Near-Death Experiences, The Rest of the Story: What They Teach Us About Living and Dying and Our True Purpose [Paperback]

P.M.H. Atwater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

Real-life stories of out-of-body experiences, encountering a special light, greeters from the afterlife, life reviews, tunnels, and 360-degree vision--are all part of this intriguing look at near-death experiences (NDEs) by one of the world's noted authorities, P.M.H. Atwater. Atwater shares her amazing findings, based on her sessions with more than 4,000 adults and children, and over 40 years of research; a breathtaking culmination to a successful and controversial career.

Atwater examines every aspect of the near-death phenomenon: from first-hand accounts of survivors experiencing flash forwards, waking up in morgues, and developing psychic abilities, to stunning cases of groups experiencing NDEs together. Atwater offers statistics from her findings to show the distinctive common patterns that people experience, as well as the common aftereffects and how it changed their lives.

She also explores the physiological and spiritual changes that result from near-death experiences and looks at the connections between the NDE experience and what is often called "enlightenment." Near Death Experiences provides a glimpse of not only what lies beyond the veil of our temporal existence, but points to what--or who--we really are and what we are meant to be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having undergone her own profound transformations in consciousness resulting from three successive Near-Death Experiences in 1977, P.M.H. Atwater set about on her distinguished career of careful, detective-like fieldwork and research into the mysteries of NDEs. Near-Death Experiences: the Rest of the Story is her crowning achievement. In it Atwater places the varied phenomena of NDEs into a broader setting of the natural 'ongoing process of transformative adaptation within the human family as a species'. This is P.M.H. Atwater at her very best, resetting the bar for all future NDE research. She is magnificent in her painstaking role as detective, observer, interrogator, advisor, empathizer, compiler & categorizer of data, and creative formulator of plausible hypotheses in the face of 43 years of research findings...This is Atwater's 10th book, and is an absolute must for anyone interested in how NDEs relate to the transformation of consciousness, spiritual awakening, and our true potential & that of the world. It is destined to become a classic in Near-Death Studies and Consciousness Research, and has my highest recommendation." --Scott A. Olsen, Ph.D., author of The Golden Section: Nature's Greatest Secret

"The significance of near-death experiences can hardly be exaggerated, because they point toward answers to The Great Questions -- our origin, life's meaning, and our destiny. There is no more courageous explorer of this domain than P. M. H. Atwater, who has been at the forefront of near-death research for more than three decades. The fear of death has caused immense suffering throughout human history; the information in this book is an antidote for this distress. Atwater's fine book conveys more than information; it delivers healing as well." --Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words, Reinventing Medicine, and The Power of Premonitions

"In Near-Death Experiences, The Rest of the Story, P.M.H. Atwater significantly pushes the acceptable boundaries of the scientific, spiritual and moral implications of the near-death experience, in modern times. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the unacknowledged ramifications of the fact there is no such thing as death!" --Dannion and Kathryn Brinkley, International best sellers of Saved by the Light, Secrets of the Light

"This review of over 3,000 NDE cases belongs on the bookshelf of everyone interested in the survival of consciousness. The inescapable conclusion of her intensive study is in keeping with my conclusion that 'always there is life.'" --John L. Turner, M.D., author of Medicine, Miracles, and Manifestations

"Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story is written by one of the foremost near-death experience researchers, P.M.H Atwater. This book is a treasure trove of over 30 years of her research. The book is well written and remarkably easy to read given its comprehensiveness. In a world rife with uncertainty and struggles, P.M.H.'s Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story provides priceless insights, soothing reassurance, and life-changing inspiration." --Jeffrey Long, M.D., author of the best selling book, Evidence of the Afterlife

"In her latest work, P.M.H. Atwater continues to explore the great mysteries surrounding life and death. Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of the Story is intriguing, thought-provoking and a 'good read.' Atwater's compassion and dedication to her subject matter shine through in her writing. Her findings, based on intensive research, not only enlighten but inspire much hope for the future." --Jean Terra, Professional editor, former Idaho Gubernatorial/Statehouse Staff Member

"PMH Atwater has been a prolific writer about Near Death Experiences and related topics. This book, in my estimation, may be her best to date. It is scholarly -- yet also very personal and daring. The reader will especially enjoy the interesting footnotes and annotations. But, most importantly, this book embodies the deep reflections of a seasoned and compassionate researcher." --Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D., Dean of programs in Transformational Psychology University of Philosophical Research

"This is a much-needed book about the transformation of human consciousness. After three near-death experiences of her own followed by 33 years of researching the subject, including working with nearly 4000 NDE adults and children and writing nine books on the subject, PMH Atwater has become the leading and most prolific authority on the near-death experience." --Jon Klimo, Ph.D., co-author of Suicide: What Really Happens in the Afterlife

"PMH Atwater has been researching Near-Death Experiences since 1978, and in the process studying nearly 4,000 cases. Near-Death Experiences: The Rest of The Story is a summation of what she has learned and discerned over those years of+ study. The book is written in an easy accessible style, and is well-grounded in the science of the field. It covers much more than near-death, and is a compendium of wisdom about the nature of consciousness that is well worth your time." --Stephan A. Schwartz, Senior Samueli Fellow for Brain, Mind, and Healing, Samueli Institute, author of Opening to the Infinite

About the Author

P.M.H. Atwater is an international authority on near-death states as well as a near-death experiencer who "died" three times. She is the author of 20 books and lives in Charlottesville, Va. Visit her at: pmhatwater.blogspot.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157174651X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571746511
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An international authority on near-death states, PMH Atwater is the author of 10 books, her writings have also appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. She has lectured twice at the United Nations and guested on tv and radio talk shows such as Sally Jessy Raphael, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, Regis & Kathy Lee, Geraldo, and The Shirley Show in Canada. Recently she was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists and the "Outstanding Service Award" from IANDS (where she has also been a 2 term board member).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book for your library February 23, 2011

By Pamela R. Heath

Format:Paperback

There are a lot of books out now on Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). What makes this one different is that it summarizes a lifetime's worth of work in the field, bringing fresh insight into the material and addressing deeper issues, such as "why" four patterns are seen, their purposes, and greater implications. Written in an easy-to-read style, and with lots of examples drawn from real life, it combines everything Atwater has learned and challenges readers to open their minds to a new way of viewing reality. If you can only have one book on NDE, it should be this one.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a scholarly book June 10, 2011

By Merilyn Welch

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having witnessed death many times in my career as a nurse, near-death experiences have intrigued me for years. I have read other materials on the topic. Most of them consist of a collection of accounts of experiences. They are interesting, but the author of this work goes much further. She has done very effective scientific research on a subject most medical personnel will not touch. I found the potential applications to the lives of all of us of significant value. We are not all going to have NDE, but we can learn from the experiences of others. The book could also teach health care personnel a valuable lesson: listen to people without judgement. Don't automatically assume a patient who was clinically dead and "came back" imagined or dreamed their experience. Be there to support them, whether for celebration of continued existance or mourning what they had on the "other side" and lost.

93 of 120 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Waste Your Money April 23, 2011

By Harold A. Widdison

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book from Amazon a week ago. This is the sixth of P.M.H. Atwater's books that I have read and with each book her claims become more definitive and all inclusive. The subtitle of this book is no exception. It proclaims that this book is the Rest of the Story of the Near-Death Experience and that it will tell the reader what the Near-Death Experience teaches us about living, dying, and our true purpose. Wow! I wish. The author states in the book that it is the result of 43 years of research involving nearly seven thousand adults and children. Later in the book she notes that the primary source for the data she cites in the book comes from 3,000 adults and 277 child experiencers. She seems to feel that large numbers are evidence in and of themselves that sheer numbers will convince the reader to accept what she says. The "fact" that she has in-depth materials from 3,000 adults and 277 children apparently justifies the claims reported in the book. It doesn't.

I wrote a detailed review of the book she wrote on child ND experiencers (Children of the New Millennium) and discovered that although she claimed to have 277 children in her research population, in fact she only had detailed information on 44 children or 18% of the 277 she claimed. Based on this tiny population she made sweeping claims on how having an NDE as a child altered the child in very significant ways and that these children are forerunners of sweeping changes in the human population. Now that is a startling claim. But I could not see how or why the claim had any validity as she knew nothing about the child before the experience. Furthermore, most were under five years of age at the time of their particular experience. She made all sorts of unsupported claims and the reader was expected to take her claims as valid just because she said that they were true.

As I am a professional researcher I carefully examined her research methodology and statistical analysis and discovered that both what and how she collected and analyzed her data was wrong and inadequate and therefore any conclusions she drew could not and would not be valid. Officers of the International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) informed me at the time I submitted my review of the book on children that she will not listen to their insistence that she implement rigor into her books/research and provide some evidence that what she reports has some accuracy.

I have no way of ascertaining how many of the 3,000 adults she has detailed information on but I would suspect that it is about the same as population of children, or about 540 at most and most of these are probably not in depth experiences which are the kind that have the greatest impact on the experiencer. I have been able to observe her interviewing some people who have had NDEs and she must have a phenomenal memory as she did not use a tape recorder or take any notes. She noted that she uses the method of inquiry of her police officer father. But good investigative police officers take copious notes, always having notebooks at hand or a tape recorder that they use to record interviews or take notes. Where she says that she lets the subject talk and only makes a few comments to encourage the subject to elaborate is not what I observed. What I observed was that instead of really listening to a subject, she made frequent interruptions to "explain" what she thought it meant. Police officers that I have observed do less inquiry and more interrogation of their subjects. This is more the process I observed with Ms. Atwater. I know what I am talking about because I have taught courses in state prisons in Arizona and have participated in police and community sensitivity training.

Also it is quite well known in the field of social and psychological research that the interactive effect plagues research. Based on the subjects' perceptions of what is happening, they will tend to give you information they think you want or need. In other words, subjects will modify their responses based on how they think it could affect them personally or what they think the interviewer wants them to say. The way you sit in your chair, facial expressions, a raised eyebrow, the interviewer leaning forward slightly, etc., will be seen by the interviewee and impact on what he or she will say.

What you will find in this book are Ms. Atwater's personal perceptions of the world, the NDE experience, and what it all means. The information is mostly from her prior books and her personal world view and does not represent what the vast majority of NDE researchers have discovered. This book is definitely NOT "the rest of the story," but represents her personal perceptions of the NDE and what she insists the reader accept as to its meaning for all of humanity and society.

If you want to learn about the extent and breadth of the NDE phenomenon, this is not the book that will be of greatest use to you. If you want to know how the NDE impacts persons who have had an NDE, this book will not help you. If you want to know what the NDE is like, that is, what persons experience, see, and do during it, again this is not the book to read. Ms. Atwater has her own perception of the NDE and these perceptions color what she writes and what she cites as evidence. There is no question in my mind that she believes what she writes. But she ignores a vast body of information that does not fit her preconceived perceptions. Most researchers in the field of Near Death Experience do not support her conclusions and what she reports on NDEs. Yet she gives the impression that her work is a summation of the study of Near-Death experiences. In my estimation she ignores more than she includes in her books.

If you are interested in reading quality research, this is not the book to read. In fact, this is not a book that I would recommend to anyone to read. It is filled with misrepresentation, misinformation and false assumptions. Don't waste your money!

Harold. A. Widdison PhD
Medical Sociologist retired