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Searching For Eternity : A Scientist's Spiritual Journey to Overcome Death Anxiety

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The sub-title of the book is somewhat of a misnomer, as Dr. Morse covers a great deal more than handling death anxiety. This material should be read and kept as a reference by anyone who considers themselves a "seeker".

With surprising objectivity, Dr. Morse covers such topics as Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences, psychic phenomenon, reincarnation, and past life regression. Case studies that he presents are well-documented, lending credibility to an field that has not been considered a science.

Particularly helpful was the comparison of teachings of the soul and afterlife. Ancient belefs, the worlds great religions, as well as modern-day schools of thought were outlined in great detail.

Dr. Morse concludes with a personal view of the afterlife, where he beautifully outlines his concept of eternity. Whether you are struggling with the death of a loved one, dealing with death anxiety, or (in my case) trying to keep the stresses of everyday life in perspective, Searching For Eternity can set you on your way toward peace of mind.

The book is a concise yet comprehensive treatise on the survival of human consciousness upon death of the physical body. The author is Professor Emeritus at Temple University with graduate degrees in dentistry, endodontics, microbiology, clinical psychology, and clinical nutrition. He therefore approaches the subject from the perspective of a scientist. Among his 12 previous books were seven dealing with stress management. Although he had a near-death experience in 1983, Dr. Morse was too busy satisfying his material needs to concern himself with the spiritual implications of his NDE. It was not until after he retired from Temple University 10 years later that he started to seriously consider his spiritual needs. Triggered by the deaths of several close friends and relatives, Morse began dealing with his own stress disorder -- death anxiety. Rather than continuing to repress or suppress his fear of death, as the vast majority of people do, Morse did an about-face and met those fears head-on. He read everything he could about near-death experiences so that he could better understand his own NDE. He began to see connections between the NDE and general out-of-body experiences (OBEs), i.e., the ability of some people to loosen the etheric or spirit body from the physical body and explore other dimensions of reality. His investigation then took him to apparations, visions, dreams, seances, and the reports of credible mediums. As a result of his investigation, Morse makes a "Kierkegaardian leap" by embracing death, thereby finding peace of mind and greater enjoyment of this lifetime.

The second half of the book is a summary of the afterlife concepts of all of the major religions and sects, even including fraternal orders such as the Freemasons and Rosicrucians.

The book touches all bases in man's quest for understanding what follows physical death -- Biblical accounts of the afterlife,reincarnation, the stages of the afterlife, evolution vs creationism, electromagnetic spectrum theories, every conceivable topic related to the survival of consciousness. Morse ends the book with his "personal concept of the afterlife."

The book can serve as an introduction to the the metaphysical realm for the beginning seeker or as a valuable reference, an encyclopedia, for the more advanced student of the subject.

For not the first time, I feel I have been "suckered" to some extent by glowing reviews by people who must either be the author's friends or fellow authors at the same publishing house. I too have read widely -- really, really widely -- in this field, and this book would not make my Top 100. When an author repeatedly cites Brad and Sherry Steiger as sources -- well, I don't think too many serious seekers look to the Steigers for insights. The book is riddled with distracting typos which likewise suggest it is not a serious work. The author does seem to have solid academic credentials and to be a well-meaning individual, but you are going to be disappointed if you are expecting a well-written, in-depth treatment of this subject. It is comprehensive in scope and would serve as a good introduction for someone who has not read widely in the field, and I hesitate to be too harsh toward anyone with the author's impressive background who is willing to dive into the evidence for a scientifically taboo subject such as life after death. I wouldn't go so far as to say "Don't buy it" -- merely "Don't buy it thinking it is going to be something of the level you would expect from a Professor Emeritus at Temple University." If you are going to buy this, spend a few dollars more and also buy "Death and Personal Survival" by Robert Almeder, who is also a professor. You'll see what I'm talking about.

Dr. Don Morse devoted his life to science, accumulating half a dozen different graduate degrees in medicine and psychology. But in his 60's, he found himself up against something for which all his scientific training had left him unprepared - death. The unexpected deaths of a number of close friends and relatives, coupled with his own Near-Death Experience, caused him to develop a nearly paralyzing fear of death.

Resolving to confront this fear head on, Dr. Morse put his lifetime of scientific training to good use, dispassionately examining humanity's vast collection of reports about death and the afterlife. In this book, Morse explores the full spectrum of afterlife phenomena being reported today, providing us with a detailed, comprehensive, and up-to-date study of Near-Death Experiences, Out-Of-Body Experiences, After Death Communications, Past-Life Regressions, and many other categories of paranormal phenomena. And when he is done exploring this body of evidence, he turns his attention to the various afterlife teachings of the major world religions, as well as more modern theories on death and the afterlife, and compares these teachings with the paranormal phenomena actually being reported today.

No one has ever compiled such a thorough and fascinating study of the afterlife before. Morse catalogues the entire rainbow of humanity's afterlife reports, revealing both the dignity and limitations of each, while also showing us, in the process, the true meaning of scientific integrity. He does not preemptively assume that any of these reports or teachings are true or false, nor does he dismiss or rationalize any away. Instead, he assesses each on its own merits, logically, insightfully, brilliantly, all the while showing where and how they agree and disagree one with the other. END

The code word for defining seekers of "depth" and "soul" in the 21st century is "spirituality." Publishing houses, which are constantly trying to produce books which will satisfy our current wave of soul searching, fly under the banner of "spirituality." Following bouts of severe illness and a near-death experience and recovery, Dr. Don Morse's Searching for Eternity describes his journey of spiritual healing through a "holistic, integrative" approach. At the same time he reminds us the roots of the spiritual healing process go back thousands of years in world relgions. In Searching for Eternity's 427 pages he has created a broadly comprehensive volume for those seekers who are trying to express a "totality of being" a ""spirituality" that feels "at home" in the hereafter as well as in the here and now. Although much of the book is "heavy" material it reads easily thanks not only to an engaging writing style, but also to a multitude of pictures and cartoons. As a clergyman of 40 years plus 15 years producing inspirational books, I bow in respect to Dr. Morses's knowledgeable, easily readable, handling of near-death and out-of-body experiences, apparitions, reincarnation, and past life experiences.

Dr. Morse's book is the best book I have ever read on this topic and I have read practically all of them. Search For Eternity is a comprehensive analysis of the scientific, religious and physical evidence for life after death. I am convinced that when science is finally able to verify that consciousness survives physical death and describe what life after death is really all about, you will be able to find that it was already quantified in Dr. Morse's book. Dr. Morse has brought together all the most convincing evidence that exists and put it in a single book. This, in itself, was quite an achievement. I highly recommend this book to any serious seeker of truth. You will find that Searching For Eternity has covered more concepts on the subject of the survival of consciousness than the combined total of a great many other books. Searching For Eternity is a must read for the beginning seeker as well - as it also provides an excellent foundation for researching the multitude of individual theories and aspects that are related to the survival of consciousness after death. Read Searching for Eternity before delving into any particular subject concerning the afterlife and you will get a broader understanding of that subject as it relates to the whole. This book is one of the best I have ever read, if not the best, and I have read them all. Thank you, Dr. Morse, for putting it all together into one book. This book is just what the true seeker has been wanting for a long time.

Most people do fear death, which causes their joy of living to be diminished. Fear of death is fear of the unknown. That fear can control us. Dr. Don Morse experienced that death anxiety, which was the impetus for searching out the evidence supporting an enduring soul, a positive afterlife, and the existence of God. Because he is a scientist with a well-respected background in research, it is understandable that he could not accept these beliefs on faith alone. He had to know. We, the readers, accompany Dr. Morse on his journey - his process - of deductive reasoning, through his investigation of all the clues and evidence. He essentially says to us, as Sherlock Holmes would: "Come, Watson, come. The game is afoot." After a discussion of death anxiety, he details what is now known about near-death experiences, both the positive and less than positive ones. He, himself, is a near-death experiencer, so he is also speaking from personal knowledge. During his own out of body experience he was enveloped by the living, loving, bright, white light and found himself watching his own funeral and reading his own obituary. Dr. Morse researched the literature, did his own interviews, and found further support for an enduring soul, positive afterlife, and God from sources such as out of body experiences, after death communications, empathetic near-death experiences, apparitions, visions, and medi8um reports. He then discussed reincarnation, past life regressions, and the concept of immortality. It was truly a Herculean task to then present a complete, easily readable, understandable review of the historical concepts of God, the origin of the universe, the origin of life, the history of this world's religions including the multiple concepts of the afterlife, and a review of most major philosophical groups. There is even a discussion of the underlying concepts of quantum physics, cloning and cryogenics. Dr. Morse obviously reviewed and summarized absoluteloy astounding amounts of information, including the very latest research and ideas on all of these topics. He discusses them from all angles, presenting both the pros and cons. A recurring suggestion throughout the book is that if we learn to control negative emotions (such as anger, hate, jealousy, envy, guilt, fear and anxiety) by learning and practicing stress management techniques (such as meditation and psychotherapy) during this lifetime, it may very well benefit us in preparation for a positive afterlife. People, in general, will change less than positive behavior to positive behavior when they have a strong motivation to do so. What better motivation is there than the possibility (or probability) of one's soul enduring in a blissful afterlife realm? This book is organized into clear segments. presented in logical sequence. I found the art work, photographs, cartoons, quotations, and especially the chapter notes and references a great addition to the text. Dr. Morse's fine teaching ability, spirituality, humanity, humor, and empathy for his fellow human beings is evident on every page. SEARCHING FOR ETERNITY is an outstanding resource for not only those who have experienced the fear of death, but also for all students and researchers of spiritual, philosophical and religious topice.

If I were going to sum the book up it would be "comprehensive survey". As a 53 year old "seeker" with a graduate degree in psychology I have read very, very broadly in the areas this author covers. The book was able to give me a better understanding of the areas I have had experience with as well as informing me about some I had never read about. This book would be a great survey book for beginners for sure with some gems for those who are well read in the field. Of course I don't necessarily agree with some of the author's conclusions, however, it did require me to visit the questions, which generated his conclusions which, after all, is what seeking is all about. There is a lot of power in posing questions for us to grapple with. I particularly appreciated the portions of the book that covered apparitions, recent concepts of the afterlife and - one of my favorites - Dr. Greg Little's Electromagnetic Spectrum Theory (see his book "Grand Illusions"). Dr. Don Morse has made a contribution to us.

Morse's book was inspired by his own near death experience and later struggle with death anxiety. As a result he has given us an account of his personal pilgrimage in search of the meaning of life and death.

One of the most impressive aspects of the work is the large number of topics Morse is willing to explore. Above all, Morse has an open mind. The reader will do well to approach the book with the same. There is much to be found here which may affirm one's beliefs. It is also possible to encounter much that is unsettling.

The multifaceted scientist, therapist and dentist Donald Morse is the Editor of the Journal of Religion and Psychical Research that focuses on the common ground between parapsychological research and religious and spiritual issues. This voluminous book is just one of his many intellectual feats. Morse wrote it as an attempt to conquer his own fear of death and help others do the same.

As the author had a Near-Death Experience, Searching for Eternity starts off with a survey of research in this field, including cases he personally studied himself. The author concludes that NDEs cannot be explained by normal factors and in this respect gives some attention to Susan Blackmore's skeptical hypothesis. Similarly, he discusses Out of the Body Experiences, apparitions and mediums. Even the bizarre subject of physical immortality through cloning is not ignored.

The following chapters deal with the concept of a personal divinity in relation to recent notions in the physical sciences. Just like Melvin Morse, with whom he shares his family name, the author had a Jewish upbringing and this clearly influences his views, though it does not imply a closed mind towards other currents of thought. This is also confirmed by an overview of about 160 pages dedicated to a wide spectrum of ideas about the hereafter, from a great diversity of religious and spiritual movements.

For instance, Morse is very critical about the protestant christian theory that only a belief in Jesus (rather than one's integrity) would protect you from damnation, and he's markedly positive about the hereafter depicted by Bo Yin Ra.

Don Morse ends his book with a personal theory about the afterlife that is both based on his personal beliefs and on the scholarly evidence and his general conclusion reads:

"There is so much evidence for an afterlife that it is unreasonable to deny it or chalk it up to mere fantasies." (blz. 365)

This book serves as a good introduction for anyone interested in life after death, personal evolution and spirituality. Readers who do not agree with the personal perspective of the author, are offered plenty of information about other views, both in the text and in the references.

It is this special combination, which makes the book a valuable contribution to the literature about these subjects.