Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Near Death Experiences: The Ultimate Guide to What Happens When We Die

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was completely chilled, but in such an amazing way by the time I finished reading this book. I have never read a more persuasive and convincing arguement for the theory that life truly does not end once our time on this earth wraps up. I've always been a big believer in God as the end all and be all of my existence. I still have that faith, but this book also broadened my mind to "spirituality" and less towards organized religion as the foundation for my faith. I also gained an understanding of the human mind and body that I never in 35 years actually sat and contemplated. I more or less just drifted through life simply "existing". There are a lot of books out there who seem to be made for daytime talk shows with their leaning toward the dramatic. They err toward cartoonish instead of convincing. THIS however is imo THE only book that you need to truly convince yourself that you have absolutely nothing to fear. I was left with no doubts and a complete and utter acceptance of LAD. I hope others get as much out of this book as I did.

What I expected was a large book filled with lots and lots of near-death experiences. What I got was some experiences (many seem abbreviated) along with analysis and the creation of all sorts of categories. While that is valuable for scientific research - I feel the title is somewhat misleading.

I also found this book was not what I expected. The author claims to have interviewed the near-death experiences of 3,000 adults and 277 children and yet there are very few stories of actual near-death experiences.

It is a big book of near death experiences. With three near death experiences, thirty years of research, and thousands of cases P.M.N. Atwater does a good job describing near death experiences. She provides details on the good, the bad, and the ugly for those who have experienced an NDE, their families, and others. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has had an NDE (I have not), for anyone who knows someone who has (I have not), and for anyone else interested in the topic. Her experience, facts, insights, and conclusions would be helpful to all three groups.

This takes up about the first half of the book.

The second half seems to turn attention to the subtitle "The Ultimate guide to what happens when we die." Some of it was interesting and thought provoking. Unfortunately, many of her theories and conclusions are at best a stretch and I think she fails to make a good case on several occasions. I also thought she droned on a bit long on some of her pet theories such as evolutionary change, but you may not mind if you liked her book - Children of the New Millennium.

There are a large number of references throughout the book and in the appendices so the interested reader can check facts and delve deeper in the subject from a variety of authors and researchers.

So I liked the first half - This is a big and excellent book on near death experiences. I learned a lot.

But I did not like the second half - This is not the ultimate guide to what happens when we die.

Happy reading.

I used to believe that I knew a lot about NDE's and then I read this book! It is, as the Amazon description states, a tour de force. It contains over 400 pages and 30 years of research covering the experiences themselves, the aftereffects, religion, other worlds and the ultimate purpose of life. The author even gives debunkers a chapter, followed by a chapter in which she explains why she thinks they are wrong.
This is THE book about NDE's and is a must read for anyone even curious about the near-death experience. It is another book that I wish could be given more than 5 stars.

The book isn't just about NDEs, but about consciousness. It includes many personal accounts, research data, the body's biological changes after NDEs, connections to quantum physics and much more. I found myself sneaking time to keep reading. While I've read and experienced a good deal on the subject, this book puts the information in contexts that were mind blowing at times. I also recommend this book for anyone struggling with grief over a loved one, it's comforting.

You've got to love the price too, well worth it!

This is an amazing book. It is beautifully designed, so that each page pulls you right in. The insert boxes make it easy to learn new things quickly, and the text itself is amazingly comprehensive and easy to read. The author has done extensive research in a field that, as she says, "straddles religion and mysticism, science and biology, consciousness and the supernatural." It is the kind of book you can dip into to gain a lot of information in a short time, or sit down with and stay engrossed for several hours. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in Near Death Experiences, other altered states of consciousness, and our human evolution in consciousness
Diane Kennedy Pike
Author of Life As A Waking Dream

I have reviewed Atwater's books before and though she comes off sounding like her research is "scientific," it does not even come close to being so. She speaks with great conviction and believes very stongly in her perception of what a Near Death Experience is. She seems to think that because she has been involved in the collection of hundreds of cases of Near Death Experiences, this is research. Collecting a number of cases be it 50, 100, or 1,000, does not constitute research. Phyllis is sincere in what she says but she has no real understanding of what research is, scientific or otherwise. Her books come off sounding like she is reporting what those in the field of Near Death Experience have discovered. But most of the findings she includes in her books, and expecially this one, are her own and do not reflect the conclusions of most researchers in the field. What she needs to do is to state clearly that the findings in this book are her personal views and not come off sounding as if she is representing the field as a whole.

Ms. Atwater wrote an earlier book that was touted by her as being the definitive work on Near Death Experiences. That book was one of the "Idiot's Guide to..." series. What this present book is, is a retitling of that book with minor revisions. This author is not the only person to reissue a book with a new title. I do not fault her for that. But what I do fault her for is purporting to represent the views, research findings, and conclusions of the researchers in the NDE field. She has reported some very useful case studies of Near Death Experiences. However, she does not let those cases speak for themselves but puts her own personal twist on them. My observations and criticisms are for her lack of sophistication in research methodologies and statistical analysis. For conclusions to be valid, they must be based on valid methods of data collection. This book is filled with over-generalizations and questionable statements and does not add in any meaningful way to the existing body of information on the Near Death Experience.

P.M.H. Atwater has written a great resourceful work entitled "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences," as it is a collection of intriguing accounts of near-death experiences. In this book, there are five parts, 26 chapters, with five appendixes, and roughly 460 pages.

Never having had any Near-Death experience myself, I found this book to be an excellent reading as well an intriguing research on the subject, especially on how the experiences affected one's brain structure/chemistry/function.

It indeed is a big book and well worth a read.

Lately I have noticed that not much new material was out there for a while on Near Death Experiences, till this book. PMH Atwater has done another fine job of bringing information to the table on NDE. This book is very structured and is not just a list of inspirational stories like many other books. It shows many, many different types of NDEs and what may build to cause them and also what may happen afterwards such as aftereffects.

Points out Skeptics points of views, the history of NDEs, even NDE humor.

If your a Believer, Non Believer or just Curious, once you start this book it will make you say, Ok you have my attention!