In Consciousness Beyond Life, the internationally renowned cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel offers ground-breaking research into whether or not our consciousness survives the death of our body. If you enjoy books about near-death experiences, such as those by Raymond Moody, Jeffrey Long, and James Van Praagh; watch televisions shows like Ghosthunters, Touched by an Angel, and Ghost Whisperer; or are interested in works that explore the intersection of faith and science, such as Spiritual Brain, Signature in the Cell, and When Science Meets Religion; you’ll find much to ponder in Consciousness Beyond Life.
Consciousness Beyond Life
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Dr. Pim van Lommel’s Consciousness Beyond Life is an exciting, informative, and thorough overview of near-death experiences. As one of the foremost experts in the field, his work moves us closer to rational comprehension of human kind’s deepest mystery— life after death.” (Raymond A. Moody MD,PhD, author of Life After Life )
“In Consciousness Beyond Life, cardiologist Pim van Lommel constructs a model of consciousness that courageously builds on all we know. The resulting view is… bright and hopeful… and has the redeeming feature of being consistent with scientific data, which in our era makes all the difference.” (Dr. Larry Dossey )
“Pim van Lommel shows that the symphony of human consciousness does continue… [even] at the portals of death. His evidence is robust, and can no longer be ignored either by the science community, or by society at large.” (Dr. Ervin Laszlo )
“Most books on NDEs only touch on some of the ideas that are presented, but the distinctive contribution of this book is that it presents and defends a complete theory of consciousness.... What a brilliant, erudite and magisterial book. A magnificent achievement, clearly a landmark book. ” (Dr. Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut )
“Consciousness Beyond Life confronts the apparent enigma of clear thinking, accurate perception, and enhanced memory in people who are clinically dead. This rigorous and provocative book may change our ideas about the mind and how we practice medicine.” (Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine )
“I highly recommend Consciousness Beyond Life. Van Lommel is convinced that NDEs are real experiences, not just some sort of brain malfunction. He... has studied NDEs for more than 20 years and this is an authoritative look, with solid medical background. ” (Dr. Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. )
“There have been several books published which explore consciousness, the near-deathexperience, or the brain, but van Lommel’s book is the most comprehensive.... Human beings are something more than physical bodies. There is life after death. Read Consciousness Beyond Life and expand your mind with hope.” (Basil & Spice )
“The most significant contribution to the field to appear in many years, containing as it does [van Lommel’s] mature philosophical reflections on the implications of the findings of his study on near-death experiences in survivors of cardiac arrest.” (David Lorimer, editor of the Network Review )
“In Consciousness Beyond Life, cardiologist Pim van Lommel constructs a model of consciousness that courageously builds on all we know. The resulting view is… bright and hopeful… and has the redeeming feature of being consistent with scientific data, which in our era makes all the difference.” (Dr. Larry Dossey )
“Pim van Lommel shows that the symphony of human consciousness does continue… [even] at the portals of death. His evidence is robust, and can no longer be ignored either by the science community, or by society at large.” (Dr. Ervin Laszlo )
“Most books on NDEs only touch on some of the ideas that are presented, but the distinctive contribution of this book is that it presents and defends a complete theory of consciousness.... What a brilliant, erudite and magisterial book. A magnificent achievement, clearly a landmark book. ” (Dr. Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut )
“Consciousness Beyond Life confronts the apparent enigma of clear thinking, accurate perception, and enhanced memory in people who are clinically dead. This rigorous and provocative book may change our ideas about the mind and how we practice medicine.” (Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine )
“I highly recommend Consciousness Beyond Life. Van Lommel is convinced that NDEs are real experiences, not just some sort of brain malfunction. He... has studied NDEs for more than 20 years and this is an authoritative look, with solid medical background. ” (Dr. Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. )
“There have been several books published which explore consciousness, the near-deathexperience, or the brain, but van Lommel’s book is the most comprehensive.... Human beings are something more than physical bodies. There is life after death. Read Consciousness Beyond Life and expand your mind with hope.” (Basil & Spice )
“The most significant contribution to the field to appear in many years, containing as it does [van Lommel’s] mature philosophical reflections on the implications of the findings of his study on near-death experiences in survivors of cardiac arrest.” (David Lorimer, editor of the Network Review )
From the Back Cover
As a cardiologist, Pim van Lommel was struck by the number of his patients who claimed to have near-death experiences as a result of their heart attacks. As a scientist, this was difficult for him to accept: Wouldn't it be scientifically irresponsible of him to ignore the evidence of these stories? Faced with this dilemma, van Lommel decided to design a research study to investigate the phenomenon under the controlled environment of a cluster of hospitals with a medically trained staff.
For more than twenty years van Lommel systematically studied such near-death experiences in a wide variety of hospital patients who survived a cardiac arrest. In 2001, he and his fellow researchers published his study on near-death experiences in the renowned medical journal The Lancet. The article caused an international sensation as it was the first scientifically rigorous study of this phenomenon. Now available for the first time in English, van Lommel offers an in-depth presentation of his results and theories in this book that has already sold over 125,000 copies in Europe.
Van Lommel provides scientific evidence that the near-death phenomenon is an authentic experience that cannot be attributed to imagination, psychosis, or oxygen deprivation. He further reveals that after such a profound experience, most patients' personalities undergo a permanent change. In van Lommel's opinion, the current views on the relationship between the brain and consciousness held by most physicians, philosophers, and psychologists are too narrow for a proper understanding of the phenomenon. In Consciousness Beyond Life, van Lommel shows that our consciousness does not always coincide with brain functions and that, remarkably and significantly, consciousness can even be experienced separate from the body.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
120 of 123 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is difficult to understand how mainstream science can continue to ignore or reject the implications of the near-death experience (NDE) in light of the evidence and arguments made by Dr. Pim van Lommel in this most comprehensive book. Dr. van Lommel seemingly touches all bases in exploring the various phenomena related to the NDE.
Having grown up in an academic environment, van Lommel, a world-renowned cardiologist practicing in The Netherlands, writes that he was of the reductionist and materialistic mindset before he began studying the NDE and the nature of consciousness. He has closely examined all the arguments made by the scientific fundamentalists and now has a more positive outlook. "That death is the end used to be my own belief," he writes. "But after many years of critical research into the stories of the NDErs, and after a careful exploration of current knowledge about brain function, consciousness, and some basic principles of quantum physics, my views have undergone a complete transformation. As a doctor and researcher, I found the most significant finding to be the conclusion of one NDEr: `Dead turned out to be not dead.' I now see the continuity of our consciousness after the death of our physical body as a very real possibility."
About the time I started reading this book, reports were appearing at various internet sites stating that there is now evidence that the NDE is nothing more than a brief spell of abnormal brain activity resulting from oxygen deficiency. This theory has been going around for years, but seems to get resurrected every few years as if it is new science. Van Lommel dismisses the theory, pointing out that the NDE is "accompanied by an enhanced and lucid consciousness with memories and because it can also be experienced under circumstances such as an imminent traffic accident or a depression, neither of which involves oxygen deficiency."
Van Lommel also addresses the skeptic's theory about the tunnel effect reported by many NDErs being caused by the disruption of oxygen supply to the eye, which gradually darkens one's range of vision. He points out that such a theory cannot explain the reports by NDErs that say that they meet deceased relatives in the tunnel. He tells why carbon dioxide overload, various chemicals, and other physiological theories do not account for the NDE. "When new ideas do not fit the generally accepted (materialist) paradigm, many scientists perceive them as a threat," van Lommel writes. "It is hardly surprising therefore that when empirical studies reveal new phenomena or facts that are inconsistent with the prevailing scientific paradigm, they are usually denied, suppressed, or even ridiculed."
A chapter of the book is devoted to quantum theory, which includes non-locality, or the idea that the mind operates outside of time and space and that what we in the physical plane interpret as reality is not reality at all. As van Lommel sees it, many aspects of the NDE correspond with or are analogous to some of the basic principles from quantum theory. "The findings of NDE research suggest the possibility that (nonlocal) consciousness is present at all time and will therefore last forever," van Lommel offers. "The content of a near-death experience suggests a continuity of consciousness that can be experienced independently of the body."
Something I have found particularly troubling over the years is the possibility that organs are being harvested before bodies are actually "dead," even though the person might be pronounced "clinically dead." Van Lommel devotes several interesting pages to the debate on this subject, pointing out that when brain death has been diagnosed, 96 percent of the body is still alive. While not in principle opposed to organ transplants, van Lommel suggests that more consideration should be given to the nonphysical aspects of organ donation, including the fear of death.
Over the past 35 years, NDE researchers like Drs. Raymond Moody, Kenneth Ring, Michael Sabom, Bruce Greyson, Melvin Morse, and others have build a very solid wheel, one that supports the survival hypothesis. Close-minded skeptics keep trying to make the wheel collapse by bending the spokes. Fortunately, we have newer researchers like Drs. van Lommel and Jeffrey Long ("Evidence of the Afterlife") coming along to demonstrate that the spokes are solid and the wheel secure.
Having grown up in an academic environment, van Lommel, a world-renowned cardiologist practicing in The Netherlands, writes that he was of the reductionist and materialistic mindset before he began studying the NDE and the nature of consciousness. He has closely examined all the arguments made by the scientific fundamentalists and now has a more positive outlook. "That death is the end used to be my own belief," he writes. "But after many years of critical research into the stories of the NDErs, and after a careful exploration of current knowledge about brain function, consciousness, and some basic principles of quantum physics, my views have undergone a complete transformation. As a doctor and researcher, I found the most significant finding to be the conclusion of one NDEr: `Dead turned out to be not dead.' I now see the continuity of our consciousness after the death of our physical body as a very real possibility."
About the time I started reading this book, reports were appearing at various internet sites stating that there is now evidence that the NDE is nothing more than a brief spell of abnormal brain activity resulting from oxygen deficiency. This theory has been going around for years, but seems to get resurrected every few years as if it is new science. Van Lommel dismisses the theory, pointing out that the NDE is "accompanied by an enhanced and lucid consciousness with memories and because it can also be experienced under circumstances such as an imminent traffic accident or a depression, neither of which involves oxygen deficiency."
Van Lommel also addresses the skeptic's theory about the tunnel effect reported by many NDErs being caused by the disruption of oxygen supply to the eye, which gradually darkens one's range of vision. He points out that such a theory cannot explain the reports by NDErs that say that they meet deceased relatives in the tunnel. He tells why carbon dioxide overload, various chemicals, and other physiological theories do not account for the NDE. "When new ideas do not fit the generally accepted (materialist) paradigm, many scientists perceive them as a threat," van Lommel writes. "It is hardly surprising therefore that when empirical studies reveal new phenomena or facts that are inconsistent with the prevailing scientific paradigm, they are usually denied, suppressed, or even ridiculed."
A chapter of the book is devoted to quantum theory, which includes non-locality, or the idea that the mind operates outside of time and space and that what we in the physical plane interpret as reality is not reality at all. As van Lommel sees it, many aspects of the NDE correspond with or are analogous to some of the basic principles from quantum theory. "The findings of NDE research suggest the possibility that (nonlocal) consciousness is present at all time and will therefore last forever," van Lommel offers. "The content of a near-death experience suggests a continuity of consciousness that can be experienced independently of the body."
Something I have found particularly troubling over the years is the possibility that organs are being harvested before bodies are actually "dead," even though the person might be pronounced "clinically dead." Van Lommel devotes several interesting pages to the debate on this subject, pointing out that when brain death has been diagnosed, 96 percent of the body is still alive. While not in principle opposed to organ transplants, van Lommel suggests that more consideration should be given to the nonphysical aspects of organ donation, including the fear of death.
Over the past 35 years, NDE researchers like Drs. Raymond Moody, Kenneth Ring, Michael Sabom, Bruce Greyson, Melvin Morse, and others have build a very solid wheel, one that supports the survival hypothesis. Close-minded skeptics keep trying to make the wheel collapse by bending the spokes. Fortunately, we have newer researchers like Drs. van Lommel and Jeffrey Long ("Evidence of the Afterlife") coming along to demonstrate that the spokes are solid and the wheel secure.
102 of 108 people found the following review helpful
By Anne Rice
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Highly recommended. And the production information posted on Amazon is accurate. ----- Here is another excellent entry in the growing literature of doctors writing on the near death experience and arguing for its credibility. ----- Pim Van Lommel writes beautifully and eloquently, drawing on an abundance of materials with clarity and persuasion. His observations and conclusions are well worth reading for anyone fascinated by the growing body of evidence that consciousness transcends the physical. Chapter Ten of the book contains "A Comprehensive NDE: (by) Monique Hennequin" and is one of the most moving NDE accounts I've ever read. ---- This book is comprehensive enough to be your first book on the subject, and significant enough to be your latest. ---- There is no doubt in my mind that NDE research is some of the most important research of our time. I'm grateful to Pim Van Lommel for this substantive contribution to the field.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Bayerl
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The explanations of Dr. van Lommel's conclusions are very well organized and presented. He gives credit to many other researchers and encourages continued research in this field. His own research project, carried on over 20 years, seems to have been very painstakingly done. This book leaves me hopeful and believing that we have much more to learn. I got lost in many of the technical sections, but I intend to reread "Consciousness Beyond LIfe" many more times and add it to any knowledge that I can obtain from all sources. I like that he says "In my opinion" and "I lean toward this conclusion", but when he believes that evidence is undisputable he questions how it could be otherwise.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A One Volume Education
Mr. van Lommel has, in this book, put together a everything you need to know book about the NDE.
NDEs are ready to give our culture what it dearly needs- a view of... Read more
NDEs are ready to give our culture what it dearly needs- a view of... Read more
Published 4 days ago by J Doyle
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most thorough and complete discussion I have yet uncovered.
This is very well written and documented. A complete index and bibliography with extensive notes. Clearly written by an academic but one with compassion,,sensitivity and wisdom.
Published 6 days ago by John Wigand
5.0 out of 5 stars
ALL VIEWPOINTS ARE EXAMINED BOTH BY EXPERIENCE AND SCIENTIFICALLY
THis book looks at the idea of consciousness beyond life in scientific terms as well as from many personal experiences. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Caroline Flohr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not an easy read - but a fascinating book,,,
I went back and forth on whether to give this 4 or 5 stars. It is absolutely fascinating, well written and very thorough. So I went with five. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dave B.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Science of Death and What it Holds for Everyone
Based on Anne Rice's review of this book, I finally got it and am reading. I did not want to wait until I'd finished to make my own recommendation: this is an excellent,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by B. van der Wel
3.0 out of 5 stars
good but flawed
The topic of this book is fascinating, but the presentation leaves something to be desired. I would have preferred more case histories. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Keith A. Weaver
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging the Way Science thinks about Consciousness
In a "Darwinian" viewed universe, some of the questions that remain unanswered is consciousness. Specifically, human consciousness. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mitch Kehr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
I believe the author has done a great job of compiling evidence on NDE's and then trying to explain them and make sense of why and how they occur. Read more
Published 2 months ago by James Danser
4.0 out of 5 stars
Science Heavy
Dr. Pim van Lommel's Consciousness Beyond Life seemed to be two books in one. What seemed to me to be the first part, chapters 1 through 10, deals exclusively with Near Death... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stevie Jake
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read
For those who have an interest in this subject, this is a "not to be missed" explanation of the science involved in determining the validity of experiences had by... Read more
Published 3 months ago by fitzi
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
