What Is a Near-Death Experience?

Death is the only certainty in life yet many people shy away from thinking about it until something drastic happens such as the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, or the sudden death of a loved one, which can throw us into turmoil. Yet, paradoxically, contemplating death and the frequently-experienced phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) – which are so little recognised and supported within the traditional medical environment – can really help alter our relationship with death and release us from the fear that often surrounds it.

After an insightful introduction about why the subject of NDEs is so worth exploring, each chapter in this book addresses a key question: What are the Characteristics of an NDE, and are there different types? Are all NDE experiences pleasant, or can some be distressing? Who has NDEs and under what circumstances do they occur? How do they affect the people who have them, and how can this change their lives? How can NDEs be scientifically explained – aren’t they just hallucinations? What can we learn from NDEs, and can they change our attitude to life and death? Can a greater understanding of NDEs lead to an evolution in our consciousness and an enhanced sense of spirituality?

As such, this book really brings readers on an exploratory journey through the world of NDEs, challenging preconceptions about what they are and the impact they can have, encouraging us to accept and feel empowered by death, rather than living in fear of it, and giving us useful insights about life along the way.

Dr Penny Sartori PhD, RGN is an expert in NDEs, having been an intensive care nurse for 17 years and having undertaken the UK's first long-term prospective study on them, for which she was awarded a PhD. She is the author of best-seller The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences (2014), which was serialised in The Daily Mail, and she lectures both nationally and internationally. She currently teaches at Swansea University.