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Lessons from the Light: What We Can Learn from the Near-death Experience [Paperback]

Kenneth Ring , Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino , Caroline Myss
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 1, 2006
While providing many accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) from men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds, Lessons from the Light is much more than just an inspiring collection of NDEs. In Lessons near-death expert Kenneth Ring extracts the pure gold of the NDE and with a beautiful balance of sound research and human insight reveals the practical wisdom held within these experiences. As Stanley Krippner states, "In this remarkable book, Ring presents evidence that merely learning about the near-death experience has similar positive effects to those reported by people who actually have had near-death experiences. Kenneth Ring is one of the few authors whose gifts include the capacity to transform their readers' lives."

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Lessons from the Light: What We Can Learn from the Near-death Experience + Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon--Survival of Bodily Death + Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even if you never have a near-death experience (NDE) on the surgeon's table, in a car accident or during a heart attack, you can reap the spiritual benefits claimed by NDErs. Through meditation, study and mental exercises, you can tap into the healing energy of the loving, nonjudgmental Being of Light glimpsed by many at death's door. You can simulate a panoramic life-review of your entire existence, catapulting your values away from competitive materialism and toward love, service, cooperation; and you can integrate the insights commonly reported by NDErs into daily practical living. That's the message of this manual that, notwithstanding its aim of reaching out beyond the lucky privileged NDErs to the masses, mostly preaches to the converted. Veteran NDE researcher Ring (The Omega Project), here writing with Swiss NDE investigator Valarino, includes many previously unpublished NDE cases and distills techniques he has taught at workshops and university courses. In a book that reads like a New Age seminar, Ring presents intriguing evidence to support his belief that NDEs represent an authentic, objective experience, not a self-protective hallucination or a neurological artifact of a dying brain. This material includes reports of out-of-body experiences, children's NDEs, blind people gaining sight during NDE episodes, and NDErs whose brush with death apparently unleashed paranormal or healing abilities. Skeptics will relish punching holes in each of these phenomena, and a more rigorous approach would have been welcome for the already overcrowded NDE shelf.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

The capstone of Kenneth Ring's career, this book is the distillation of all that death can teach the living. Ring's loving voice turns harrowing and resplendent near-death stories never published before into a practical guide that motivates through its sheer heart-gripping beauty. No reader will ever be able to think of life in the same way again after reading this book. -- Jenny Wade, Ph.D., author of Changes of Mind: A Holononic Theory of the Evolution of Consciousness

This is unquestionably the most important book on the subject of near-death experience since Moody's Life After Life. -- Ian Wilson, author of The After Death Experience

Lessons from the Light opens the last door each of us will face in our lifetime. With clarity, wit, and crisp prose, it brings us to the cutting edge of what promises to be the most important discovery ever made in psychobiology-what truly happens after death. -- Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D., National Book Award-winning author of Taking the Quantum Leap and The Spiritual Universe

Lessons from the Light is the culmination of Kenneth Ring's rich and extensive career as the foremost researcher of the NDE. One of the very best books on the subject to date, it is a must read for anyone interested in life's possibilities. -- Sukie Miller, Ph.D., author of After Death: Mapping the Journey and director of The Institute for the Study of the Afterdeath



A beautiful melding of research and compassionate, intuitive analysis. An inspirational book filled with both spiritual insight and practical information to help us realize our own personal power. -- Caroline Myss, Ph.D. author of Anatomy of the Spirit

A magnificent achievement! Ring's new book is the best book on NDEs! For while he is indeed one of the leading scholars in the field, he now brings in his heart and shows those of us who haven't had an NDE how to use the inspiration of NDEs to change our lives. -- Charles T. Tart, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of California, Davis; author of Altered States of Consciousness and Living the Mindful Life

A major contribution that offers a wealth of fresh case materials together with balanced and insightful commentary. -- Raymond A. Moody, Ph.D., author of Life After Life and Reunions

Arguably, the best book yet on the near-death experience. -- Michael Grosso, Ph.D., author of The Millenium Myth and Soulmaking: Uncommon Paths to Self-Understanding

Lessons from the Light is the best and most complete book on the near-death experience I've ever read, and I believe it will help you overcome your fears of dying. -- Seymour Boorstein, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and author of Clinical Studies in Transpersonal Psychotherapy

Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Moment Point Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1930491115
  • ISBN-13: 978-1930491113
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 9.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Connecticut, and an internationally recognized authority on the subject of near-death experiences on which he has written five books and nearly a hundred articles. He is also the co-founder and past President of The International Association for Near-Death Studies and the founding editor of its quarterly scholarly journal, The Journal of Near-Death Studies, now in its thirtieth year. Dr. Ring has appeared on many television and radio programs and been often interviewed in the press in connection with his work on near-death experiences.

Early in 2008, Dr. Ring became interested and then deeply involved in issues having to do with the situation of Palestinian people and in that connection traveled to the West Bank. His contacts with Palestinian people led to his work on his book, Letters from Palestine, on which he collaborated with a Palestinian friend, Ghassan Abdullah of Ramallah. Dr. Ring has also written articles about Gaza and continues to be actively engaged with issues having to do with Palestinian life and culture.

He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has three children and four grandchildren.

Much more information about Dr. Ring and his books can be found on his website, www.lettersfrompalestine.com He is also on Facebook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Way to Look at NDE's March 28, 2005
By Katie
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read many books re: NDE's during the past couple of months, and I must say that this is one of the best!

Since I have not experienced an NDE myself, I was taken in by Dr. Ring's discussions about how we "non-NDE'rs" can take the information gleaned from experiencers to change our lives for the better. The idea of being able to benefit from these experiences without actually having to go through one yourself is wonderfully insightful!

This is the first book I've come across that not only suggests that we can all benefit from the NDE's of others, but takes it a step further to suggest excercises that will help us to achieve this.

I am currently working on some of these excercises, and have already noticed a change in how I communicate with others - I'm hoping that as I practice more, these positive changes will become a habit.

Overall, I think this book is a "must read" for anyone interested in NDE's.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Kenneth Ring's book "Lessons from the Light" is a comprehensive book that incorporates real stories from people who have had near death experiences with the author's advice on how others can incorporate these lessons into their own lives. This book is enjoyable for a wide audience of people, ranging from those who have studied NDEs and are interested in them to those who have never heard of the Near Death Experience but are searching for answers regarding the afterlife. The first half of the book focuses more on proving that these experiences are real and gives proof of an afterlife while the second half of the book teaches us what we can learn from these experiences and how we can apply them to our own lives. Kenneth Ring argues that merely learning of NDEs is like being infected by a benign virus and once infected you can become what he refers to as a "near-death experiencer, once removed."

The first part of the book focuses on the experience of nearly dying itself, using various stories to demonstrate what occurs in this situation. The author uses many distinct subjects, most of whom he has developed a personal relationship with. Most subjects suffer from some type of health emergency, such as drowning or a car accident, in which they suddenly find themselves outside of their body and viewing their body from above. They also suddenly obtain a 360 degrees vision. At this point they report an extreme sense of bliss and freedom that is unlike anything they have ever experienced before. Next, the person is pulled through a tunnel with a light at the end that grows bigger and brighter as they approach it. All these people comment on the way that the light is brighter than any light they have ever seen before, yet it does not hurt their eyes to look at it. The light surrounds them and floods them with unconditional and nonjudgmental love. At this point, they usually experience a life review in which they get to experience their entire life over again but from multiple viewpoints. One significant viewpoint is from the point of view of those that they affected, whether good or bad. They feel both the pain and the joy they inflicted on people throughout their lives. In this way, it is not that "God" or the Light is judging them but they are the ones judging themselves. Once they return to their bodies, usually because they still have a "mission" to complete here on earth, they bring back the following lessons:

1. There is nothing whatsoever to fear about death.
2. Dying is peaceful and beautiful.
3. Life does not begin with birth nor end with death.
4. Life is precious- life it to the fullest.
5. The body and its senses are tremendous gifts- appreciate them.
6. What matters most in life is love.
7. Living a life oriented toward materialistic acquisition is missing the point
8. Cooperation rather than competition makes for a better world.
9. Being a big success in life is not all it is cracked up to be.
10. Seeking knowledge is important- you take that with you.

The individual accounts of NDE's are beautiful and inspiring, yet "wanting to believe" in them and "truly believing" in them are two entirely different things. The author devotes a large section of his work to providing evidence that these are real encounters with life after death. One chapter reviews numerous experiences in which a patient in the hospital dies and returns to tell the nurse of a specific shoe that is on the roof of the hospital (which they were able to see when they left their body and were viewing the scene from an aerial viewpoint). Most of the nurses or friends do not believe this but are convinced once they find the object exactly as explained in the precise spot the patient had explained it to be. Other scenarios involve patients who had flat-lined in the hospital or were unconscious, but returned to say what was going on in their room and other rooms of the hospital, things they could not have possibly known. One of the most convincing situations of NDEs is those individuals who were born blind and were suddenly able to see when they "died." These are just a few of the many supporting pieces of evidence the author uses to validate the legitimacy of the near death experience.

The main argument of this book is to that merely learning about these experiences can have a dramatic effect on an individual's life. It's goal, however, is not only to prove this but also to show the ways in which the reader can incorporate the "lessons from the light" into their own life. I feel that it is safe to argue that almost every human being is interested in what occurs after our death, so the mere subject matter of this book makes it a fascinating read. Therefore, it is not difficult for the reader to get through the book quickly, even if they don't necessarily believe what is being argued. I began this book fairly familiar with the near-death experience and somewhat convinced, so this must be taken into account, but I can honestly say that the author did succeed in reinforcing my faith in NDEs. Not only this, but by the end of the book I had significantly changed the way I was treating people around me. Completing this book definitely had a major impact on my attitude towards life and other humans, but I cannot yet attest to how lasting this effect will be. I hope that I will incorporate these "lessons from the light" for the rest of my life because I have been happier since I have been living by these principles.

There were a few major negative features of this book that I must point out. First of all, I felt that the experiences based on people who "willed themselves" into the NDE were counterproductive. When I read about a few individuals who just wanted to die and were able to experience the same adventure into the light, it actually made me question the legitimacy of NDEs. I know many skeptics claim that the NDE is just a hallucination that the brain goes through at the time of death when it is deprived of oxygen, so the fact that some people who were not near death were able to reproduce the experience made me question NDEs rather than believe them more. I feel that the author may have benefited from sticking strictly to experiences from people who had a medical emergency in which they temporarily died. These situations were the most convincing for me to read. Also, when he uses his surveys to prove that NDEs are real based on the effect they had on people, I wish he provided more explanation for the results. For example, the author states that in a large-scale research study that he conducted, he found that 86% of his NDErs had an increase in their belief of life after death. I want to know why 14% of NDErs did not have an increase! Was it because they already had such a strong faith in life after death that it didn't increase their belief, only confirmed it? Or was it that they really just thought it was a dream? Or were they stubborn atheists refusing to accept the reality of it? And, if the last comment is true, then how real and effective is the NDE? These are questions I was asking that never were addressed in the book.

So, would I recommend this book? Absolutely, and I plan on passing it around to my close family and friends so that they can obtain the invaluable lessons provided in this book. It doesn't matter what religion you are, as I am a non-denominational Christian, because it merely reinforces most faiths instead of invalidating them. I also found that this book has many emotional and mental healing properties, especially for people who suffer from low self-esteem, jealousy, emptiness, or poverty. It makes you realize that love is the most important thing in this life and we are here to learn a lesson, so wealth, material objects, and the judgments of others lose their importance. I also noticed it had a profound impact on my drinking. I have been a problem drinker my entire life, usually drinking 1-2 bottles of wine to myself each night. Ever since I picked up this book, I have lost my desire to drink entirely ($15,000 rehab didn't even do this for me!). It has only been a little over a week since I have had a drink so I do not know if this will be a lasting effect, but this is probably the longest I have gone without drinking on my own in years so it is pretty remarkable in my opinion. I will update later on to see if this continues. In the meantime, I highly recommend you read this book because it is extremely interesting and may even change the way you live your life.

Last point I want to make is that the main lesson from the light is that when you die, all you bring with you is LOVE and KNOWLEDGE. Therefore, the best thing you can do during this lifetime is focus on caring about others and "loving thy neighbor as thyself" while learning as much as you can while you are here. It is a pretty liberating lesson, since it takes off the pressure to look like a celebrity or own over-priced material possessions.
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45 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read all Ken Ring's books. I heartily disagree with the contentious and disagreeable first review on this page. The research being mostly "phenomenological" is of course going to disturb the so-called scientific "purists" statistical nerds. The notion that the reporting of these experiences works as a virus and infects the reader is apt and not lunatic, people are reporting that the book has profoundly affectd them. The personal stories are riveting and interesting. Even if the experience of an NDE or OOBE happens because of the release of certain "molecules of the mind" so what? Whatever influences us poor peons to experience and understand our "bliss" is valuable. It is not lunatic fringe except to those who are scared of it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Well documented Evidence on the Subject of Near-Death Experience
Kenneth Ring "rings" home! He has spent his entire life studying and documenting near-death experiences. Read more
Published 17 days ago by victoria waddell
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential read
Very good presentation of the subject of NDEs with very thorough research. The authors writing is interesting and very readable. Much information available. Must read.
Published 4 months ago by James Reid
5.0 out of 5 stars INTERESTING READING
A most interesting tome. Since I had been pronounced dead and came back! I was curious to read of others who have had a simular experience...
Published 20 months ago by Zynjanthropus
4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book but no proof of an afterlife
As a skeptic I read this book looking for information that might make me question my skepticism and be more open to the authenticity of the NDE and the afterlife. Read more
Published 23 months ago by L. Martin
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but can be reduced
This book is good for people who touch the literature about NDE first time. For those who red a lot on this subject only first few chapters are important where real lessons are... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Oleksandr Levdanskyy
5.0 out of 5 stars Lessons from the Light
I'm reading this now the book is in great condition and I'm loving reading it. So informative. Thank You.
Published on April 25, 2011 by Rosalee M. Schmidt
4.0 out of 5 stars The seek for enlightenment
This book is a compilation of stories from people who had a near death experience. These people reveal who we really are. We are some sort of living energy or light. Read more
Published on March 20, 2011 by LifeForm
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
Wonderful book, folks...

It confirmed in me that there are universal truths that exude out of us when we are open (ready or not (via NDE experience)).

Marc
Published on January 21, 2011 by John Yoga
5.0 out of 5 stars A book that finally relates to my "Experience" with the light.
This is one of the few books that I have read entirely through from front to back.

Here is my initial impresions. First, my background. Read more
Published on January 17, 2011 by Jason W. Blanton
5.0 out of 5 stars Contemplating the Life Review
The lesson that resonated with me strongest in Kenneth Ring's book was the section about the Life Review. Read more
Published on November 6, 2010 by D. M. Hewey
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