Why this book: I had just read Proof of Heaven and asked my friend John Alexander who is very well read in this arena, some questions about other research regarding Near Death Experiences around the world, and he recommended this book.

Summary in 4 Sentences: Bruce Greyson is a psychiatrist who often got called in to talk to people who’d survived suicide attempts, and in one case the patient was comatose on a gurney, yet when she revived, she described to him what he’d been doing in another room while she was unconscious, telling him what he’d done and said and that she’d observed it all. Greyson being a scientifically trained doctor was confused, decided to look into this phenomenon and spent the next 40 years interviewing over 1000 people who’d had Near Death Experiences (NDE) looking for patterns and anything that would give scientific rigor to his investigations into these bizarre experiences. The book describes a multitude and variety of NDE’s, various efforts to test and explain them, and lays out how most are similar, how and perhaps why some diverge, and the impact they have had on those who have them. He concludes with a summary of his findings over the years.

My Impressions: I was impressed by the stories he told of the many fascinating NDE’s that had been related to him in his research, but also by his skepticism – his examination of the obvious question -“Could there be other explanations?” As a psychiatrist with a strong tie to and belief in evidentiary science, he makes every effort to remain impartial and to to explore these phenomena from a scientific perspective. In order to give some structure and legitimacy to his explorations, he created a matrix that I understand is still used, to evaluate NDE’s that are reported and described. This matrix helps him and other researchers compare NDE’s for their similarities, differences, andn to better understand whether and how some of what the patient reports might relate to their conscious lives.

Early in his career and after his initial incongruous experience with the woman in a coma, as a psychiatrist he was often called upon to meet and help people who had had traumatic “near death” experiences, to include failed suicide attempts. This at least in part because these people were often believed to be hallucinating or mentally “challenged” and also because eventually he became well known as a researcher in such hallucinations or bizarre experiences while in a life threatening coma. He eventually realized that bizarre out-of-body experiences were not uncommon. As he began exploring these phenomena, he realized that to ignore the possible implications of such phenomena would be disingenuous and that it is unscientific to ignore phenomena or evidence that is counter to what one expects. So he chose to explore these phenomena and to consider the possible implications.

The book is a compendium of his interviews and explorations with people who’d had experiences that seem to defy what conventional thinking believes is possible. He selects the most interesting cases, and also provides comparisons – where such experiences have differed, where there are similiarities and what these differences and similarities might mean. He never reports as a true believer, but remains carefully skeptical, always looking at and considering various possible alternative explanations for what people tell him that they experienced. He notes that he has not had any such paranormal experiences himself, but after his questioning and interviews, absent any reason not to believe their stories, he accepts that indeed they had these experiences, they believe they were real, and that there was no intent to deceive. BUT he also acknowledges that their sense that the experiences denote alternate realities doesn’t necessarily mean there are indeed such alternate realities, or that such realities are legitimate for all. A challenge of the scientific methods is that it demands that results can be replicated, reliably, which is not the case with NDE’s, out-of-body experiences, precognition or other paranormal abilities. He is clearly moved, continues to explore stories he hears, but his goal is to explore and understand, not to proselytize.

The titles of some of his chapters: “Are Near Death Experiences Real?”, “the Biology of dying,” “The Mind is not the Brain,” “Does Consciousness continue, ” “What about God?” “What does it all mean” “Life before Death.”

I asked ChatGPT to recommend some books to me that as dispassionately as possible explore NDE’s and other such phenomena, and After was at the top of the list it gave me. If someone were to ask me to recommend a book on NDE’s, I’d recommend this one first, then perhaps Eben Alexander’s Proof of Heaven. But there are several out there that are well regarded that explore this phenomenon from various perspectives. Fascinating stuff – I’ll read more. Stay tuned….