Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences (Hardcover)

~ Susan Blackmore (Author) "In 1989 I received a letter from a seventy-year-old widow..." (more)
Key Phrases: afterlife hypothesis, dying brain hypothesis, lobe instability, Kenneth Ring, Melvin Morse, Bruce Greyson (more...)

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: 291 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879758708
• ISBN-13: 978-0879758707
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #405,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science...Not Seance, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

Susan Blackmore beautifully demonstrates how the scientific method can be applied to the mystically charged subject of Near Death Experience (NDE). Her analysis of existing data and review of current theories is meticulously thorough, but engaging and insightful. Most researchers in this field, when faced with its more difficult mysteries, simply chalk it all up as ghostly round trips to heaven, or ask us to swallow whole universes of improbabilities in parallel planes of existence. Instead, Ms. Blackmore seeks the answers using a wide range of related studies and established theories in human physiology and psychology. This is how scientific research ought to be done -- by the book -- with exhaustive examination of the information, consistent application of scientific principles, and without slanting the conclusions toward one's own cosmic agenda. The rewards for such due diligence are verifiable theories explaining many aspects of the NDE. These are thoughtfully presented, carefully supported, and far more plausible than most competing theories. Blackmore's enlightening examinations of the human mind reveal its remarkable mechanisms for supporting our survival, our sanity, and our self-delusion. It's science without seance; research without a religion; facts without fabrications. A masterpiece in the art of clear, critical, and rational thought.

32 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dying to Live, January 1, 2005

By	Zokhar (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This book fails on several levels. Mainly, however, because it is not objective. It starts from a particular premise and then endeavours to prove the validity of that premise despite the facts that the author encounters during her journey of 'honest' investigation.

The book must have been written before the now celebrated and quite astonishing case of Pam Reynolds who in Phoenix Arizona underwent 'shut-down' surgery. In this pioneering operative technique all the blood is drained from the patient's brain and it was during one of these shut-down procedures that Pam experienced a NDE. During the operation, Pam could not only recall in some detail what was said and but also describe the equipment that was being used by Dr Speztler, the surgeon in charge, and his team although she was clinically (and verifiably so) brain-dead at the time.

Dr Blackmore apparently is a Zen Practitioner and so it seems incredibly bizarre that she should imagine that 'all' we are and experience can be simply explained away by the somewhat limited model of reality as understood by science today. Surely one should, at the very least, have the modesty to entertain the remote possibility that the mysteries of life, mind and matter may not yet fully be understood by humanity?