Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience Paperback – August 9, 2011

As someone well into their senior years I have been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades. My interests have ranged from A to Z and from the traditional hard core scientific to the often strange and weird esoteric. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this 422-page soft cover book (Consciousness beyond life: The science of near-death experience by Pim Van Lommel, M.D.) I decided to purchase it.Unlike many other books on this topic, this one is written by a scientifically trained medical doctor who is also open minded enough to not dismiss the thousands of cases all over the world involving out-of-body experiences.Some of the many fascinating areas covered in this book includes the following: “A near-death experience and its impact on life, what is a near-death experience, changed by a near-death experience, near-death experiences in childhood, research into near-death experiences, what happens in the brain when the heart suddenly stops, quantum physics and consciousness, endless consciousness” and other topics.This is an educational and thought-provoking book for anyone who is interested in near-death experiences. I loved it.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Season of the warrior: A poetic tribute to warriors).

It is difficult to understand how mainstream science can continue to ignore or reject the implications of the near-death experience (NDE) in light of the evidence and arguments made by Dr. Pim van Lommel in this most comprehensive book. Dr. van Lommel seemingly touches all bases in exploring the various phenomena related to the NDE.Having grown up in an academic environment, van Lommel, a world-renowned cardiologist practicing in The Netherlands, writes that he was of the reductionist and materialistic mindset before he began studying the NDE and the nature of consciousness. He has closely examined all the arguments made by the scientific fundamentalists and now has a more positive outlook. "That death is the end used to be my own belief," he writes. "But after many years of critical research into the stories of the NDErs, and after a careful exploration of current knowledge about brain function, consciousness, and some basic principles of quantum physics, my views have undergone a complete transformation. As a doctor and researcher, I found the most significant finding to be the conclusion of one NDEr: `Dead turned out to be not dead.' I now see the continuity of our consciousness after the death of our physical body as a very real possibility."About the time I started reading this book, reports were appearing at various internet sites stating that there is now evidence that the NDE is nothing more than a brief spell of abnormal brain activity resulting from oxygen deficiency. This theory has been going around for years, but seems to get resurrected every few years as if it is new science. Van Lommel dismisses the theory, pointing out that the NDE is "accompanied by an enhanced and lucid consciousness with memories and because it can also be experienced under circumstances such as an imminent traffic accident or a depression, neither of which involves oxygen deficiency."Van Lommel also addresses the skeptic's theory about the tunnel effect reported by many NDErs being caused by the disruption of oxygen supply to the eye, which gradually darkens one's range of vision. He points out that such a theory cannot explain the reports by NDErs that say that they meet deceased relatives in the tunnel. He tells why carbon dioxide overload, various chemicals, and other physiological theories do not account for the NDE. "When new ideas do not fit the generally accepted (materialist) paradigm, many scientists perceive them as a threat," van Lommel writes. "It is hardly surprising therefore that when empirical studies reveal new phenomena or facts that are inconsistent with the prevailing scientific paradigm, they are usually denied, suppressed, or even ridiculed."A chapter of the book is devoted to quantum theory, which includes non-locality, or the idea that the mind operates outside of time and space and that what we in the physical plane interpret as reality is not reality at all. As van Lommel sees it, many aspects of the NDE correspond with or are analogous to some of the basic principles from quantum theory. "The findings of NDE research suggest the possibility that (nonlocal) consciousness is present at all time and will therefore last forever," van Lommel offers. "The content of a near-death experience suggests a continuity of consciousness that can be experienced independently of the body."Something I have found particularly troubling over the years is the possibility that organs are being harvested before bodies are actually "dead," even though the person might be pronounced "clinically dead." Van Lommel devotes several interesting pages to the debate on this subject, pointing out that when brain death has been diagnosed, 96 percent of the body is still alive. While not in principle opposed to organ transplants, van Lommel suggests that more consideration should be given to the nonphysical aspects of organ donation, including the fear of death.Over the past 35 years, NDE researchers like Drs. Raymond Moody, Kenneth Ring, Michael Sabom, Bruce Greyson, Melvin Morse, and others have build a very solid wheel, one that supports the survival hypothesis. Close-minded skeptics keep trying to make the wheel collapse by bending the spokes. Fortunately, we have newer researchers like Drs. van Lommel and Jeffrey Long ("Evidence of the Afterlife") coming along to demonstrate that the spokes are solid and the wheel secure.

Dr. Pim van Lommel's Consciousness Beyond Life seemed to be two books in one. What seemed to me to be the first part, chapters 1 through 10, deals exclusively with Near Death Experiences (henceforth NDE). Lommel does an excellent job of relating all the aspects of NDEs and demonstrates why many of them cannot be accounted for by any naturalistic hypothesis. What's most important and unique to Lommel's book is his own Dutch study of NDEs that spanned almost a decade. Lommel provides accounts of numerous NDEs that contained veridical evidence. In fact, this book is worth the money just to simply read some of these amazing stories. Also important is that Lommel's study was prospective and therefore had a control (patients who went into cardiac arrest and did not have a NDE). This prospective study demonstrates that neither physiological, psychological nor pharmacological explanations could have played a factor in the NDEs. Lommel also brings forth the statistics of his study and demonstrates that NDEs are found across people with varying beliefs, backgrounds, religions, social status etc. and shows that there is no difference between patients who experienced an NDE and ones who did not.Another important aspect of Lommel's book is his discussion of why no type of brain activity can account for an NDE. He demonstrates that consciousness is dependent on the cerebral cortex, brain stem, and communication between the hippocampus and thalamus and that these are the first parts of the brain to go during a cardiac arrest. Thus, many "skeptic" explanations such as oxygen deficiency, chemical reactions in the brain, and electrical activity in the brain are unwarranted and cannot account for experiences during an NDE.What I take to be the second part of this book, chapters 11 through 16, are quite scientifically advanced and, surprisingly, less concrete. Lommel utilizes current Quantum Theory (e.g, nonlocality, entanglement) to outline and defend a widely-known, but not widely-held, theory which he calls nonlocal consciousness. I will not expand the theory here since I have neither the space nor the nonlocal consciousness to do so (insert laughter here) but I will say that this theory entails that matter is contingent on a sort of other-dimensional omnipresent consciousness. The problem I had with this section is that it went a little over my head. However, what I did understand seemed fascinating and shocking (in a good fashion). Lommel's theory, unfortunately, is too conjectural for now anyway. But he should be commended for his unique theory and only time will tell if it's warranted.All in all, this is a fantastic book. Even if one is not enlightened to all the science in it one will inevitably benefit from the first part on NDEs. I recommend this book to all interested in NDEs or the current debates regarding the genesis and nature of consciousness.