Review of a book titled "Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience" written by Pam van Lommel.

Review of a book titled "Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences" written by Jeffrey Long, M.D., with Paul Perry.

Review of a book titled "The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation" written by Janice Miner Holden, Bruce Greyson, and Debbie James (Eds.).

Results of a study to compare and extend Walker and Russell's (1989) study of psychologists' knowledge of and attitudes about near-death experiences (NDEs), using their Near-Death Phenomena Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (NDPKAQ).

Brief report describing data collected about Iranian Muslims who had near-death experiences (NDEs). It outlines various information collected including demographics of participants and characteristics of the NDEs.

Review of a book titled "The Spiritual Doorway in the Brain: A Neurologist's Search for the God Experience" written by neurologist Kevin Nelson.

Abstract: Nursing faculty across the United States were surveyed about their knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of near-death experiences (NDEs) and deathbed visions (DBVs) through web-based administration of the Near-Death Phenomena Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (Thornburg, 1988). Of the approximately 550 responses, 13% of respondents indicated that they personally had experiences an NDE, 48% that they have cared for a patient reporting an NDE, and 46% that they have cared for a patient reporting a DBV. Item-level ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the two attitude components of the survey, revealing a complex set of relationships between attitudes, experience, and other individual-level characteristics. The results underscore the importance of ongoing research into near-death phenomena and inclusion of NDEs and DBVs as content areas in nursing curriculum.

Abstract: This article reviews professional nursing's philosophical and professional mandates that direct nurses to acquire accurate knowledge and skills in order to care competently for near-death experiencers (NDErs). In addition, the article briefly describe the NDE phenomenon and aftereffects, discusses the author's NDEs in the professional context of her status as a nurse, and addresses the challenges NDErs encounters because of a lack of knowledge by nurses about NDEs. It concludes with a review of the current state of nursing education relevant to NDEs, suggestions for and resources available to faculty to create NDE curricula for nursing students, and continuing education opportunities for nurses and other medical professionals.

Abstract: In this article, I respond to a critique by Michael Rush of a 2006 article from this Journal in which I and my co-authors described a case of a near-death experience with veridical components and an inexplicable healing. I address each point from the critique in the order in which it was raised. Overall, I found most of the criticism to have been points I had already addressed in previous publications, and the critique also provided my an opportunity to clarify a few points I had not previously detailed. For me, this professional exchange has served to underscore the difficulty of conducting methodologically sound prospective research on near-death experiences.

Abstract: Previously in this Journal, Holden and Christian (2005) profiled patterns in the field of near-death studies through an analysis of the scholarly publications from Near-Death Experiences: Index to the Periodical Literature through 2001. In this article, we provide an updated analysis of a similar type through 2011. The body of literature on which we based this analysis included 892 scholarly articles by 629 authors spanning more than a century. We report on patterns related to publication dates and venues, experts and their most cited articles, and most and least published topics in the field - both with regard to current status and in comparison to 2001. We discuss limitations of our analysis and implications of it for the future of scholarship in the field of near-death studies.

Article describing the methods and results of research to explore spontaneous mediumship experiences (SMEs) that occurred during and after near-death experiences (NDEs).

Article describing the results of informal and formal research regarding electromagnetic (EM) effects of near-death experiences (NDEs); it reviews cases in which a person acts on his environment and those in which a person reacts to the environment. The paper also proposes more precise terminology regarding EM phenomena based on the research and literature review.

Partial abstract: In this article, we present a case study of an adult male who experienced both gravity induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) as a Korean War aviation cadet, including narrowing of his visual field to a point of light and also two subsequent transpersonal experiences -- a near-death experience (NDE) and an after-death communication (ADC) -- that both included a tunnel-and-light feature. His Near-Death Experience Scale scores for each experience and his comparison of the qualia of these experiences provide unique evidence in the debate about the nature and likely origins of such experiences. These data place more weight on the argument that the tunnel and light in transpersonal experiences cannot reasonably be attributed to loss of oxygen in the brain.

Article discussing the development of an instrument to measure healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes about NDEs that would demonstrate acceptable psychometric properties.

Results of a study to test knowledge and attitudes among licensed U.S. counselors regarding near-death experiences (NDEs) through surveys administered before and after the counselors completed an online course.

Abstract: Research has revealed that following a near-death experience (NDE) a majority of experiencers (NDEers) change fundamentally in values, religious/spiritual beliefs, and relationship to paranormal phenomena. Much less is known about the relationship between aftereffects of one spouse's NDE and subsequent marital adjustment and stability. In this preliminary retrospective study, we addressed this question quantitatively with supplementary narrative data. Using the framework of John Gottman's (1999) Sound Marital House, we analyzed self-reported adjustment in and stability of the marriages of 26 NDEers before and after a self-identified life-changing event (LCE) unrelated to NDEs. Results indicated a significant reduction in marital meaning (p = .008), adjustment (p = .007), and stability (p = .005) in NDE compared to LCE couples, with a majority of NDE (65%) but only a minority of LCE (35%) couples' marriages ending in divorce. Implications for health professionals are discussed.

Abstract: This article provides a summary of current literature regarding the nature of spiritual development, types of potentially spiritually transformative experiences (pSTEs), and both short- and long-term aftereffects of pSTEs— biological, psychological, spiritual, and social. The author concludes that in the aftermath of pSTEs, experiencers, their intimates and associates, and their healthcare providers should be prepared to experience integration that can be manageable or be deeply challenging and that can be relatively brief or can last for years.

A letter from Janice Miner Holden to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies on the topic: "Response to 'Is it Rational to Extrapolate from the Presence of Consciousness during a Flat EEG to Survival of Consciousness After Death?'"

Review outlining the various range of scholarly and non-scholarly characterizations regarding the survival of human consciousness after death by analyzing four books on the topic: "Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death" (Chris Carter); "The Fun of Dying: Find Out What Really Happens Next!" (Roberta Grimes); "The Science of Life after Death: New Research Shows Human Consciousness Lives On" (Stephen Hawley Martin); and "There is Life after Death: Compelling Reports from Those Who Have Glimpsed the Afterlife" (Roy Abraham Varghese).

Abstract: In "Near Death Experiences: Understanding Visions of the Afterlife," authors John Martin Fischer and Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin (2016) argued for purely physicalist explanations of near-death experiences (NDEs) and against "supernatural" explanations involving objects and events--out-of-body experiences, heavenly realms, meeting deceased relatives--that have no physical reality. In our critique, we identify two major weaknesses to their argument: heavy reliance on ad hoc hypotheses and frequent appeal to "promissory materialism." Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin applied the term "hallucination" to NDEs because, by definition, they "do not correspond to reality." We found use of this term problematic for several reasons: that NDE perceptions are phenomenologically different from hallucinations, that NDE perceptions of the physical realm are nearly always veridical, and that labelling NDEs "hallucinations" pathologizes a normal, subjective experience, with potentially harmful psychological outcomes. Although Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin argued a theory of NDEs that invokes only one explanatory factor, we argue for a likely common proximate cause for all NDEs and that the nonphysical "mind-entity theory" in which the nonmaterial mind separates from the physical body in an NDE, is a likely candidate theory with good explanatory power. We believe that ultimately the theory explaining NDEs will be corrected through the normal process of …

Article discussing Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin's response to Robert J. and Suzanne B. Mays critique of "Near Death Experiences: Understanding Visions of the Afterlife" by John Martin Fischer and Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin.

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes. This issue includes articles discussing near-death experiences in non-western cultures.

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 providing a commentary from the author of the book, Near-Death Experience in Indigenous Religions, regarding a review of the book and multiple critiques and responses between the book's author and the reviewer.