Article reviewing texts that examine both the promise and peril of developing networked multimedia systems.

Article offering a comparison of historical cases of Tibetan near-death experiences (NDEs) and contemporary Western accounts. A tradition of NDEs in Tibetan culture, the das-log experience, affords such a comparison. Modern NDEs differ from das-log experiences in ways that reflect their cultural context and may provide the foundation for a new Book of the Dead especially fitted to the existential and planetary concerns of modern time.

Abstract: This paper describes a possible near-death experience (NDE) among the Mapuche people of Chile. The individual reporting the experience was in a cataleptic-like state for two days, the experience itself occurring at the end of this period. Some common features of NDEs, such as encounters with deceased people and being sent back, are present, together with clear evidence that past and present cultural environment shape in part the content of mental experiences.

Study designed to examine the factors underlying an increase in belief in reincarnation following near-death experiences, using a questionnaire to compare the tendency toward belief in reincarnation among NDErs, individuals merely interested in NDEs, and a non-experiencer, non-interest control group.

Article discussing Moses' revelation on Mount Horeb, which can be explained as a near-death or near-death-like experience. Following his revelation, he reached a higher level of consciousness, which enabled personality changes to occur. From being a simple shepherd of his father-in-law's flock, he turned into a prophet and charismatic leader of his people.

Article presenting two cases of near-death experiences (NDEs) that support the supposition that NDEs and out-of-body experiences (OBEs) may be a dissociative process.

Article describing an investigation carried out in Italy on 54 subjects, half of whom had out-of-body experiences (OBEs) in good health, and half of whom had OBEs in a coma or in a state of presumed death. The focus of this research was the emotions subjects reported having felt during their OBEs.

Article summarizing nine lessons consistently gleaned from near-death experiences (NDEs), which may help motivate humanity to live more in accordance with the messages from NDEs.

Article describing the physical environment found in the other world or the City of Light, based on published accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs). The City of Light appears to be a world of preternatural beauty that cannot be described adequately. NDE accounts provide descriptions of the landscape, animal life, plant life, and architecture found in the other world.

Article exploring reports of near-death experiences (NDEs) in India. These NDEs were comparable to those reported by Raymond Moody, and included tunnels, dark spaces, and bright lights, contrary to previous reports of Indian cases.

Study seeking to assess the hypothesis that near-death experiencers are characterized by a dissociative response style engendered by severely traumatic childhood experiences.

Abstract: We briefly survey research designed to validate alleged out-of-body perceptions during near-death experiences. Most accounts of this kind that have surfaced since Michael Sabom's work are unsubstantiated self-reports or, as in claims of visual perception of blind persons, completely undocumented or fictional, but there have bee n some reports that were corroborated by witnesses. We briefly present and discuss three new cases of this kind.

Abstract: This article describes the social positions of inhabitants in the otherworldly City of Light as reported by a limited number of Mormon near-death experiencers (NDErs). These social positions included men and women and various relatives and friends, in addition to authorities or administrators, genealogists, guardians, guides, homemakers, missionaries, teachers, and students. These reports of social positions in the City of Light are similar to those described by other researchers, and are comparable to those found in our own world.

Article providing a sociological interpretation of The Velveteen Rabbit critical of recent materialist and psychoanalytic readings, and arguing that this children's story exemplifies the use of a non-materialistic idea of death to suggest other themes about love and life, and discuss implications for near-death research.

Abstract: This article (a) outlines a systematic theory of the near-death experience (NDE) based on accumulated research; (b) formulates 23 propositions that describe the NDE developmental process and illustrates these propositions and their relationship to one another; and (c) discusses observations on the sequence of events for the NDE and its aftermath and illustrates a proposed model of causal relationships for the NDE.

Article describing a new kind of precognitive vision in the near-death experience (NDE): the otherworld personal future revelation (OPFR). Kenneth Ring previously described two kinds: the personal flashforward and the prophetic vision. The OPFR resembles the personal flashforward in that it previews the experiencer's personal future, but differs from the personal flashforward in that it is delivered to the experiencer by another personage in the otherworld rather than appearing in the visual imagery of a life review.

Abstract: This essay is a first-person account describing the profound impact of my near-death experience (NDE). I surrendered everything in response to a spiritual mandate to do something different with my new life after the NDE. Researchers may find that such intensive responses contain credible data of interest in evaluating the question of why we have NDEs.