Near-Death Experiences

Publisher's Summary

Real-life stories of out-of-body experiences, encountering a special light, greeters from the afterlife, life reviews, tunnels, and 360-degree vision - are all part of this intriguing look at near-death experiences (NDEs) by one of the world's noted authorities, P.M.H. Atwater. Atwater shares her amazing findings, based on her sessions with more than 4,000 adults and children, and over 40 years of research; a breathtaking culmination to a successful and controversial career.

Atwater examines every aspect of the near-death phenomenon: from first-hand accounts of survivors experiencing flash forwards, waking up in morgues, and developing psychic abilities, to stunning cases of groups experiencing NDEs together. Atwater offers statistics from her findings to show the distinctive common patterns that people experience, as well as the common aftereffects and how it changed their lives.

She also explores the physiological and spiritual changes that result from near-death experiences and looks at the connections between the NDE experience and what is often called "enlightenment." Near Death Experiences provides a glimpse of not only what lies beyond the veil of our temporal existence, but points to what - or who - we really are and what we are meant to be.

©2011 P.M.H. Atwater (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Big Picture look at NDE's meaning and humanity

This is a brilliant and perceptive summation of a life's work examining NDE experiences one-by-one and then after decades and thousands of individual cases looking at the whole picture, assessing the information, organizing it, and giving an excellent summary of what it may all mean.

I started reading about NDEs in books written by either the person who had the experience or collections of experiences put in one book. I've read a lot of those books. Along with books along a similar line where people have past life regressions, or the books written by those who have done the hypnosis and found access to between lives experiences and other spirits/entities/people. And, the UFO abductee or observer books, etc etc. Pretty much first-person or interviewer/collector-of-stories books and each story individual and unique, although there are similarities.

Had I come across this book by P.M.H. Atwater first, I would have not appreciated it at all. I would have wanted the exciting stories instead. This book is not going to be for everyone because it examines a life's work and has so much depth, brilliance, even genius, in the appraisal of what all these NDEs mean in the human experience and what humanity is going through.

For some reason, every time I came across the name P.M.H. Atwater, I turned away. I hadn't read a single book, listened to any interview, nor watched a youtube lecture. (I just checked this morning, and there she is, on Youtube, with plenty to choose from . . . ) Why? I don't know other than it wasn't time yet. Had I started with this type of book I would have hated it. I wanted the stories first. But, now, having read so many stories I am at the point of wondering what does it all mean?

And,the second half of this book answers that brilliantly. I need to get the hardcopy of this book. There were a few places that I just need to go back and read again.

The narration was perfect . . . I like clear and simple talking and writing . . . fancy and science-y would have been too much. And there were times where the most *interesting* things were said, just slipped in like it was perfectly ordinary, and I had to go "whaaaat!" and back up the ipod to hear that again . . . . and resolved to buy the hardcopy of this book so I could read that stuff slower and think about it.

If you are a person who wonders about the meaning of life, then I recommend this book. But . . . if you need to read the various stories of people who have had NDEs . . . do that first . . . otherwise you'll have no idea how valuable and precious the ideas shared in the second half of this book are.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Deep and Heart felt

A very deep and interesting spiritual and scientific listen of NDE. Learned a lot. Clinical in explanations at times but the overall picture is sound, uniform and very interesting.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Well done research

The authors extensive experience shows profoundly in this wonderful book. It was so good I had to buy the paper version.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Too much like a text book

I very much enjoy books on NDE and have enjoyed listening to some of the best of them.. This one, however, I didn't find that interesting.. It's written like a text book, half the time I realized my mind had wandered elsewhere because so much of it was just so very uninteresting.. There are interesting parts here and there, but I'd much rather listen to accounts of NDE as told by the person, not having someone tell a very short Readers Digest account of someone else's experience, then dissect it in her own opinion... Just wasn't that interesting..

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The headline of the book sounds good but

What disappointed you about Near-Death Experiences?

There is no story like I expected. It was like listening to a text book without a story line. Very disappointing.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

2 Books

I loved the first half. It was amazingly enlightening. The second half was very odd and far fetched.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

One of the best books written on the NDE experience I've ever read. This book will be a classic.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Some good information but a lot of author theories

Would you try another book from P. M. H. Atwater and/or Tantor Studios?

Probably not.

What was most disappointing about P. M. H. Atwater’s story?

70% of the book is theories about the reason for NDEs by the author with words saying why she believes this but there really is little backing for it. If she gathered the information interviewing NDE'rs she shares little of that to back this 70%. She also basically says everything is true. She talks about the creator and evolution one sentence after another and other opposites. Sorry not everything can be true. Be very careful with this book. I would only believe the NDE stories and the thoughts directly derived from them. There is also a great deal of leaning towards psychics. Maybe it is my bias but I see a difference between NDEs and what psychics do.

Which scene was your favorite?

No scenes in this book but the actual NDE reported stories are the best part of the book. But be ready to listen to lots of theories that are unsubstantiated in between.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Near-Death Experiences?

All the theorizing and word lists that I still don't understand.

Any additional comments?

There are many much better books about NDE's out there. Be very careful with this one as not all of this book is fact. Much of it is supposition and some is out right contradictory. The parts of this book I believe to be true are much better presented in other NDE books like Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Magnificiant work

Want more. Could not stop listening. Hearing the experiences soothed my present life turmoil. Wishing I could meet this woman.

thorough and well documented

I had a couple of NDEs 40 years ago. until this book, I had never associated the NDEs with the profound changes in personality, spirituality, intuition, and creative gifts I experienced. it was enlightening!