Introduction The purpose of this book is to provide you with the most complete, 360-degree look at the entire near-death phenomenon in all its positive and negative aspects. I've created it for the widest possible audience--a book that can fascinate gentle readers like yourself, and, at the same time, prove to be a major source of information for teachers and students alike, medical personnel, fellow researchers, and the religious community. The book is divided into five parts: Part 1: The Experience/The Experiencer sets the stage by covering what we know of the early history of the subject, while bringing us up to date with some enormous changes that are now happening in the field of near-death studies. The early model of what constitutes a near-death experience has not proved to be useful in the medical world, so a new standard of criteria is being developed. In this section, we look at the four different types of episodes people generally have, along with variations reported by both adult and child experiences. Part 2: Afterward goes much deeper into the phenomenon and its pattern of physiological and psychological aftereffects--a pattern that affects child and adult experiencers alike. How this challenges individuals who can have a more difficult time than adults dealing with the experience, and who are six times more likely to repress what happened to them than are their elders. Part 3: Time Out for Questions opens the door to skepticism and some questions that really need to be asked. For instance, are the dead really dead? How is death determined? Is there another explanation? We jump right into the fray here by giving the debunkers a fair hearing, then debunking them as we admit that near-death experiencers--as a good job as they have done--still have a long way to go with investigations of the phenomenon. Part 4: Taking a Leap Beyond stretches our minds as we consider different ways of interpreting experiencer storylines. We also tackle the entire subject of transformations of consciousness--the traditions and aftermath of unusually striking changes people undergo who are consumed in a sudden burst of light that brings with it new knowledge of a higher order to life--and the spiritual dimensions of the soul. The three types of inner light people experience are also discussed. Part 5: Back Down to Earth returns to the regular world of everyday people who must grapple with the challenge of making sense out of what can be learned from near-death experiences, and to what extent they can use that knowledge in their lives. This includes the experiencer, too, for he or she is faced with integration what happened--the incident and its aftereffects--into daily life. Emerging from this challenge are messages for the twenty-first century that can make a dramatic different not only in your life, but for society as well. And if this all isn't enough for you, I've included five appendices, each one chock-full of information that will enable you to have a hands-on opportunity to explore even more. One more thing--you'll find short bits of information appearing in side boxes scattered throughotu the text. These kernels highlight extra material and meaningful new words in a style that is quick and easy to grasp, and should prove most helpful as you read along. All of this was done to make your journey through the puzzling yet awe-inspiring world of near-death experiences as enjoyable as possinle. Have a great read! Excerpted from The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences: The Ultimate Guide to What Happens When We Die by P. M. H. Atwater All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
