Electromagnetic and Other Environmental Effects Following Near-Death Experiences: A Primer

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.
Date: Summer 2015
Creator: Blalock, Sarah; Holden, Janice Miner & Atwater, P. M. H.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Shedding Light on the Tunnel and Light in Near-Death Experiences: A Case Study

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.
Date: Autumn 2015
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner & Loseu, Saharnaz
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Guest Editorial: When Does Request for Evidence About NDEs Become Harassment?

Editorial commentary discussing the author's personal accounts and the accounts of others who have had near-death experiences and how their lives have been affected afterward by others who insist on having proof or deny their experiences due to lack of verification.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Atwater, P. M. H.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Letter to the Editor: Trans-Material References in Victor Frankl

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies discussing works written by Victor Frankl and how they may relate to near-death research,
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Janssen, Scott
Object Type: Letter
System: The UNT Digital Library

Letter to the Editor: End-of Life Experience of Famous Artist J. M. W. Turner

Letter written to the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies regarding a biographical film about the life and death of J. M. W. Turner.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Punzak, Dan
Object Type: Letter
System: The UNT Digital Library

Electromagnetic Phenomena Reported by Near-Death Experiencers

Abstract: Electromagnetic (EM) aftereffects have been reported following near-death experiences (NDEs). These effects include both (a) EM actions, apparent actions by the individual on the surrounding EM environment, and (b) EM reactions, apparent reactions of the individual to the EM environment. This study investigated EM aftereffects among 216 NDErs, 54 persons who had been close to death without NDEs, and 150 persons who had never been close to death. NDErs reported both greater EM actions and greater EM reactions than did either comparison group. Among NDErs, those with higher scores on the NDE Scale reported more EM aftereffects. These findings corroborate and extend prior studies and suggest the need for controlled experiments to measure the kinds and strengths of EM fields generated or channeled by NDErs, the kinds of EM fields and devices that are affected by NDErs, and the kinds and strengths of EM fields to which NDErs react.
Date: Summer 2015
Creator: Greyson, Bruce; Liester, Mitchell B.; Kinsey, Lee; Alsum, Steve & Fox, Glen
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Editor's Foreword [Winter 2015]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Winter 2015
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Editor's Foreword [Summer 2015]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Summer 2015
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Paranormal Aspects of Pre-Existence Memories in Young Children

Abstract: The authors present both unconfirmed and externally confirmed cases of children's pre-existence memories with paranormal aspects that apparently cannot be explained by childish fantasy. The anomalous phenomena mostly comprise extrasensory perception with one case involving psychokinesis. Such aspects are similar to and convergent with paranormal aspects of near-death experiences and point to a common, non-physical origin of both types of experiences.
Date: Winter 2015
Creator: Rivas, Titus; Carman, Elizabeth M.; Carman, Neil J. & Dirven, Anny
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Of Love and Light: A Case Report of End-of-Life Experiences

Abstract: Unusual occurrences at the end-of-life have been reported anecdotally over centuries yet have only recently attracted increased academic attention. Recent studies suggest commonality to end-of-life experiences (ELEs), which can be broadly categorized into six types. ELEs are relatively common, frequently occurring in terminally ill and palliative patients. They also reportedly have positive effects on the dying, facilitating more peaceful deaths. We present a case report of the death of a woman of Cook Island Maori and New Zealand Maori descent who died from cancer, as retrospectively reported by her husband. The case is interesting due to the number of ELEs occurring for the dying as well as significant others during the period leading up to, at the moment of, and after her death. The case is discussed in relation to previous findings on ELEs and resulting implications for enhancing understandings of the dying process and consciousness.
Date: Autumn 2015
Creator: Tassell-Matamua, Natasha A. & Steadman, Kate
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Explaining Near-Death Experiences: Physical or Non-Physical Causation?

Article discussing current research and possible causes of near-death experiences, comparing the hypotheses regarding physiological causes (e.g., neural circuitry) and non-physical causes (e.g., a separation of consciousness).
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Mays, Robert G. & Mays, Suzanne B.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Dreams from Another Dimension?

Abstract: In 2015, I began communicating with an events planner for the U.S. Army who shared with me a series of anomalous dreams -- anomalous in the sense that the dreams usually contained specific names of deceased servicemen previously unknown to her but known to an assistant chaplain with whom she worked. The goal of my ensuing case study research into this apparent episode of spontaneous mediumship was to collect these dreams, search for commonalities, and propose explanations for their anomalous aspects. Alternative explanations included fraud, faulty memory, coincidence, and telepathy or some other form of remote perception. None of these alternatives explained these anomalies as well as what the experiencer herself proposed: that the deceased themselves had successfully communicated with her during her nighttime dreams.
Date: Winter 2015
Creator: Krippner, Stanley
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Complex Visual Imagery and Cognition During Near-Death Experiences

Abstract: Near-death experiences (NDEs) entail complex and structured conscious experience during conditions known to coincide with rapid loss of consciousness often associated with decline or disruption of the neurological correlates currently held to be causative factors of visual imagery and cognition. In this study, 653 NDE reports of cardiac and/or respiratory arrest patients were analyzed for unprompted, spontaneous references to quality of conscious visual imagery and mentation during an NDE. Results indicate that in a majority of NDEs, both figurative and abstract mentation are either preserved or markedly improved during unconsciousness and unresponsiveness in the context of respiratory and cardiac arrests. These findings underscore the call to further study the mechanisms behind the 'outliving' of a conscious sense of selfhood and complex, structured visual imagery and cognition during severely deteriorating physiological function -- and perhaps especially during clinical death.
Date: Winter 2015
Creator: BatthyƔny, Alexander
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Editor's Foreword [Spring 2015]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Editor's Foreword [Fall 2015]

Editorial statement introducing the contents of the journal issue and providing other relevant notes.
Date: Autumn 2015
Creator: Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Two Cases of Spontaneous Mediumship Experiences of Near-Death Experiencers

Abstract: Spontaneous mediumship experiences (SMEs), in which living people are visited uninvited by discarnates -- deceased humans -- who ask the living person to convey a message to another living person, are considered a subtype of after-death communication and a potential aftereffect of near-death experiences. In this article, we describe two case studies based on semi-structured interviews in which two near-death experiencers described features and descriptions of their SMEs, positive and negative aspects associated with their SMEs, and related experiences including help-seeking behaviors. Implications for characterizing SMEs include differences in degree of spontaneity and types of discarnates and similarities in experiences of distress and number of SMEs.
Date: Autumn 2015
Creator: Foster, Ryan D.; Lee, Deborah & Duvall, Ann Grau
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Book Review: Why Science is Wrong...About Almost Everything

Review of a book titled "Why Science is Wrong...About Almost Everything" by entrepreneur Alex Tsakiris.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Stare, Bryan
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library

Book Review: Telephone Calls from the Dead

Review of a book titled "Telephone Calls from the Dead" written by paranormal psychologist Callum E. Cooper.
Date: Autumn 2015
Creator: Price, Eric W.
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library

Book Review: The Afterlife Explorers, Volume 1: The Pioneers of Psychical Research

Review of a book titled "The Afterlife Explorers, Volume 1: The Pioneers of Psychical Research" written by psychic phenomena research Michael Tymn.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Lawrence, Madelaine
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library

Book Review: The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People are Proving the Afterlife

Review of a book titled "The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People are Proving the Afterlife" by Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon and near-death experiencer, written with Ptolemy Tompkins.
Date: Spring 2015
Creator: Arnette, J. Kenneth
Object Type: Review
System: The UNT Digital Library