Bruce Greyson

Death: it's final. The end. This book is what comes "after" if your heart stops for a brief moment in time and you manage to come back from the deep unknown with some type of recollection.

This book is full of reports from people with near-death experiences. While there are hundreds of stories over the years, no one knows for sure what actually happens when someone dies. Dr. Bruce Greyson begins by revealing his disbelief and later finding himself in an unexplainable experience with a patient. He continues to search for answers with scientific findings.

For those interested in near-death experiences, this book may answer your questions - and more. It's a good one to read. This book adds to what others have written on this subject with a thorough review.… (altro)

The author is a psychiatrist who began studying near death experiences (NDEs) almost by accident after a patient's unexplained experience. He is a serious scientist and has tried to use the scientific method for all his research. He created a "scale" for NDEs in order to try to study these experiences in a more standardized way. He has published articles in JAMA and other scholarly publications. The research he describes in this book is fascinating.

What was most interesting for me was the research differentiating the "mind" from the "brain." The association between the mind and the brain is a scientific fact, but the interpretation that the brain creates the mind is not. In fact, such a connection between the brain and the mind breaks down in extraordinary circumstances such as NDEs. There are many hypotheses to be explored regarding the brain/mind connection, including that the brain is a device for the mind to act more effectively on the physical body.

There are lots of questions remaining. The author ends by stating that, "If you take only one thing from this book, I want you to appreciate the transformative power of these experiences to change peoples' lives."

Recommended if the subject interests you.

3 stars… (altro)