Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation

by Kenneth Ring, Bruce Greyson M.D., Janice Miner Holden, Debbie James

Overview

A team of international experts presents the history, recent developments, and controversies in the intriguing study of near-death experience.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313358647
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/22/2009
Pages:	316
Sales rank:	1,005,187
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Dr. BRUCE GREYSON is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He served on the medical school faculty at the Universities of Michigan, Connecticut, and Virginia. He was a co-founder and President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, and Editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, he has received national awards for his medical research.

Table of Contents

Foreword Kenneth Ring vii

Preface xiii

1 The Field of Near-Death Studies: Past, Present, and Future Janice Miner Holden Bruce Greyson Debbie James 1

2 Pleasurable Western Adult Near-Death Experiences: Features, Circumstances, and Incidence Nancy L. Zingrone Carlos S. Alvarado 17

3 Aftereffects of Pleasurable Western Adult Near-Death Experiences Russell Noyes Peter Fenwick Janice Miner Holden Sandra Rozan Christian 41

4 Distressing Western Near-Death Experiences: Finding a Way through the Abyss Nancy Evans Bush 63

5 "Trailing Clouds of Glory": The Near-Death Experiences of Western Children and Teens Cherie Sutherland 87

6 Characteristics of Western Near-Death Experiences Janice Miner Holden Jeffrey Long B. Jason MacLurg 109

7 Census of Non-Western Near-Death Experiences to 2005: Observations and Critical Reflections Allan Kellehear 135

8 World Religions and Near-Death Experiences Farnaz Masumian 159

9 Veridical Perception in Near-Death Experiences Janice Miner Holden 185

10 Explanatory Models for Near-Death Experiences Bruce Greyson Emily Williams Kelly Edward F. Kelly 213

11 Practical Applications of Research on Near-Death Experiences Ryan D. Foster Debbie James Janice Miner Holden 235

References 259

Subject Index 303

Name Index 309

About the Editors and Contributors 313

Editorial Reviews

Recommended.” —Choice

“Practitioners and researchers specializing in near-death experiences review the scientific literature in and from the perspectives of their various disciplines, mostly mental health, but also other health care fields and the social sciences. Among the topics are pleasurable western adult near-death experiences and their after effect, western children and teens, a census of non-western experiences to 2005, world religions, veridical perceptions, explanatory models, and practical applications of the research. Most of the 11 studies are based on presentations at a fall 2006 conference in Houston, Texas.” —Reference & Research Book News

From the Publisher