The Near-Death Experience: A Reader

Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are a mystifying state of consciousness. The incredible experiences reported by survivors of NDEs, such as out-of-body travel and soul-transforming peace are stimulating interdisciplinary research in several fields, from the medical to the mystical.The Near Death Experience: A Readeris the most comprehensive collection of NDE cases and interpretations ever assembled. Edited by Lee W. Bailey and Jenny Yates, this book encompasses a broad range of disciplines. Psychological researchers discuss cognitive models and Jungian theories of meaningful archetypal phenomena such as enlightenment and healing transformation. From the biological perspective,The Near Death Experience: A Readerdescribes how brains near death may produce soothing endorphins, optical illusions, and convincing hallucinations. Philosophers present empirical analyses and images in archetypal theories, and the symbolic language of comparativephenomenological theories. Christian, Jewish and Mormon responses to NDEs outline the religious perspective, and through discussion of the Native American Black Elk's NDE and the classicTibetan Book of the Dead, the mystical and spiritual interpretations of NDEs are also explored.