Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences

by Paul Perry and Jeffrey Long

Book Overview

"There is currently more scientific evidence to the reality of near death experience (NDE) than there is for how to effectively treat certain forms of cancer," states radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061452556
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great Job Dr. Long

When I read this book, I know many people might have other questions but it's nice to have a Web site with over 1,300 persons sharing the same story of a unique voyage to the other side as a complement of the book. I know it's true as I am one of the 1,300 persons listed in the web site! Before my own experience I had some doubts about NDE but now I simply know it's true. Thanks again Jeff Roger C

Excellent

I have read nearly every book published on the near-death experience since Dr. Raymond Moody's "Life After Life" broke ground 35 years ago. I really don't expect to find much new in the way of evidence, although new stories by experiencers add to the evidence already established. I think we are well past the point of diminishing returns in terms of research of the NDE, although there is always the possibility of some case surfacing that goes beyond the famous "Pam Reynolds" case. Of course, when such a case surfaces, the pseudoskeptics, i.e., the scientific fundamentalists, will attempt to pick holes in it, just as they have done with the Pam Reynolds case. And we will hear the same old argument that it is nothing but "anecdotal." Even though I don't expect to find anything new in the way of evidence, I keep reading, though, because in my eighth decade of life I find a certain comfort and reinforcement in reading new experiences and new perspectives on the evidence. I have become a "vicarious experiencer" and like many of the experiencers discussed by Dr. Long in this book I no longer fear that I am marching toward an abyss of nothingness. It is like a person listening to his or her favorite music over and over again or reading the Bible every day. It is for the most part redundant, but it soothing and reinforcing. I haven't quite figured out what better things I might be doing with my time in my old age. Perhaps I should be hitting little white balls into holes, escaping life into novels or movies, or watching Oprah. I found this book well written and believe it ranks up there with the best books on the NDE. I especially liked Dr. Long's approach of giving the skeptics view in each of the nine lines of evidence and then explaining why the skeptical arguments fall far well short of discrediting the evidence. What the two or three negative reviewers don't seem to understand is that science is not limited to laboratories and test tubes. There is pure science or exact science and there is inexact science or courtroom science. One or two anecdotal stories may not make for science, but when you get scores or hundreds of them that can be examined and studied they do make for science, even if inexact science. Anecdotes are to courtroom science what individual elements are to laboratory science. Moreover, those negative reviewers don't seem to grasp the difference between evidence and proof, nor do they apparently recognize that proof is not necessarily absolute. They appear to be stuck in the muck and mire of scientism - which is to science what fundamentalism is to religion. This book is worth every penny. Thanks, Dr. Long, for your dedicated research and for writing the book.

Excellent Book With New Insights.

This is an excellent book, written by a medical doctor which offers new insights and conclusions about the Near Death Experience. The author has access to new and fresh accounts from experiencers, and he makes good use of earlier compilations and studies in the field. The book is well documented throughout. The author's conclusions are well worth reading and should point the way for even more detailed studies in the future. I recommend this to anyone familiar with the Near Death Experience and interested in its implications. Though there have been many popular books on the phenomenon, this is still a neglected field. Misunderstandings about the experience are rampant. And in my opinion, skeptical critics have done a very poor job of responding to the material that doctors have been accumulating on this for decades. Indeed skeptics who continue to maintain that the phenomenon involves delusions do not seem to have read the material on this that is available to all. The fact is, patterns emerge in the countless reports of these experiences and these patterns have certain clear implications. This book seeks to define and evaluate those patterns, and to draw conclusions about them, in a responsible, and credible way. Highly recommended.

Credible, but not "proof positive."

This elegant book postulates 9 lines of evidence that serve as compelling verification of the existence of life beyond physical death. The arguments for an afterlife as presented in this book, clearly puts the onus on skeptics to prove that there is no afterlife, which from my perspective can NOT be done. How does one go about proving that something doesn't exist? For example: I defy anybody to prove that I never went to Florida, or prove that I have never suffered a headache. Just because I've never been to India, doesn't mean that you haven't. NDE's are so subjective that it is impossible to denounce the existence of heaven just because one hasn't (or doesn't remember) ever being there. There is an old maxim that I believe is attributable to Mark Twain "If one person calls you an ass, ignore him. If two people call you an ass, check for tracks. If three people call you an ass, buy a saddle." It occurs to me that several million people from all over the world are telling us, as best they can, that there is in fact a higher reality than this one. "Evidence of the Afterlife...." Is very well written and organized. No, it does not provide "proof positive" (as the only real way to obtain that type of proof is to find ones self without breath) but based on a preponderance of the evidence, I would say that the authors successfully plead their case. 5 Stars and high praise from me.

Convincing...

This is my first experience with reading a book on near death experiences and the science behind it. I've read books before on personal accounts of the afterlife but these books mainly came from a New Age/Metaphysical perspective. Never before had I read anything coming from a scientific view. Dr. Long, a radiation oncologist, over the period of ten or more years had complied and studied hundreds of personal accounts of near-death-experiences and found some consistent similarities over the stories, regardless of nationality, religion, race, culture, and other demographics. I tend to be skeptical of a lot of different things, but Dr. Long, with his medical background lends credibility to this work. And the results of the research provide some convincing arguments. Dr. Long asserts that there are 9 arguments that prove the existence of life after death. These arguments have been generated through the study of consistencies from the hundreds of NDE accounts that he's complied over the years. Some of these arguments include how: it can't be medically explained how people experience consciousness when they are clinically dead; blind people experiencing visual perceptions during their NDE (even though, blind people do not dream in visuals); children giving NDE details similar to adults, though they may have never been exposed to this concept; the "life review" experience tend to reflect real events. These arguments, along with the others, are the primary basis for Long's proof assertion. Throughout the book, Long discusses each of these arguments, cites previous research from other scientists on this phenomenon that either compliments or refutes his claims, and justifies his arguments (including discussing some of the various scientific research methods). For me, the most convincing argument was from the visually impaired (blind) accounts, who for the most part had visually perceptive type of experiences. Stories from people who had never had an experience with sight, no perception of sight whatsoever and could account for some of the visuals that they perceived were remarkable. Another strong argument was how it could not be medically explained that people who were clinically dead, could have such a lucid consciousness, a consciousness which were described as more vivid than our normal day-to-day consciousness. Arguments against NDE have been that at death or near death, our subconscious mind takes over to put us into a dream-like state. But nonetheless, Long's argument here was very compelling. I considered all of the arguments to be definitely food-for-thought. Most importantly, throughout the 9 arguments, Long discusses some of the personal stories of people who experienced the NDE phenomenon. To read these accounts was enlightening and inspirational. Whether individuals perceived themselves to be a "moral" or "immoral" person, the accounts mostly expressed peace, overwhelming love, and joy. Many expressed how these e