Review of a book titled "Moral development & reality: Beyond the theories of Kohlberg, Hoffman and Haidt," written by John C. Gibbs, a professor of developmental psychology. This book explores theories of promoting prosocial behavior and morals in at-risk and delinquent youth, and addresses the theories of Jonathan Haidt, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Martin Hoffman regarding moral development.

Review of a book titled "Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences: Brain State Phenomena or Glimpses of Immortality" written by Michael N. Marsh. Marsh's book discusses out of body and near death experiences through a Christian perspective.

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes. This issue includes articles that examine empirical data related to near-death experiences.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing Raymond Moody's book, "Coming Back: A Psychiatrist Explores Past-Life Journeys."

Abstract: Despite their different etiologies, three types of spiritually transformative experiences (STEs)--near-death experiences, psilocybin experiences, and meditative experiences of cosmic consciousness--appear to have attributes that are common to a broad range of mystical experiences, including an experience of expanded awareness. In addition, all three appear to be associated with profound and lasting transformations in the lives of experiencers. Finally, these three experiences appear to share some common neural correlates. In this article, we discuss similarities in case studies of these STEs, in data from controlled clinical research studies on their transformative effects, as well as from neurophysiological data correlated with the occurrence of STEs themselves. In all three STEs, research shows a reduction in neural activity in the major centers of the brain, including the Default Mode Network, the foundation of egoic stories involving the narrative related to oneself and the world in which one lives. It is proposed that during these STEs, reduced neural activity in areas of the brain that normally act as a filter or reducing valve mechanism opens the capacity to expanded awareness, which is associated with lasting transformation in the lives of experiencers.

Abstract: The physiological and psychological underpinnings of near-death experiences (NDEs) are not yet understood. In this article, we show that for "critical" NDEs reported after cardiac arrest, two different neurophysiological models have been proposed that, in the literature so far, have not been adequately distinguished from each other. In the real-time model, it is postulated that during critical NDEs, residual activities in the cerebrum were sufficient to generate NDEs in real time. In the reconstruction model, it is assumed that due to severe oxygen deficiency, critical NDEs could not have occurred at the time in question but were reconstructed later during the regeneration phase of the brain. To assess the plausibility of these two models, we analyzed the phenomenology of the view of one's own body from above (autoscopy) that frequently occurs in the beginnings of NDEs. In addition to the available literature, we used original descriptions of autoscopies obtained in an online survey conducted in 2015. We found that the reconstruction model is not supported by empirical findings and that some findings even speak against it. We therefore conclude that future discussions of explanatory models of NDEs should focus primarily on the neurophysiological real-time model and a third alternative …

Review of a book titled "What is it Like to be Dead? Near-Death Experiences, Christianity, and the Occult" written by Jens Schlieter, which discusses near-death experiences in Western Christian and occult traditions between 1580 and 1975. The review discusses Schlieter's methodology and conclusions.

Abstract: People diagnosed with cancer frequently report deleterious psychological experiences because of their diagnosis and subsequent medical treatment. One particularly helpful coping strategy reported by cancer patients is psychoeducational on spiritual topics. Anecdotally, cancer survivors reported that psychoeducation about near-death experiences (NDEs) has been a source of great comfort. In this article, we present two case studies on cancer survivors who reported that learning about NDEs helped them cope with cancer successfully by enabling them to face with greater peace both ongoing medical treatment and a potential for death.

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes. This issue's articles focus on gaining deeper understandings of currently accepted research about near-death experiences.

Abstract: Findings from several studies suggest near-death experiences (NDEs) may influence sleep quality. In this study, we examined self-reported duration, latency, and quality of sleep in those who had experienced a life-threatening event and who had and had not reported an associated NDE. Participants were 154 members of the general New Zealand population who completed an online quantitative questionnaire that included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Near-Death Experience Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and Life Changes Inventory-Revised. Both the NDE and non-NDE groups indicated sleep habits had changed after their close encounter with death. Participants slept less, took longer to fall asleep, and experienced more sleep disturbances. However, we found no differences between the groups, suggesting sleep alterations occurred in response to the near-death event rather than specifically to the NDE.

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing current research that calls for expanding the instruments used to describe and measure near-death experiences.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies regarding concerns about the precision of language for describing additional sensitivities following a near-death experience.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies in response to another author's concerns about the connotations of the term "mediumship" and their opinions on the suggested alternative term "sensitive."

Article documenting the results of surveying 126 physician trainees regarding their beliefs about metaphysical experiences (e.g., near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, shared-death experiences, and after-death communication) and experiences shared with them by patients. It also discusses results about the trainees' attitudes toward transcendental explanations and caring for end-of-life patients.

Article describing the findings regarding thematic analysis of seventeen near-death experience accounts provided by Iranian Shia Muslims to determine how these experiences overlap or diverge from accounts given by experiencers from Western cultures.

Article documenting the findings of research that employed web-scraping of personal narratives to analyze the level of positive or negative sentiment expressed by experiencers regarding their near-death experiences.

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing the organization of a new multi-country study called "Proyecto Luz" to evaluate NDEs among native Spanish speakers who survive cardiac arrest in hospitals.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing concerns about a proposed new assessment tool for near-death experiences (NDEs), particularly regarding changes in language from the original scale, and also commenting on a previous review of the proposal.

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing a proposed scale for assessing near-death experiences (NDEs), which was proposed by the authors of the letter, and also comments on a previous letter in which others reviewed the original proposal.

Article discussing research related to personal feelings of self-location and movement during near-death experiences (NDEs). It also describes the use of "Archi-Textures" to more clearly define spatio-temporal experiences during NDEs.

Review of a book titled "Beyond Surviving: Cancer and Your Spiritual Journey" written by Canadian minister David Maginley, describing his work with patients and his personal experiences with cancer.

Review of a book titled "The Human Story Behind Scientific Discovery" by Joseph Jordania, discussing the reasons that people choose scientific inquiry, particularly in less conventional fields, such as near-death studies.