Dying to Live [Hardcover]

Susan J. Blackmore (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 1993

Progress in medical science has increased our understanding of what happens when the brain begins to fail. Psychology delves ever more deeply into the nature of the self. In Dying to Live, Blackmore, a leading expert in near-death experiences, explores what psychology, biology, and medicine have to say about this extraordinary aspect of death and dying.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1975, James Moody's ground-breaking book Life after Life collected the anecdotes of people who had come close to death and described the experience as comforting and transforming. Since then, the parapsychological, medical and scientific investigations of these near-death claims have become a small industry. This comprehensive report, by the author of The Adventures of a Parapsychologist and a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, collates theories about near-death experience, challenges the reality of spiritual claims and surveys historical and cross-cultural attitudes toward death. Blackmore concludes that the neurological "Dying Brain Hypothesis" better explains the evidence than the more paranormal "Afterlife Hypothesis." This work is chiefly of interest to medical professionals; the mysteries of death remain.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-Well documented and well researched, this volume joins the growing number of titles about the near-death experience (NDE). Blakemore's stated purpose is "to explore what psychology, biology and medicine have to say about death and dying." She refers to the ground-breaking work of Raymond Moody, author of Life after Life (Bantam, 1988), and also examines the findings of many others who have studied the NDE. Numerous interviews with people who have almost died add interest to this study. The author's impartial treatment of diverse beliefs on the subject helps readers to see how scientific and spiritual points of view can coexist. There's much to think about here.
Lyn Knapp, Annandale High School, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 303 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879758708
• ISBN-13: 978-0879758707
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent prototheory of the NDE November 17, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Although "believers" in the spiritual interpretation of the NDE will not be convinced by Blackmore's dying-brain theory, this is by far the best book on the subject I've seen. Blackmore is not out to "debunk" the believers, but to show that her theory better explains the data in almost every respect. Her standard for what constitutes a good scientific theory is particularly valid in showing how alternate explanations (even non-spiritual) are not useful, if not outright mistaken.

It's interesting to note that even in his latest book Kenneth Ring still says the "unbelievers'" explanations claim that the NDE is pointless, or not meaningful, or that it belittles experiencers. Anyone who reads Blackmore's intelligent, compassionate book, which is even tinged by eastern philosophy (though from a neurological standpoint), know that Ring is fooling himself.

I call Blackmore's theory a "prototheory" because it is not comprehensive. But she admits outright that the evidence for this or that point would not yet excuse speculation; she doesn't cop out on issues, she simply says that neither she nor the believers can say one way or the other yet without further research. All in all, _Dying to Live_ is more of a foundation for future research and theorizing on the meaning of the NDE, but as such it is invaluable.

49 of 74 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A Theory Without Any Evidence at All March 26, 2005

By Timothy Riso

Format:Hardcover

The fact that this book has been published at all is bewildering. The author has created a theory that purports to explain the NDE phenomenon through debunking; the difficulty is that she does not provide any evidence at all! The entire book consists of her observations and comments, and this simpy does not suffice. She dismisses the evidence that DOES exist without addressing it.

For example: the most challenging and interesting book on the subject is Michael Sabom's "Recollections at Death". He presents numerous well-documented cases that suggest that the NDE is real - and he also provides a thoughtful, articulate and fair-minded discussion of the possible answers.

Blackmore does not actually deal with any of the evidence, with one exception: she refers to the ONE detailed case where he does not provide the original records. He includes it because of its uniqueness - in ALL other cases, he includes the original medical records. She makes a joke about it and disregards it; she never makes the point that his book is filled with evidence based on origical records and personnel. Any reader who is not familiar with Sabom might think that this one case is typical of the entire book!

Reading this book has made me much more aware and sceptical of authors who claim to be experts. If I was not familiar with the work done on this subject, I would not know how misleading and simply inaccurate Blackmore's book is. Why didn't the publishers check for accuracy? Why was a book about a theory published without evidence?

In addition, Blackmore claims to have had a NDE herself. This is not true. She describes a hallucination following the use of drugs - then goes on to describe the related experience and associates it with the NDEs of people on the verge of death! A disgraceful book.

5.0 out of 5 stars PROBABLY THE BEST SKEPTICAL ANALYSIS OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES April 22, 2013

By Steven H. Propp TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Susan Jane Blackmore (born 1951) is an English psychologist. Interestingly, although she earned her Ph.D. in psychology and physiology with a thesis on, "Extrasensory Perception as a Cognitive Process," and herself had an out-of-body experience, she has since become a skeptic, and prominent member of CSICOP. She has written other books such as The Adventures of a Parapsychologist, Beyond The Body: An Investigation of Out-of-the-Body Experiences, etc.

She wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, "There is no heaven toward which evolution progresses. And no ultimate purpose... Yet our minds have evolved to create purposefulness and cling to the idea of a self because that will more efficiently keep alive the body and perpetuate its genes... our evolution makes it very hard for us to accept the idea of ... our own individual pointlessness... The discovery and study of near-death experiences [NDEs] has taught us about the experience of nearly dying... This book is an attempt to explore what psychology, biology and medicine have to say about death and dying."

She rejects Carl Sagan's suggestion [in Broca's Brain] that NDEs recapitulate the experience of birth; she states, "The idea that we return to birth in death has an obvious appeal and a superficial plausibility, I do not believe it has any more than this... the birth canal is nothing like a tunnel with a light at the end... it takes a vast leap of imagination to make the two comparable." (Pg. 79)

She later adds, "No explanation of the NDE is worthwhile unless it can explain why it feels the way it does." (Pg. 93) She asserts, "It is my contention that there is no soul, spirit, astral body or anything at all that leaves the body during NDEs and survives after death. These... are all illusions and the NDE can be accounted for without recourse to any of them." (Pg. 114) She suggests, "try an experiment on yourself. Shut your eyes now and try to imagine where you are but from above... You may be surprised at how much you can 'see' but this is just a reflection of how information is stored in our memories." (Pg. 117)

She notes, "It is also now common practice to speak about the [dying] patient as though they might be able to hear. Medical personnel in operating theatres are trained not to discuss the patient's illness or possible demise as though they were a lump of inanimate flesh but to realize that they might hear what is going on." (Pg. 121) She contends, "Endorphins are released during stress and one of their effects is to lower the threshold for seizures in the limbic system and temporal lobe. The resulting abnormal activity ... causes the flashbacks and associated feelings of familiarity and meaningfulness." (Pg. 214)

She summarizes, "The joy and peace are consistent because of the natural opiates released under stress. The tunnel, light and noises are consistent because they depend on the structure of the brain's cortex and what happens to it when it is deprived of oxygen or is affected by disinhibition and random activity... The life review is consistent because the endophins cause random activation and seizures in the temporal lobe and limbic system where memories are organized... And it is this dissolution of self that accounts for the mystical experiences and aftereffects." (Pg. 261)

Whether one accepts any or all of Blackmore's suggested explanations, this is clearly a crucial skeptical work, that demands careful study by anyone intersted in NDEs.