining how subjective experience could arise from matter or even having any sense of what a solution of the hard problem of consciousness might look like. It is likely that any such explanation could equally be explained by matter mediating consciousness rather than causing it. The research in this book seems to support the latter idea, which provides at least some support for the idea that we can survive independently of our physicality.

[J.D. Camorlinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in preparation for an upcoming presentation Dr. Long will be giving in April which I plan to attend. This book is a summary of the author's findings after years of research in the field of near death experiences.

The book was really quite good for a number of reasons. First, the material is presented in a very accessible way which cannot always be said for books presenting research data. It had a good sampling of narrative accounts from people who had near death experiences. I also thought that the author did a good job of presenting his proofs for why the afterlife exists. He seems to be balanced in his presentation without tipping his hand on what his religious beliefs actually are.

I have two minor issues with the book. First, at times it felt a bit like a commercial for his website. This is forgivable since it is through that site that the research takes place, however it could have done with a softer touch. Lastly - through no fault of the author - I was uncomfortable with some of the testimony given by those who had experienced near death. There were many who affirmed Theism but there were a couple pantheistic accounts and other conflicting stories. If these experiences are true you would expect to see more agreement on the important issue of God. Of course, there may be issues of perception, integrity and understanding so again I find this justifiable without throwing out the results.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic, it is really a quick and enjoyable read. It may be good for those facing terminal illness or the family members of the same. At the very least it will give comfort and make some important questions obvious.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking to be scientifically convinced that there is a life after death, this book is for you. If you are hoping to read a lot of stories of people who had near death experiences, you'll get just enough to whet your appetite, but you'll want more.
Interesting approach--the scientific proving of life after death.

[Andre Hermanto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good:
* It's short.

Bad:
* There's no science here, only survey results and anecdotes.
* Contains gems such as: "... 31.5 percent responded that they seemed to understand everything 'About the universe... '" Yes, these people can suddenly explain everything about quasar, black hole, etc. What a load of garbage.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, I read Dr. Raymond Moody’s books about near death experiences, Life After Life and Reflections on Life After Life. A few others followed, such as Return From Tomorrow and Embraced By The Light. Each of these accounts of near death experiences interested me because they seemed to include many elements that dovetailed with the doctrines of the gospel. However, I was always troubled that not all was consistent with the doctrine.

Recently, I came across another book about NDE’s, and in the course of reading it, have reached some tentative conclusions. This book is Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near Death Experiences. Written by an oncology radiologist with a career-long fascination with NDE’s, the book describes his conclusions following his study of NDE’s over more than two decades. He has collected well over a thousand such accounts, and analyzed them, loosely following scientific methods. Thus, he claims his data and analysis to be the most definitive to date. That may well be true, though I have some real problems with his methods. However, the biggest issue I have is with his assumption that NDE’s should only be examined through the lens of science, and his explicit rejection of religion as a valid lens.

In doing so, he artificially restricts his conclusions about the validity of NDE’s to only two…they are either real (thus indicating the existence of an afterlife) or they are false. However, if one accepts the truth of the gospel, and allows that lens, then two other possibilities emerge. One is that some NDE’s may not be real events, but rather God-given visions, to provide the experience with guidance, comfort, or for some other heavenly purpose. In that event, while they might be valid and important for that individual, such experiences are not necessarily to be considered revelatory for others.

The other possibility is that some NDE’s may be visionary, but inspired by Satan, the enemy of God and of mankind, he who is able to take on the appearance of an angel of light and thus deceive many. Such visionary experiences might be given for the purpose of confusing, distracting, or re-directing the experiencer (and others to whom the NDE might be told) from that which is truth. I see that as a strong likelihood, especially when one considers that Satan’s strongest work is done with falsehoods that are wrapped in truth.

In the end, I suspect that NDE’s found in all three categories: real events, God-given visions, or Satan-inspired deceptions. Thus, while they may be interesting to hear about, and potentially life-changing to experience, like anything else that purports to be about the eternities, their validity should be made a matter of sincere prayer, and accepted only with the validating testimony of the Holy Spirit. And that is not likely to happen for anyone other than the person who experienced it.

[Deborah Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter of this book is undoubtedly fascinating. A radiation oncologist with a scientific background comes across some textbook cases of near death experiences in medical journals early in his career and makes it his life-long mission to collect as many near-death experiences as possible from around the world and study their similarities and statistical consistencies, as well as their apparent occurrence in the face of medical improbability, to conclude that his body of work proves the existence of an afterlife. There are only two problems with the book that I can find: 1) Dr. Long is passionate about his mission and arduous about his methods, but cannot write an interesting sentence to save his life, and 2) Dr. Long points out nine lines of evidence to prove the existence of an afterlife, none of which actually proves the existence of an afterlife.

So, why read this book? Because mortality sucks and despite himself Dr. Long has compiled the most extensive data in the field, some of it so amazingly similar in style and content that it defies being coincidental in nature or even culturally ingrained. When people make things up, they tend to embellish in ways that are inconsistent, adding details that do not maintain certain repetitive elements and constant stylistic devices. Reading a selection of the hundreds of thousands of entries Dr. Long has gathered makes it challenging to remain completely skeptical about the process. Dr. Long also brings up some interesting medical facts that make even science geeks and nonbelievers like myself think long and hard about our views on the nature of death and dying. Could it all be neurological, physiological, remnants of electrical currents in the brain? I've always assumed so. Dr. Long, however, offers some clear medical reasoning as to why that type of dismissive thinking is medically unsound.

I have some major issues with many of Dr. Long's research methods, statistical values, and conclusions (the man is not afraid of big leaps), but the near death experiences themselves are the draw of this book, and wedged between Long's dry, clinical sentences and clipped conclusions, the voices of those who have briefly died, and yet lived to tell about it, make the pages briefly come alive. The amazing similarities in these hundreds of stories truly affected my perceptions of the event itself. Even if you don't come away from this book with a belief in any type of afterlife (guilty as charged), it is still difficult to walk away from this book without the strangely comforting feeling that the moment of death may not be a cause for terror but rather the experience of a pleasant journey to a place where love and peacefulness reign supreme. Beyond that, one must come to his or her own conclusions about eternity.

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book. I genuinely enjoyed reading it each time I picked it up. The author comes from the point of view of trying to give scientific support for the reality of afterlife experiences of people who die and then come back. He makes many good points as far as the science is concerned.

For instance, some skeptics may say that people who claim to have near-death experiences are hallucinating -- but if that is the case, then why are there so many documented near-death experiences from people who go into cardiac arrest which entails all brain activity flatlining? For another example, some skeptics say that the many commonalities among near-death experiences are due to the influence of popular culture, or in other words, when people hear about a tunnel, a light, floating above one's body, etc., they fabricate a similar experience for themselves. But if that is the case, then why do young children and people of completely foreign cultures have similar elements in their near-death experiences?

But actually, being a believer myself in the afterlife, the scientific proofs were less interesting to me. What was really fascinating was just to read people's experiences, to see how they put their experience into words, and to see the common elements among them. If these things are what really does happen, dying will prove to be quite an enlightening experience.

It's been over a month since I read this book, but I'm still thinking about it. I believe this book has erased any last few fears I had about death, and made me feel a little better about people I know who have died.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're sceptical of the sceptics, this book is for you. Early in the first chapter, Long pulls out a profound quote from a 1980 article of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It's from an editorial on research data done on Near-Death Experiences. "Blacher points out that 'physicians must be especially wary of accepting religious belief as scientific data.' I might add that equal caution should be exercised in accepting scientfic belief as scientific data."

There are no logical explanations for near-death experiences. Long does a great job of systematially tearing down sceptical theories of hypoxis and the "Oprah effect" one by one until you're left with the unknown and lots of questions. The only reason I didn't rate this five stars is because it can be somewhat dry and boring reading in parts. In a way I liked that. Usually these kinds of books are too anedoctal, and this one wasn't. For further reading, the back includes information about methodology on his NDERF research.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm surprised there are so many good reviews of this book. I found this book to be the epitome of why this topic (NDE, reincarnation, etc) is not taken seriously by the scientific community.

My biggest complaint was the fact that, although the book title touts this book as presenting "Evidence" of NDE, the author continuously calls these studies "proof" of NDEs. There is, nor can there ever really be, proof of an afterlife; just evidence to suggest it. To call it "proof" is to negate your claims of using a scientific method.

Take someone like Dr. Ian Stevenson, whose life work involved honing a method to test afterlife/reincarnation theories. Not once in any of his publications does he state (or even imply) that his evidence is anything more than just that: evidence, not proof.

Not to mention that most of the "proof" in this NDE book involves hearsay from people's memory of said experiences. Since when are polls scientific proof?

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, wonderful feel-good stuff. I don't need ANY of the scientific affirmations; it besmirches the experience.

Need to go to the NDERF website to get intoxicated with so many hundreds of examples, translated from a myriad of languages.

[Trey Nowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started off not peeking my interest as I hoped, but then progressively got better. I think this book is worth looking into for skeptics and those interested in seeing the facts behind NDE phenomenon.

[Tom M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome! Evidence Of The Afterlife through examination of Near-Death Experiences makes good since. There seems to be no other logical answer to the unexplained knowledge that is gained by taking a peak on the other side of life and death as we know it.
Quick read and well done.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MEDICAL DOCTOR REPORTS THE RESULTS OF A WIDE SURVEY OF NDEs

Radiation oncologist Jeffrey Long wrote in the Introduction to this 2010 book, “It was 1984 when I first stumbled upon the phrase ‘near-death experience’ (NDE) in the pages of a medical journal… in 1998, I started the Near Death Experience Research Foundation [NDERF] and its corresponding website… One of my goals for the site was to collect as many NDEs as I could and to collect them through a questionnaire that would make it easy to separate and study their elements. With such a questionnaire, I could examine the individual elements in NDEs or an entire NDE itself… Over the course of the first ten years, more than 1,300 people who have had a near-death experience spent many hours of their precious time answering over one hundred questions in NDERF’s detailed questionnaire… That so many people are willing to share their NDEs with others speaks volumes about the power of these experiences.” (Pg. 1-2)

He continues, “I am a man of science, and as a result I have examined the data from the NDERF study in a scientific way…. In reaching conclusions about these accounts, we followed a basic scientific principle: What is real is consistently seen among many different observations. The results of the NDERF study clearly indicate remarkable consistency among NDE case studies. This study finds that what people discovered during their near-death experience about God, love, afterlife, reason for our earthly existence, earthly hardships, forgiveness, and many other concepts is strikingly consistent across cultures, races, and creeds. Also, these discoveries are generally not what would have been expected from preexisting societal beliefs, religious teachings, or any other source of earthly knowledge… the NDERF study … brings us closer to understanding what happens when we die… By scientifically studying the more than 1,300 cases shared with NDERF, I believe that the nine lines of evidence presented in this book all converge on one central point: There IS life after death.” (Pg. 3-4)

He goes on, “In science, confirming the reality of a concept generally comes not from a single observation or study but from many independent studies with different methodologies… Throughout this book we cite many major NDE studies by other researchers. These other studies almost always make the same observations and come to the same conclusions as the NDERF study. This adds to the converging lines of evidence that lead me to conclude: there is life after death… listen, and listen CAREFULLY, to the people who have gone through a near-death experience. They surely are one of the best sources for understanding what awaits us at the brink of death and beyond. Since realizing that fact, I have never looked back.” (Pg. 18-19)

He recounts, “The website for the Near Death Experience Research Foundation… was launched on … August 30, 1998… I had not spent money on publicity for the site. Several months later… the site had been visited by relatively few… I continued to work diligently on the site… I continued to build the site in hopes that, yes, they would come. And finally, they did.” (Pg. 37-38)

He outlines, “By studying thousands of detailed accounts of NDErs, I found the evidence that led to this astounding conclusion: NDEs provide such powerful evidence that it is reasonable to accept the existence of an afterlife… I believe without a shadow of a doubt that there is life after death… By reviewing the findings of the NDERF study, I have derived nine lines of reasoning that---to my mind---prove the existence of life after death… I will examine each of the lines of evidence in depth so you can see why I came to the conclusion I did: It is reasonable to accept the existence of an afterlife.” (Pg. 44-45)

He adds, “And then there is the spiritual content of NDEs, namely answers to such age-old questions as: Why are we here on earth? What is important about our earthly existence?... I can say that the content of NDEs has substantial consistency in these answers. I would emphasize that this consistency tells us that something remarkable is taking place in these NDEs… The true strength of the NDERF study has been the sheer number of case studies we have examined and the consistency of results.” (Pg. 52)

He explains, “To understand how remarkable it is to have a conscious experience at the time of clinical death, it is helpful to understand what happens at the moment of death… when the heart stops beating, blood immediately stops flowing to the brain. Approximately ten to twenty seconds after blood stops flowing to the brain, the … EEG, which measures brain electrical activity, goes flat. The EEG… measures electrical activity in the cortex… which is responsible for conscious thought. Following cardiac arrest a lucid, organized, and conscious experience should be impossible. With a flat EEG, it is still possible for electrical activity to be present in the lower parts of the brain… There is no chance that electrical activity in these lower parts of the brain could account for such a highly lucid and ordered experience as described by NDErs. Lucidity coupled with the predictable order of elements establishes that NDEs are not dreams or hallucinations, nor are they due to any other causes of impaired brain functioning.” (Pg. 57-58)

He states, “There is absolutely no scientific or medical explanation for consciousness existing apart from the body. The fact that OBErs report seeing and hearing at a time when their physical eyes and ears are not functioning could have profound implications for scientific thinking about consciousness. The scientific community may now need to wrestle with a profound question: What does it mean to experience sensory perception without the use of the physical senses? (Pg. 75-76)

He notes, “There are skeptics, of course… [Some] say that experiences like these can only be the result of too little anesthesia being used, leading to partial consciousness during the operation. To say this of course, is to ignore NDEs resulting from anesthetic overdose… Rather than the type of coherent NDEs you read here, anesthetic awareness results in totally different experiences… this partial awakening during anesthesia more often involves brief and fragmented experiences that may involve hearing, but usually not vision… Near-death experiences that occur during cardiac arrest while under general anesthesia are perhaps the strictest test of the possibility of consciousness residing outside of the body… Over twenty different ‘explanations’ of near-death experience have been suggested by skeptics over the years. If there were one or even several ‘explanations’ of NDE that were widely accepted as plausible by the skeptics, there would not be so many different ‘explanations.’ The existence of so many ‘explanations’ suggests that there are not any ‘explanations’ of NDE that the skeptics agree on as plausible.” (Pg. 103-104)

Later, he adds, “Dr. Susan Blackmore, a leading NDE skeptic, attributed the life review to a psychological defense mechanism at the time of a life-threatening event that involves a retreat into a timeless moment of pleasant, prior memories. The explanation seems plausible until one begins encountering NDE memories that are NOT pleasant. Such content would not be expected if the life review were simply pleasurable psychological escape from unpleasant circumstances.” (Pg. 117)

He goes on, “Skeptics suggest that … cultural icons have popularized the near-death experience to such a point that people claim to have NDEs when they really don’t… Frankly, fabricated NDEs are more rare than the skeptics would have you believe… The fact that NDEs have been the subject of many television shows and a couple of feature films does not mean that people are now pretending to have NDEs… It is through young children that we can help determine if NDEs are just a made-up phenomenon… that we can help prove… that NDEs are natural events, not events made up or influenced to match some television programs.” (Pg. 135-136)

He summarizes, “The most reasonable conclusion from the NDERF cross-cultural study is that the content of near-death experiences appears to be the same around the world. Such experiences… include the same NDE elements. The elements appear to follow in the same order of occurrence… This is further strong evidence that NDEs are not products of cultural beliefs or prior life experiences. Near-death experiences are, in a word, REAL.” (Pg. 155) Later, he adds, “If there are any differences at all between non-Western and Western NDEs, the differences are more likely to be minor than substantial.” (Pg. 166)

He comments, “I do know…. that a significant number of NDErs express a belief that they were healed during their NDE, which is reason for further research. Exploring these seemingly miraculous healings further will be a direction I take in the future.” (Pg.188)

He concludes, “This research has profound implications for science. The findings of the NDERF and other NDE studies are consistent with the conclusion that there is far more to consciousness and memory than can be explained solely by our physical brain… This book has important implications for religion. The great religions have always spoken to the belief in God and an afterlife. The evidence of near-death experiences points to an afterlife and a universe guided by a vastly loving intelligence. Near-death experiences consistently reveal that death is not an end but rather a transition to an afterlife. This is a profoundly inspiring thought for us all and for our loved ones. I hope that this book helps to promote such an encouraging message.” (Pg. 201-202)

This book will be of great interest to those studying Near-Death Experiences, and similar phenomena.

[Christine Comito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of evidence via anecdotes (questionnaires answered) submitted to a website to research Near Death Experiences. Presents 7 factors that lend themselves to there actually being an afterlife that many many people have experienced and come back to share. Of course we cannot know what happens after those first few welcoming moments because those people don't come back. Part of me wishes Justin would have had a near death experience and come back to us with a renewed lease on life, but also reading the descriptions of people's experiences, it's no wonder he wouldn't want to come back to his world of suffering.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Helped my fear of death and it has very interesting Near-death experience stories.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeffrey Long explores stories as data collected through a survey from his Near Death Experience Research Foundation and identifies 9 general similarities from over 1300 NDEs from around the world. He argues that the statistics in favor that NDEs are scientific evidence of an afterlife. A reader looking to believe in the reality of NDEs will no doubt find the similarities of the experiences compelling.

Long takes a scientific approach to studying the topic, but as to the claim of scientific evidence - is basically asking that the reader accept some very broad inferences based on reports said to have occurred, and not something directly scientifically observable. Though, those that argue that everything that is true can be explained by scientific reductionism, also do so without proof.

In scientific tradition, you can read the first chapters for opening arguments - then skip all the middle for the reasoning and methodology - and go to conclusions at the end. But the latter is short because many points are made redundantly throughout. All the numbers, percentages and redundancies didn't always make for the most exciting reading. Among what I found particularly interesting and most compelling "evidence" though were the similarities of the NDE from those that had been blind or deaf from birth. There were as those that had those capabilities. The author arguing as other that there had not been any brain development for that ability, so there must be no other way to explain it other than "we are not out bodies." I also appreciated that I didn't have to wade through a lot of purposeless personal information surrounding the experience that is so common in books on NDEs, and that there was no overzealous shoehorning of those experiences to fit into some specific religious tradition.

However, the trouble is with this topic is that of interpretation. Statistics can be interpreted to mean very different things. It became quite clear that the author is largely looking to prove what he wants to find. Long notes the challenges of interpreting different languages, but suggests large dissimilarities at first translation with cultural differences and meanings of words, but when he said that upon using different retranslations he "about fell off his chair" with how there was "no statistical difference." This make me skeptical of his objectivity. Long even demonstrates a lack of understanding of what was being described in some NDEs.

I suggest readers reconsider the validity of what OTHER researchers have found before the broad conclusion it is accepted that "All near-death experiences elements appearing in Western NE's are present in non Western NDE's." The author only goes in dept in detail in similarities and consistencies, but isn't recognizing or acknowledging some significant differences even within what is presented even his own data. Let's consider the item of the nature of God. The author asked the question in the survey if there was a "supernatural being" present in the NDE. Some NDE stories state a voice, or even a separate being. But a "non Western" example was "there is no God outside of ourselves, but rather, God is in everything... and is life itself." And in his conclusion "Around the world, language translation issues may account for apparent, but not real differences in the content." The author overextends his arguments to cultural and in belief systems, but there is a MASSIVE content distinction here!! And, another example of questionable interpretation was that if a person having a NDE ends up "being more sensitive to others and shares their experience and it helps others," the author suggests this makes them "psychic." Oh please... Such "suggestions" detract from the points made in his studies that do have merit.

Just because someone says the experienced something (even a significant numbers) doesn't make it scientifically true. The author again opened the door to skeptics with the very broad inferences improperly, I believe, in the reporting of those that said they did not have a particular experience was 14.2%, and the author concludes "The percentage of NDEers selecting "No" in response to this survey question must be interpreted with caution." Really? Why? Because it doesn't match his theory 100%?? Giving great weight to what he wants to believe, and diminishes that which he does not - is NOT part of the scientific tradition.

The author does a lot of speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He speaks appropriately when he concludes "I believe it is reasonable to accept the existence of an afterlife" based on the consistencies of said experiences. But oversteps when he uses terms like "virtually unanimous" way to generously. Unless I'm wrong, gravity is scientifically true 100% of the time. So, one could argue in the existence of an afterlife (and the belief in God) - but the devil is in the details.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fine. started being terribly redundant halfway through.

[Wesley F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting topic and Jeffrey Long presents some surprisingly compelling evidence. Full disclosure, I have always felt that if there is an afterlife, no one on this planet knows anything about it and it is likely we could not understand or comprehend it if we did. Long presents a large number of near-death experience testimonies that have a range of different interpretations and imagery of what entry into an afterlife is like, using 9 evidence-based "proofs" to support it. It convinced me that it may be possible to have a glimpse of the afterlife, although it is clear from his evidence no one can agree on what it is really like with any specificity.

From what I know about the author, he has been a career-long researcher of near-death experiences and what they could mean concerning the existence of an afterlife. He is advocating a position that is fantastic but is credible. The evidence is well-documented. Like a good scientist, his conclusion is limited to what the evidence proves, nothing more. When he does present his opinion he is upfront about it.

As far as weaknesses, it felt like he presented some straw man arguments of the skeptics. Even I could see the weakness of their points before he addressed them with his own response. That is generally not compelling. It may be that skeptics do not spend much time refuting him as they dismiss his work out of hand and do not put any effort into their opposition papers. I don't know.

I was also taken aback by his references to people developing psychic abilities after a near-death experience. Not that its impossible, only that he cites it without mentioning that there is no scientific acceptance or explanation for psychic abilities. In one story he mentions a person claimed to have some basic telekinetic abilities for a short period after his near-death experience. To mention that and move on without acknowledging the extraordinary nature of the claim was a little troublesome.

In the end, I appreciated his commitment to presenting evidence and trying to make scientific claims in a way that was easily accessible to laypersons. He does not make fantastic claims about the nature of the afterlife, only that he thinks the evidence proves it is likely to exist. The testimonies all have their own unique take but he does not really adopt any of them as the "real" one. There are religious implications, of course, but by not sticking his neck out and making unsupported claims about the nature of the afterlife, this book largely succeeds in staying secular.

Did he convince me? Yes. I am not a religious man but do accept that consciousness and the physical realm may be distinct and separate. That allows for the existence of an afterlife. Whether it is Heaven or whatever, I have no idea. I do not think Long does either. Although, he does personally conclude it seems to be a wonderful place, or Heaven-like.

Worth reading, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't buy into his scientific claim, it is still worth reading.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to the phenomenon of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). The author spends the book arguing for the existence of the afterlife based upon his research on NDEs and his online NDERF survey where people submit their NDE stories to his website. Admittedly, I am leery about the NDERF survey because it is online rather than something done in person soon after an NDE has taken place. To my mind, I don't see how he can authenticate the stories posted on there really. He said very very few on there are hoaxes but how would he know? It seems too easy to game the system by writing and submitting stories that fit the common elements of the NDE narrative. Maybe, the author can deal with this criticism but seeing that he didn't in the book, I am approaching the author warily. Healthy skepticism is a good rule of thumb, I think, when it comes to this topic in general.

The book is divided into nine “proofs” for the existence of the afterlife. Some are stronger than others. Lucid death, out of body experience, blind sight, NDEs in under-5 children and family reunions are the most powerful in my opinion.

Do I think NDEs prove that an afterlife exists? For me, I think the evidence is clear that NDEs are real experiences that point to a dualist view of the body and mind. I am hesitant to say that the afterlife is just as depicted in the commonalities between NDEs because by definition all the people came back. What it is like when you stay I think is something unknowable at least without divine revelation (to get theological). I question the supposed worldwide consistency of NDEs just from my own reading of the literature from the past. Some very rudimentary elements are basic in NDEs throughout time but the details differ enough that I don’t think we can conclude much about the afterlife from them, assuming of course that the NDEr is really going to the afterlife rather than something else happening instead. What do I mean by “something else?” I am not talking about hallucinations per se but more of spiritual “visions” which may or may not be accurate. (Again, there is no way to really know unless one is there permanently.)

I’m fairly new to this subject and want to get a better grasp of it. I’ll read the one star reviews and see what the total skeptics say as I don’t want to be totally credulous while at the same time I don’t want to close my eyes to the clear evidence of NDEs by those that experience them.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly, this scientific study of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) is easy to read. I have been reading other books on religion and philosophy and this book seems to be a natural extension of that study and meditation.

The author offers nine avenues of evidence. Although the book is short (~200 pages), the ideas inclosed are rather complex and the author uses scientific analysis to prove his theories. It is interesting that he takes the time to address some of the theories that negate his work.

But I'd like to address the two most interesting (to me) avenues of evidence. After taking in more than 1200 NDEs via the author's website on the subject, the near-death experiences of children, even very young children, are remarkably similar to those of older children and adults. They even studied the results, looking at the 'Oprah effect' (Oprah has been a proponent of NDEs throughout her time on tv). They compared the NDE's before 1975 and after that date and found no real difference between the reporting of each group.

The second avenue of interest is the reporting of NDEs by Westerners (US, Europe, etc.) versus Easterners (Saudi Arabia, Thailand, etc.). They are essentially the same, in spite of very different cultures and religious attitudes.

Some of the text seemed redundant; as though the author did not think his audience could absorb the info in one dose. Other than that, I thought the book was well-referenced and clear.

[John Corder · Rating 5 out of 5]

While at university, I befriended a student who’d recently had a Near Death Experience. A car hit him while he was walking down a country road. We remained friends and I’ve been able to see the long-term effect an NDE can have on someone’s life. Knowing someone who had an NDE does not of course prove the phenomenon true. Sceptics will always reply on it as being either anecdotal, hallucinatory or both. However, I do believe in it and I follow the growing body physics that supports it.

In his book, Dr Long takes the reader through many incidents of NDE. He does this in a very readable way and adds authority by speaking on the subject from the point of view of a senior member of the medical profession. Although not advancing the subject, the book is an excellent beginning for someone new to the subject. In fact, this book must be among the best places to start.

Near Death Experience left the realms of parapsychology and entered mainstream medicine some years ago now. I have no doubt that Dr Long played a significant role in that move given the duration of his involvement in the subject.

My first reaction was to give the book four stars, but then changed my mind. It’s worth five.