''Til Death Do Us Part:' Marital Aftermath of One Spouse's Near-Death Experience (open access)

''Til Death Do Us Part:' Marital Aftermath of One Spouse's Near-Death Experience

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.
Date: Summer 2012
Creator: Christian, Rozan & Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
After-math: Counting the Aftereffects of Potentially Spiritually Transformative Experiences (open access)

After-math: Counting the Aftereffects of Potentially Spiritually Transformative Experiences

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.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Texts Related to Survival of Consciousness (open access)

Book Review: Texts Related to Survival of Consciousness

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).
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Kinsey, Lee
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Obituary: Harold A. Widdison (open access)

Obituary: Harold A. Widdison

Obituary of Dr. Harold A. Widdison, a researcher in the field of near-death studies for over 30 years. The article discusses Dr. Widdison's background, career, family, and contributions to the study of near-death experiences.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Lundahl, Craig R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Letter to the Editor: Near-Death Experiences Beyond the Scope of Science (open access)

Letter to the Editor: Near-Death Experiences Beyond the Scope of Science

Letter from Stephen D. Carter to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies on the topic "Near-Death Experiences Beyond the Scope of Science."
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Carter, Stephen D.
Object Type: Letter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Letter to the Editor: Failed Test of the Possibility that Pam Reynolds Heard Normally During Her NDE (open access)

Letter to the Editor: Failed Test of the Possibility that Pam Reynolds Heard Normally During Her NDE

Letter from Rudolf H. Smit to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies on the topic "Failed Test of the Possibility that Pam Reynolds Heard Normally During her NDE."
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Smit, Rudolf H.
Object Type: Letter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Letter to the Editor: Announcement of Book Reissue (open access)

Letter to the Editor: Announcement of Book Reissue

Letter from Chris Carter to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies announcing the reissue of the book "Parapsychology and the Skeptics" under the new title "Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall of the House of Skeptics."
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Carter, Chris
Object Type: Letter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Editor's Foreword [Winter 2012] (open access)

Editor's Foreword [Winter 2012]

Guest editorial statement introducing the contents of the special journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Rominger, Ryan
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Editor's Foreword [Summer 2012] (open access)

Editor's Foreword [Summer 2012]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Summer 2012
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Does N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Adequately Explain Near-Death Experiences? (open access)

Does N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Adequately Explain Near-Death Experiences?

Abstract: Some NDE researchers have suggested that because some users of psychedelic drugs have experiences purportedly similar to near-death experiences (NDEs), neural receptors and neurotransmitters affected by a particular drug may underlie out-of-body experiences and NDEs. One of the most recent psychedelic candidates that allegedly causes NDE-like experiences is N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a natural substance that the body produces in small amounts. If DMT experiences are phenomenologically similar to NDEs, then it is possible that the human body in extremis may produce larger amounts of DMT that reach psychedelic experience-causing levels in the blood. In this paper, I explore the issue of whether DMT might play a causal role in the production of NDEs. The first section summarizes basic information of about NDEs, focusing on their phenomenological aspects. The second section classifies theories of NDEs to place the DMT theory in some context of the history of the debate over the cause of NDEs. The following section discusses DMT's chemical composition, physical effects, and psychological effects. The final section explores whether NDE and DMT experiences have a sufficient degree of phenomenological similarity to justify a causal role for DMT in the production of NDEs and concludes that such similarity is lacking.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Potts, Michael
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Ethnographic Study of Near-Death Experience Impact and Aftereffects and Their Cultural Implications (open access)

An Ethnographic Study of Near-Death Experience Impact and Aftereffects and Their Cultural Implications

Abstract: In this paper, I describe the research method and key near-death experience (NDE) aftereffects- and integration-related findings of my dissertation research study (Gordon, 2007), the first published near-death studies research project to use the ethnographic method. I compare my findings with those of a comparable sociological study (Sutherland, 1995), with emphasis on NDE aftereffects and integration issues related to what I identified as a previously unrecognized pattern of unmet, NDE-integration-related health-education and counseling needs. Finally, I explore the cultural implications of near-death and similarly transformative experiences and posit that actualizing the potential social-wellness value of these experiences to those who have had them and to their societies requires research and practice that adequately addresses experiencers' health-education and counseling needs.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Gordon, L. Suzanne
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Editor's Foreword [Fall 2012] (open access)

Editor's Foreword [Fall 2012]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Editor's Foreword [Spring 2012] (open access)

Editor's Foreword [Spring 2012]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Challenges of Traveling a Psychospiritual Path in Today's Postmodern Western World (open access)

The Challenges of Traveling a Psychospiritual Path in Today's Postmodern Western World

Abstract: Although the category "Religious or Spiritual Problem" (Code V62.89) was incorporated into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for mental health professional in 1994, it has taken until 2012 for a conference or training to take place designed to help therapists and social workers understand how best to address such issues. In this article I describe my personal experience and my professional experience as a psychotherapist with religious and spiritual phenomena. I offer my view of what it means to be spiritual, including the role of worldviews and my conceptualization of a three-stage path of spiritual development.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Miller, Judith S.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences: A Handbook (open access)

Book Review: Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences: A Handbook

Review of a book titled "Book Review: Making Sense of Near-Death Experiences: A Handbook" written by Mahendra Perera.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Foster, Ryan D.
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Beyond Goodbye: An Extraordinary True Story of a Shared Death Experience (open access)

Book Review: Beyond Goodbye: An Extraordinary True Story of a Shared Death Experience

Review of a book titled "Beyond Goodbye: An Extraordinary True Story of a Shared Death Experience" written by Annie Cap.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Lonn, Marlise R.
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences: Brain-State Phenomena or Glimpses of Immortality? [#1] (open access)

Book Review: Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences: Brain-State Phenomena or Glimpses of Immortality? [#1]

Review of a book titled "Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences: Brain-State Phenomena or Glimpses of Immortality?" written by Michael N. Marsh.
Date: Summer 2012
Creator: Widdison, Harold A.
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife (open access)

Book Review: Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

Review of a book titled "Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife" written by Eben Alexander, and a book titled "To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story" written by Mary C. Neal.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Varhely, Susan
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Science and the Afterlife Experience: Evidence for the Immortality of Consciousness (open access)

Book Review: Science and the Afterlife Experience: Evidence for the Immortality of Consciousness

Review of a book titled "Science and the Afterlife Experience: Evidence for the Immortality of Consciousness" written by Chris Carter.
Date: Autumn 2012
Creator: Hamrick, Cliff
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Book Review: Randi's Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong & Why It Matters (open access)

Book Review: Randi's Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong & Why It Matters

Review of a book titled "Randi's Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong & Why It Matters" discussing psychical occurrences and skepticism.
Date: Summer 2012
Creator: Clark, Nancy
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication (open access)

Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication

Abstract: Scientific research into after-death communication began at the end of the 19th century. During this early period, psychical researcher James Hyslop and theologian Rudolph Otto wrote about the resurrection of Jesus as a visionary / spiritual experience -- as opposed to a physical, "bodily" resurrection. More recently, liberal theologians and religious experience researchers have also favored this view. The purpose of this article is to: (a) underscore the fact that the resurrection of Jesus as an after-death communication is solidly based in the only first-hand account of Paul and the verified secondary accounts of Peter and James (I Cor 15:5-8) in the New Testament, and (b) demonstrate that, although a physical resurrection is implied by the Gospel writers because of the empty tomb, the appearance stories of Jesus are more in accord with the phenomenology of modern after-death communications by Jesus, other divine figures, and ordinary people.
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Vincent, Ken R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication: Response to Ken Vincent (open access)

Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication: Response to Ken Vincent

Abstract: Jesus' resurrection appearances would in some sense comprise after-death messages. But this designation does not necessarily identify them as the sort of after-death communications (ADCs) that are well-known to readers of the Journal. More generally, to hold that the resurrection appearances were ADCs, at least as Ken Vincent has argued, seems to commit a logical fallacy, so that the form of the argument itself cannot sustain the weight of the conclusion. The most that the argument can indicate is that there are some similarities, not that they are necessarily the same class of events. More specifically, there are at least six crucial considerations that dispute Jesus' resurrection appearances being ADCs in the usual sense of these events.
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Habermas, Gary R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Role of Spiritually Transformative Experiences in Religious History and the Development of a Scale to Measure Them (open access)

The Role of Spiritually Transformative Experiences in Religious History and the Development of a Scale to Measure Them

Abstract: Spiritual experiences are a potent means by which a person's attitudes and behaviors may changed, usually (but not always) in benevolent ways. This article presents examples from various times and places, many from the annals organized religion. Research into spiritually transformative experiences is reviewed as is a means to measure spiritual content in written or verbal reports: the Casto Spiritually Scoring System. This instrument includes subscales regarding spiritual settings, spiritual objects, spiritual characters, spiritual emotions, spiritual activities, and spiritual experiences. The reliability of the system has been examined and found to be quite high. In addition, the system has been useful clinically when spirituality becomes an issue in counseling or psychotherapy.
Date: Winter 2012
Creator: Krippner, Stanley
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication: Rejoinder to Gary Habermas (open access)

Resurrection Appearances of Jesus as After-Death Communication: Rejoinder to Gary Habermas

Abstract: Gary Habermas has chosen to respond to my paper on the resurrection of Jesus as an after-death communication using theological arguments that try to prove the resurrection of Jesus was somehow a religious event unique in all human history. I counter his assertions with data from religious/spiritual experience research and, to a lesser extent, liberal Christian scholars. I restate my conclusion that Paul's first-hand and verified second-hand accounts of the resurrection in I Corinthians 15 are comparable with modern after-death communications; the difference between Jesus and others is not one of kind but of degree. Over the past 150 years, religious experience researchers have successfully applied the tools of science and begun to unlock the mysteries of how humans experience God and afterlife.
Date: Spring 2012
Creator: Vincent, Ken R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library