The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences

A team of international experts presents the history, recent developments, and controversies in the study of near-death experiences (NDEs). As medical resuscitation techniques advance, NDEs are more frequently reported, including phenomena beyond moving through a tunnel or seeing a light, such as individuals knowing things after revival that cannot currently be explained. The volume explores whether NDEs are caused by physiological changes in the brain, biological reactions to oxygen loss or impending death, or changing states of consciousness. Great controversy exists in medical and psychological fields, and all these ideas are discussed in this comprehensive volume.

Study at a glance

Abstract

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.