Near-Death Experiences: Afterlife Journeys and Revelations

by Jim Willis

Overview

Thousands, perhaps millions, of people have had near-death experiences (NDEs). Why do so many report uncannily similar experiences? What are they—a simple trick of the mind and body or something more? What are we to make of them, and do they tell us anything about the possibility of an afterlife?

An illuminating and thought-provoking journey into the enigmatic territory where science, spirituality, and human consciousness converge, Near Death Experiences: Afterlife Journeys and Revelations presents a comprehensive journey through different interpretations of NDEs:

The Scientific. What neuroscience, medicine, and biology have to say about what happens at the brink of death.

The Religious. What NDE-like experiences found in the Bible, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Talmud, the Quran, and other religious tracts tell us.

Historic and Personal. What folklore and personal stories reveal about this alternate consciousness that occurs during a life-threatening situation.

The Metaphysical. Possible answers involving quantum reality, parallel universes, and the subconscious.

Challenging you to explore all possibilities, Near Death Experiences will have you reconsidering your understanding of life, death, and consciousness!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578598465
Publisher:	Visible Ink Press
Publication date:	04/09/2024
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jim Willis earned his master’s degree in theology from Andover Newton Theological School, and he has been an ordained minister for over 40 years. He has also taught college courses in comparative religion and cross-cultural studies. His background in theology and education led to his writing more than 20 books on history, religion, the apocalypse, cross-cultural spirituality, and the mysteries of the unknown. His books include Visible Ink Press’ Censoring God; Ancient Gods; Hidden History; and American Cults. He lives in the woods of South Carolina.

Read an Excerpt

What Exactly is an NDE?
“I don't mind saying that after talking with over a thousand people who have had these experiences, and having experienced many times some of the really baffling and unusual features of these experiences, it has given me great confidence that there is a life after death. As a matter of fact, I must confess to you in all honesty, I have absolutely no doubt, on the basis of what my patients have told me, that they did get a glimpse of the beyond.”
—Raymond Moody, author of Life After Life: Understanding Near Death Experiences, in an interview with Jeffrey Mishlove, for the Intuition Network’s Thinking Aloud

The phrase “Near-Death Experience,” or NDE, was coined by Raymond Moody in his 1975 best-selling book, Life After Life. Born in 1944, Moody earned doctoral degrees in both Philosophy and Psychiatry, as well as an MD, but is best known for popularizing his convictions, based on years of research and thousands of interviews with patients, that physical life is not the end.

In his book, and countless interviews since, he recounted story after story of those who died, often in a hospital under carefully scrutinized conditions, and then, after being revived, returned with stories about unique, but somehow very similar, experiences.

The stages of those experiences are now well-known, consisting of detachment from the physical body, a sense of peace, unconditional acceptance and love, a tunnel leading upward or outward, a bright light, a welcoming, comforting, radiant being, a vision of loved ones or entities of some kind, a life review, and a final, usually reluctant, decision to return.

In some cases, patients were able to describe with extreme accuracy the conditions and activities in the operating room, usually from the vantage point of up near the ceiling. Many were even able to pinpoint specific features outside the room – features that were later verified.

In one now-famous account, a patient spotted an old sneaker outside on the hospital roof. It was impossible to see from inside, and had probably been deposited there years before by a construction worker. But when a curious researcher crawled out on the roof to confirm the story, there was the sneaker.

Time after time, Moody heard stories about an experience that can only be described as a feeling of exiting the physical body, which led to a totally different kind of sense perception and a totally different kind of communication. This experience abruptly ceased when the patient returned to life.

But the lack of ability to accurately portray what was an entirely new existence didn’t mean the people came back to life unchanged. Whatever their religious affiliation, or complete lack of one, virtually everyone testified that they were now believers. They were not converted to a particular religious tradition, mind you, but rather to a certainty that life does not end in death.

They no longer feared the end of life on earth. Indeed, most looked forward to it. They had undergone a profound moral, ethical, and spiritual transformation. They felt their life now had purpose and meaning, all wrapped up in the idea of love. Love is the single most-used word that they used to describe what they felt life was now all about for them.

All these stories ultimately convinced Moody that death is not an end, but rather a transformation of consciousness. The material body is left behind as human consciousness morphs into a totally different kind of body, often called a “spiritual” body, which, since it is outside our normal perception realm, cannot be described by language that was invented to talk about experiences in our material reality.

After 1975, when Moody’s book became a best-seller, thousands upon thousands of people felt free, now without fear of public ridicule, to at last describe what they had experienced, sometimes years or even decades before. Most hospitals now routinely interview patients who have died and been revived. Countless YouTube videos fill the Internet.

Medical professionals who don’t believe there is life outside of their materialistic pedagogy often do their best to explain such stories as an illusion brought on by lack of oxygen to the brain, or memories of pre-birth trauma and a passage through the birth canal. Some insist that the stories are induced by auto-suggestion and a desire to believe we somehow survive death. But their voices are increasingly drowned out by example after example of facts that cannot be denied.

Table of Contents

Preface: What Exactly is an NDE?
Introduction: New Wine in New Wineskins

Part I: Something Old …
Chapter 1: The Wisdom Teachings of the Philosophers
Chapter 2: From the Pages of the Bible
Chapter 3: Sacred Texts from Great Religions
Chapter 4: Stories from Around the World
Chapter 5: Testimonies from the Common Era
Part II: Something New ….
Chapter 6: Measuring Eternity
Chapter 7: NDEs and the Field of Medicine
Chapter 8: NDEs and the Military
Chapter 9: Research from the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)
Chapter 10: Stories from the Monroe Institute (TMI)
Chapter 11: IANDS and the Current Scene
Part III: Something Borrowed …
Chapter 12: Mysteries of the Quantum World
Chapter 13: From Physics to the Century of Biology
Chapter 14: Dream Research and the Near-Death Experience
Chapter 15: The Phenomenon of Shared Death Experiences
Chapter 16: Some Who Made a Difference
Part IV: Something Blue ….
Chapter 17: A Journey from Reality to Life
Chapter 18: Are Parallel Dimensions Real?
Chapter 19: Thermodynamics and NDEs
Chapter 20: The Music of the Spheres
Conclusions: New Language for Old Experiences
Epilogue: The Meaning of Life

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2024

Willis (American Cults) embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the enigmatic realm of the near-death experience (NDE). He uses his background as an ordained minister and a comparative religion college instructor to spotlight the profound experiences of people on the brink of death. He meticulously analyzes the most-often-described NDE scenarios, including detachment from the physical body and reunions with departed loved ones. These experiences, Willis shows, engender a profound shift in consciousness, imbuing the individual with an unwavering sense of purpose and an abiding connection to the transcendent. He melds scientific inquiry, metaphysical approaches, personal narratives, and spiritual beliefs, synthesizing empirical data and subjective experiences that reconcile divergent perspectives on the NDE. This book challenges readers to expand the confines of conventional thought and contemplate the mysteries that lie beyond the threshold of mortality. It includes a thorough index, suggested readings for further research, and a bibliography. VERDICT In this recommended work, Willis invites readers to contemplate the nature of consciousness and questions of mortality.—Gary Medina

Library Journal

"… a scientific look at what happens when the worst almost happens, and how science and religion tie together with this issue." — Bookworm Sez

"This is truly a fascinating read. ... If you have questions about the afterlife, does it exist? Well, you will find many answers in this incredible book, and you will finish the book and have a huge smile on your face!" —Jazma Online

"… a comprehensive and fascinating search for answers regarding the much talked about and controversial phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs). [Willis] presents an exhaustive review of the unique testimonial evidence from NDE experiencers, what medical doctors, NDE researchers, and others have to say on the subject, along with ancient religious texts that touch upon such accounts and what they describe." —Alternative Perceptions magazine

"Near-Death Experiences is an enthralling look at the neurological process, the dream-like explanations; the spiritual, religious, and faith-based interpretations; the psychological views; the philosophy possibilities; quantum reality; and the ongoing debates about the nature and meaning of NDEs. It will challenge you to explore all possibilities!" —Basement of the Bizarre

"Jim [Willis] is a retired minister who has researched Near Death Experiences in various ways, both through personal and professional happenings, as well as scientific research that is being conducted today. A fascinating publication, it makes one aware of how much we don’t know." —Delphi International

From the Publisher