234 of 248 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Convincing..., January 21, 2010
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 events changed their lives, in particular those who experienced scenes of their life unfold in front of them. These experiences seemed to give people a purpose.
This book was definitely an interesting and convincing read. I like how Dr. Long outlined the science behind his studies but also intertwined personal narratives from many of those who experienced these life-changing events. Like Long discusses, NDE happen to people of various backgrounds, belief systems, cultures and the like. What we can all gain from this book is a sense of purpose and appreciation for life--both for the life we are living and the life beyond. I highly recommend this book.
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78 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book With New Insights., February 3, 2010
This review is from: Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences (Hardcover)
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.
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
RN for 24 years...moving evidence..., February 16, 2010
This review is from: Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences (Hardcover)
As a Registered Nurse for 24 years, and in having cared for many critically ill and dying patients, and in also caring for my father whom I lost to cancer in 1998, I found comfort in Dr. Long's research that there is an event that occurs at the time of dying and/ or into clinical death. I find it inspiring and hopeful that a member of the medical community, with belief in his mission and determination to fulfill it, has listened to his patients, widened his data collection research to a global level, and taken on the task of analyzing these profound experiences to share with the world. Although it is a huge leap for Dr. Long, or anyone, to pronounce that he has uncovered actual evidence of the afterlife, it is quite difficult to deny consistency of the experiences across age, culture, geographic location, sensory limitations, etc. The consistency is amazing, and if the reader is paying attention, the experiences and data presented moves one to contemplate that our consciousness, even though our physical senses and/or beliefs may tell us otherwise, does not end at the time of death. Thank you Dr. Long.
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