The handbook of near-death experiences Thirty years of investigation

People who have been revived after being close to death sometimes report memories of dramatic and vivid experiences occurring while death was imminent. These near-death experiences (NDEs) include cognitions, perceptions, and emotions. For instance, some people have recalled out-of-body sensations, as though they were floating above and looking down at themselves. Some NDEs have been described as life-changing events. What is the source of these memories? One possibility is that they are the result of chaotic activity of a brain exposed to the cascade of unique neural events accompanying extreme disruption of normal physiology. A second possibility is that they are evidence that the dying individual has caught a fleeting look at an existence after life or on a plane other than that of the physical world. Holden (counseling and higher education, Univ. of North Texas), Greyson (psychiatry and neurobehavioral science, Univ. of Virginia Medical School), and James (nursing, Univ. of Texas Cancer Center) are concerned with the second possibility. The book's eleven chapters (each with references) cover a variety of topics: e.g., the history of NDE studies; pleasurable and distressing NDEs; NDEs in children; religious connections; and practical implications. The research relies heavily on interviews, questionnaires, and anecdotes. Summing Up: Recommended. General collections only. R. H. Cormack New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology