AwareofAware

Evolving news on the science, writing and thinking about Near Death Experiences (NDEs)

Resources and links

My Favorite Books on or related to NDEs (not in any particular order):

Consciousness Beyond Life By Pim Van Lommel

This is one of the most authoritative texts on NDEs available, covering everything from the different aspects of NDEs, to the major published research on the subject and theories behind the brain and consciousness. If you are serious about this subject, then you must read this at some point, as it is, in my view, the best “textbook”. However, like many textbooks, it can be a little “dry” in places, and the level of detail, while necessary for this piece of work, may be a bit over the top for some.

Life After Life By Raymond Moody

The book that started it all. This is a seminal piece of work that introduced the world to a phenomenon that changed the way we look at ourselves. It is especially important now because prior to the publication of this book, NDEs were unknown to the general public, underlining the authenticity of the accounts described by Moody.

Evidence Of The Afterlife By Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry

Another authoritative piece of work, containing many examples of NDEs, and offering a sound rationale why these are inexplicable using conventional understanding. This is easier to read than Van Lommel’s book, but still has the expert insight of someone suitably qualified to comment on the medical and scientific background.

Closer To The Light By Melvin Morse

I found this book particularly uplifting, and also extremely moving given that the subjects were all children. Closer to the Light is particularly important as it offers a number of unique insights that on one hand validate the authenticity of NDEs in general, and on the other, highlight certain aspects of NDEs that have implications about the possible longevity of the soul…something I discuss in much greater detail in the book Aware of Aware.

Erasing Death By Sam Parnia

This book is not just about NDEs, but also about how modern resuscitation medicine has blurred the definition of death, and prolonged the time between when the heart stops and when it is possible to revive a patient without permanent damage ensuing. Having said that, there is also a lot of interesting discussion on the subject of NDEs, and the inability of science to account for the observations from numerous studies. There is also a section on the AWARE study which gives a description of the original design and discusses some very early findings – unfortunately, as we all know, there were no new scientifically validated OBEs.

Lessons From The Light By Kenneth Ring

Kenneth Ring was another pioneer in the research of NDEs and this book contains many excellent accounts that he recorded as well as discussions around various facets of Near Death Experiences. This is a great introductory book for a newcomer to the area.

Deadly medicine By Orson Wedgwood

While this novel is not strictly about NDEs, one of the main characters has an NDE which has a transformational effect. I like this book sufficiently to use the main character’s name as the pseudonym under which I pen this blog and authored Aware of Aware!