Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences

This book's focus is just what is indicated on the cover: scientific evidence of the afterlife. Before going further, let's look at what "scientific" means here. We are not talking quantum physics or any new age stuff that is so prevalent now (there are many physicists who cringe at the idea of quantum mechanics being used as "proof" of the spiritual world). This is not a lab with flasks and Bunsen burners. This is done in behavioral science methodology, specifically, survey research and quantitative analysis. Before you yawn, don't worry, it does not get bogged down in jargon, but it does have somewhat of a relaxed scholarly tone, basically somewhere between conversational and textbook. Now that we have that out of the way, let's take a look at the meat and drink. There are 9 main points of evidence presented by the author. This is the largest scientific study of NDEs (near death experiences) to date. The techniques used for analysis are legitimate and used in the behavioral sciences regularly. What this does is provide techniques to give confirmation that the reported NDEs are actually legitimate, and not some fabrication. The evidence provided by NDE survivors is compounded with medical evidence and presented in a very clear and concise way (the book isn't all that long, comparatively speaking). Adding backup is medical research that verifies the physical state of the NDE survivors (they were either clinically dead or basically there), which is used to counter a lot of the skeptical arguments. So how does the author address skepticism? Very well. Sometimes, it may seem as though Dr. Long is a bit defensive, but I see it more as he is being preemptive. That is what scholars do, they do their best to cover counter-arguments to their research. What this does for Evidence of the Afterlife is round it out to be a very solid piece. Just as the author does, I find it reasonable to conclude the existence of life after bodily death, and the very distinct possibility that this earthly life is only a small part of our existence. What you will not see in this book is preaching of any particular religion. Quite the opposite in fact. I found reading this to be a spiritual experience but not a religious one. One of the points in the book is that young children, adults, etc have consistent content in their NDEs but this content is also consistent across religions and ethnic backgrounds. In other words, they are religiously neutral. Food for thought. Though I do see this as strong evidence of life after death, I will give this caveat: a firm believer in nothing (which is a belief in something) probably will not be convinced. The reason for this is, like any other belief system, it is difficult, if not impossible for others to convince someone to change them. The same is for someone who is deeply religious. The religiously neutral presentation could be interpreted by some as the "work of the devil". If you are not open to such presentations that may fly in the face of your beliefs, I encourage you to pass this one by. It will just make you mad. For those who are open or exploring their own spirituality, or are just questioning and looking for answers, this is a definite must-buy.

The NDE stories are what truly fascinated me. There was quite a lot of scientific information and knowledge presented in the book. While I think it validated the proof of an after life it did slow things down at times. Overall the book was an excellent read.

There has been much evidence throughout the ages of the existence of God and His plan for us all. The ultimate reality of restoration to Him is voiced in Dr. Long's book, Evidence of the Afterlife. His exquisite, inspired work is yet additional evidence that adherence to a consciousness of His existence and plan is being revealed. Yes, our ways of understanding are so perverted by our limited consciousness and understanding that He needs to lift up various emissaries to testify of Him. Dr. Long presents a coherent model, grounded in the testimony of persons that have peered through the veil of illusion that most live in. It is the best evidence we have thus far, and a pivotal springboard for further development of evidence. Much evidence can be found in the transformation of lives. My own life has been guided by my NDE in 1976; I was 21 years old with a 4 year old son. I had been raised by an embittered, impoverished, lonely woman in the hot, harsh reality of a dingy apartment in LA. My former consciousness was replaced by an entirely new way of perceiving that I formerly had no clue to. I had learned that fear was the obstacle to overcome and love the vehicle. Immediately, I chose to make profound changes in my life, left a consciousness bound to the wheel of poverty and fear and, within weeks found rest and restoration in a life high in the mountains of northern Idaho. Before, I was likely bound by fear to repeat the cruel cycle of my childhood, and then I devoted myself to making sense of the experience within the context of this world, by faith. Eventually, I engaged in academic and spiritual training at a Christian university, and became a nurse engaged in ICU and hospice work. There I found the need for psychiatric and spiritual support for these dear ones, and trained as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and began practice. At the same time, I completed PhD training as a nurse research scientist studying people who were experiencing life-threatening events. For the last many years I have been privileged to in provide psychotherapy and spiritual support by the sea in the NW. Mine is not a perfect life; there are dark nights of the soul, but, if I choose (God's precious gift to us all), I am illumined with the same bright light of love and security that I experienced there. I long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, yet am perpetuated this life by sharing His glory. Very rarely have I revealed my experience to anyone except in the context of assuring others with death anxiety or for spiritual healing. Dr. Long's exceptionally inspired research and book has been an answer to prayer for me. It establishes a body of scientific evidence and interest in this larger reality of, not only what is in store for us, but also available now to those who have a consciousness now of what is. His work points the Way that He would have us be now and provides assurance He intends for us all to have of the existence of Him. This life is not out there, it is available here and now. We must look to the evidence of faith revealed in the lives that have returned from this experience to learn more. Through the testimony of their experience and then the evidence of the effect of that experience in their lives we will come to know more about God's plan for us all. I would like to participate in creating a coherent model of how and why life choices are made enlightened by the reality of the NDE experience. The veil of illusion no longer exists for those that have "seen" the other side. One can no longer merely exist in a world without consciousness. The soul takes no pleasure in shrinking back, but is inspired to move forward imbued with the Will of God. We must pay greater attention to what we have heard from these with NDEs to learn about the transformation and manifestation by God here and now. The voices in Dr. Long's study can help point the Way to the larger reality God would have us live in. Yes, our instruments are inadequate to measure and quantify this reality. The reality will be revealed in the manner of life chosen. We must, moment by moment, choose to align our very beings with His and perpetuate the unfolding of His plan by incorporating this larger reality into this mostly mundane, unconscious world. There is a responsibility to live, love, teach, and heal those who are willing. I humbly, and with utmost gratitude, thank Dr. Long for persevering in his inspired research to provide this firm foundation, and to actuate within the scientific community the need to understand the implications for further research.

I've believed in heaven and hell for as long as I remember being alive. I was shown movies that convinced me that hell was not someplace I wanted to spend my time. Heaven on the other hand seemed magical and even today I am enthralled by descriptions of heavenly places. Now to be fair I must tell you that the author focuses only on pleasant experiences where people end up in heavenly realms. This makes this book a comforting place to relax and dream and come to terms with heaven. Since near-death experiences have become a worldwide phenomenon there are quite a few excellent books on the subject. I read as many as I can but must say that this book might be a great place to start. It also has some information about souls having 360-degree sight which I hadn't read about in any of the other books I've found over the years. There is also an entire chapter dedicated to life reviews. I guess I want to know how much of a life is actually shown. Some say loving moments and unloving moments are shown and you are left to judge your own life perhaps with the help of a spiritual guide or angel. One of the sections in this book describes why it is difficult to have a conscious experience when clinically dead because blood stops flowing to the brain. And yet people experience an even more lucid state once the soul leaves the body. Some of the descriptions of heaven were familiar to me from reading other books but there were some magical places like a tower that was a library that I'd love to see. For the most part, this book is very convincing and has many logical arguments. To be honest reading this book might make you excited to die. A few of the people in this book would have rather remained in heaven because coming back to earth was too painful. Yet these brave souls chose to come back to earth to finish out their life. I think you will find this book very exciting and it is a quick read on the Kindle. After reading this book I'd only recommend that you read a few books on negative near-death experiences and possibly do some research on the words of Jesus Christ. ~The Rebecca Review

EVIDENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE is a break-through book in the area of afterlife research in general and near-death studies in particular. Not only is Jeffrey Long a careful scholar, but he and Jody Long have amassed the largest collection of near-death experiences (NDEs) ever. Their collection also includes the largest group of non-English-speaking NDEs ever. When it comes to research, there is no substitute for data! My own near-death book, VISIONS OF GOD FROM THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, is fairly typical with 75 of my own cases plus accounts from other sources. Near-death books generally range from one case study to a little over 100 cases, but Dr. Long's book is based on over 1,300 cases from the [...] website. His book especially focuses on 613 NDErs who completed the most current edition of the Near-Death Research Foundation survey, in addition to giving their personal account of their near-death experience. Dr. Long's scale included questions to detect fraudulent accounts, but over the past 10 years, he reported less than 10 false accounts. Based on his research, Dr. Long concludes, "NDEs provide such powerful scientific evidence that it is reasonable to accept the existence of an afterlife." He goes on to offer nine "proofs" of afterlife, including 1) Lucid Death (NDErs report increased alertness and consciousness), 2) Out-of-Body Experiences (NDErs provide evidence from verifiable experiences), 3) Blind Sight (NDErs blind from birth report a form of "vision" during their NDEs), 4) Impossibly Conscious (NDErs report experiences while under anesthesia), 5) Perfect Play-back (NDErs report life reviews that include experiencing the feelings of others), 6) Family Reunion (NDErs report seeing dead relatives, including people unknown to them who were identified to them later by viewing family photographs), 7) From the Mouths of Babes (NDErs who are children have every NDE element of older NDErs, and this is true whether the account is told during childhood or from an adult who had the experience in childhood), 8) Worldwide Consistency (NDErs who are non-English-speakers from Dr. Long's database form the largest collection of cross-cultural NDEs and provide evidence that NDEs are the same all over the world), and 9) Changed Lives (NDErs report that their lives are changed as a result of their NDE, and the majority report a change for the better). Dr. Long concludes that the evidence convinces him that afterlife exists. I think the general population will agree with him, but my personal opinion is that most skeptics will require proof from physics on how God communicates with us, how consciousness survives death, and where the dimension of reality that is afterlife is located. Nevertheless, the evidence for afterlife is much stronger because of Dr. Long's massive amount of data and his analysis of it. This book is a "must-read" for all who are interested in the scientific study of afterlife.

Review of the book, Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences, by Jeffrey Long, MD with Paul Perry. I first became aware of this book when I read on the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) web site that it had shot to the top of the list of best selling books. As I collect every book I can that deals with the Near Death experience--I have over 375--I bought it. When I received the book I immediately saw why it had become a best seller. Both on the dust jacket and in the book it claims to have scientific proof of life after death. No wonder this book became a best seller; everyone wants to believe there is "proof" of life after death. But saying it does not make it so. The contents of this book are based on accounts shared by numerous individuals who claim to have had an NDE or something related to it. They first described their experience and then filled out a questionnaire that is attached to their account. The author, using a technique called the Chi Square statistic, then evaluated the data supplied. On page 4 he states that "mathematical calculation(s) are 99 percent convincing that the afterlife exists." On page 3 he notes: "I am a man of science, and as a result I have examined the data from the NDERF study in a scientific way. At NDERF we explored all of the elements in the NDEs of more than one thousand people, examining consistency among the accounts. In reaching conclusions about these accounts, we followed a basic scientific principle: What is real is consistently seen among many different observations." What I find troubling is Dr. Long's apparent misuse of the term science. I have taught and done scientific research for the 30 years I was a professor of medical sociology. Scientific research is based on specific methods and assumptions. The objective of scientific research is an understanding of a specific subject. It is based on careful observations, precise measurements, and rigorous evaluations. Every step is clearly outlined and recorded so that the researcher and others can check what is done so as to identify mistakes, if any occurred, correct them and verify the conclusions drawn. Thus, step by step, the researcher and others can explore and explain the phenomenon under investigation. But the phenomenon must be observable, measurable, and verifiable. The Near Death Experience has none of these properties. Therefore all attempts to date have failed to verify accounts of individuals claiming to have experienced an NDE. What various researchers besides Dr. Long have done is to collect vast numbers of cases and look at them for commonalities. These commonalities are argued to be the evidence that proves that NDEs are real. But NDEs, by definition, deal with the non-material, i.e. something that cannot be measured empirically or replicated, and hence verified. As I stated previously, the NDE is not amenable to science or its methods. There is no record that can be viewed independently or evaluated. Instead what we have are anecdotes where people report what happened to them but that cannot be empirically checked. I have studied thousands of NDEs and am totally convinced that they cannot be studied scientifically. Science studies empirical phenomena and the NDE is not empirical. I am not saying that the NDE is not real, only that it is not a viable area for scientific research. Dr. Long, on page 45 states: "In my work as a radiation oncologist, my life is built around science. It couldn't be any other way. I deliver precision doses of radiation to kill cancerous tumors. There are few other forms of medical science that require such precision. I love what I do and have carried this love of science to other parts of my life. The data and conclusions you read here are based on the scientific principles I adhere to." But there is no way that the precision he uses as an oncologist can be replicated in the study of NDEs. Dr. Long can control the doses he gives his patients and can measure the outcomes on various cancers. But he has no control whatever on what happens during an NDE. First of all he uses cases that are voluntary submitted to his website. He has no way of verifying their content. Because they contain similar content is, to him, proof. However being in a scientific field and doing science are not the same. Some very large studies have proven to be faulty when reevaluated by other scientists because they violated one or more aspects of the scientific method. So studies/reports cranked out by a scientist are not necessarily scientific. On page 45 the author states: "By reviewing the findings of the NDERF study, I have derived nine lines of reasoning that--to my mind--prove the existence of life after death." He then spends from page 53 to page 187 listing and describing his "proofs." Briefly stated these nine proofs are: 1. Lucid Death - where individuals who are unconscious or clinically dead report having experiences where they see, hear, and encounter non-material realms 2, Out of Body - where individuals report that their consciousness separated from their physical body and visited non-earthly environs 3. Blind Sight - where individuals who were born totally blind are able to see and describe what they saw during their experience 4. Impossible Conscious - where people under anesthesia heard and saw what was happening to them while on the operating table 5. Perfect Play Back- where individuals undergo a life review where they see and experience the feelings that their actions caused others both good and bad 6. Family Reunion - where the person meets family members that predeceased him including some known in this life and some that died long before 7. From the Mouths of Babes - where very young children have the same experiences as adults 8. Worldwide Consistency - where people from all around the world and from radically different cultures are shown to have remarkably similar experiences 9. Changed Lives - Where those who have had in-depth NDE experiences return to life changed in very significant ways While I do not believe that it is possible to prove scientifically the NDE, I personally accept that it exists and that the life forces of people survive the death of the physical body. Part of this is personal belief that comes from information similar to that listed by Dr. Long under the nine items comprising the bulk of his book since I have looked into and read much on the subject. Plus I have personally interviewed many people who have had NDEs. But mostly it comes because of accounts of close friends and relatives These include my mother, adopted daughter, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and friends who have shared with me their near death experiences. I absolutely do not believe that they are making up these experiences or that they are delusional in any way. I have not personally had an NDE but I do not believe that it is necessary to have one to know that the reports of many thousands of people recorded in books, journals, diaries, letters and my personal interviews are true, that life does persist beyond the death of the physical body. In summary, the subtitle of Long's book is inaccurate and misleading. While his book is interesting, informative and suggestive, there is no scientific evidence in his book. Furthermore, having taught statistics and statistical methods, I can state unequivocally that his statistical analysis is not only inadequate but wrong. Harold Widdison Medical Sociologist, Retired

I apologize in advance for not being very good at giving reviews. I've been reading the experiences of NDErs on websites like Jeffrey Long's for years now. NDE's fascinated me from a pretty young age (I believe I started looking into them at age 14-15). Over the years I became more and more agnostic in my beliefs - I wanted to believe, but I had my doubts. This book reminded me of why I believed in my younger years. The stories you find on www.nderf.org and in this book are fascinating to say the least. And reading it helped me feel better about the end of life. NDE stories have that affect on me - I view them as a positive sign that we will all receive a positive end to our physical lives. Either they prove the afterlife as a very real and wonderfully beautiful place, or it proves that our brains give us a beautiful way to end our existence. Obviously Jeffrey Long believes the former. I'm still a bit agnostic myself, but lean towards the former as well. Either scenario gives me some hope - which is the beauty of NDE stories, in my opinion. As for the book: I do like that Dr. Long addressed common skeptical responses. I wish that he addressed more, or maybe even had a chapter dedicated to responses to skeptics. I found his 9 points to be rather compelling. Especially the fact that people have had verified OBE, and that those born blind have a concept of "seeing" in their NDE's - something they cannot do in dreams. But I do wish he had more of a sample size for certain points: like the chapters about children and non-western NDE's. Dr. Long could only deal with what information he had, but I still did raise a few eyebrows on some of the conclusions he jumped to given such a small sample size, especially for the children and Non-Western NDE chapters. I do wonder if a larger amount of stories to include in the study could have altered any corresponding similarities or add to statistically significant differences between groups (i.e.: Comparing adult NDEs to child NDEs) Otherwise I think this is a must read for anyone who is interested in NDE stories and research. I'm definitely glad I gave this book a chance. It renewed my interest in NDE stories.

This is my first experience with reading a book on near death experiences and the science behind it. I've read books before on personal accounts of the afterlife but these books mainly came from a New Age/Metaphysical perspective. Never before had I read anything coming from a scientific view. Dr. Long, a radiation oncologist, over the period of ten or more years had complied and studied hundreds of personal accounts of near-death-experiences and found some consistent similarities over the stories, regardless of nationality, religion, race, culture, and other demographics. I tend to be skeptical of a lot of different things, but Dr. Long, with his medical background lends credibility to this work. And the results of the research provide some convincing arguments. Dr. Long asserts that there are 9 arguments that prove the existence of life after death. These arguments have been generated through the study of consistencies from the hundreds of NDE accounts that he's complied over the years. Some of these arguments include how: it can't be medically explained how people experience consciousness when they are clinically dead; blind people experiencing visual perceptions during their NDE (even though, blind people do not dream in visuals); children giving NDE details similar to adults, though they may have never been exposed to this concept; the "life review" experience tend to reflect real events. These arguments, along with the others, are the primary basis for Long's proof assertion. Throughout the book, Long discusses each of these arguments, cites previous research from other scientists on this phenomenon that either compliments or refutes his claims, and justifies his arguments (including discussing some of the various scientific research methods). For me, the most convincing argument was from the visually impaired (blind) accounts, who for the most part had visually perceptive type of experiences. Stories from people who had never had an experience with sight, no perception of sight whatsoever and could account for some of the visuals that they perceived were remarkable. Another strong argument was how it could not be medically explained that people who were clinically dead, could have such a lucid consciousness, a consciousness which were described as more vivid than our normal day-to-day consciousness. Arguments against NDE have been that at death or near death, our subconscious mind takes over to put us into a dream-like state. But nonetheless, Long's argument here was very compelling. I considered all of the arguments to be definitely food-for-thought. Most importantly, throughout the 9 arguments, Long discusses some of the personal stories of people who experienced the NDE phenomenon. To read these accounts was enlightening and inspirational. Whether individuals perceived themselves to be a "moral" or "immoral" person, the accounts mostly expressed peace, overwhelming love, and joy. Many expressed how these events changed their lives, in particular those who experienced scenes of their life unfold in front of them. These experiences seemed to give people a purpose. This book was definitely an interesting and convincing read. I like how Dr. Long outlined the science behind his studies but also intertwined personal narratives from many of those who experienced these life-changing events. Like Long discusses, NDE happen to people of various backgrounds, belief systems, cultures and the like. What we can all gain from this book is a sense of purpose and appreciation for life--both for the life we are living and the life beyond. I highly recommend this book.

There is some repetition in the text, but it contains life changing data from people who have died and come back - gives you a glimpse of how the Universe works! NDE stories have turned me from agnostic to a believer of God. And reinforced the information that most religions are just good businesses and full of baloney.

Buen respaldo para la evidencia de sobre-vida. Bien estructurado aunque a veces repetitivo. Me gustó más el de Van Lommell, pero este ayuda a ir un paso más allá-

The authors explain very well the 9 lines of evidence that prove that NDEs are real, with refutations for skeptics. They included a lot of research that has been made in the past and great NDEs stories for each topic! I really liked these phrases: “There is no earthly experience that consistently reproduces any part of the near-death experience.” “When NDErs share their remarkable experiences, I believe a piece of the afterlife, in some mysterious way, becomes available to us all.”

If you are only going to read one book that deals with near death experiences, this is the one to read. Having read numerous publications on this topic, while all of them were good in their own right, this one gives the best summarial statements and proofs of the existence of NDEs. Having had an NDE myself less than a year ago, I can personally verify that what the author writes about is absolutely true. This is a state of heightened awareness, is a completely surreal experience, it does change your life's outlook, your fear of death is lessened considerably and that there is a lack of words to describe the event itself. But this author takes this process even one step further. Having created a website the allows persons to detail their personal NDEs, Jeffery Long MD is able to take the data from these surveys and conclude, from his studies, that there is life after death and that NDEs are merely one manner of showing that. He bases his conclusion on nine different parameters each of which would lead to the conclusion of a likelihood of the survival of consciousness after death. By adding the conclusions of all nine parameters together, however, the author feels that he is compelled to conclude that life after physical death is inevitable. While none of us can know this with 100% certainty until it occurs to us (myself included), it is encouraging to have this conclusion be reached by a man of science, where facts drive conclusions, and not merely by a religious figurehead who 'feels through faith' that this will occur.

This book has brought me great comfort and excitement. I grew up in 1950s and 60s England, with a poor and fragmented religious education. By my early 20s whenever I had to fill in a form and it asked for my religion, I put Church of England, not knowing if I believed in religion or not. At the age of 28 after reading Desmond Morris's book, 'Man Watching' I felt enlightened by the science of his work, and I became a convinced atheist. However having had some personal experiences, mainly in vivid dreams, I began to question what was out there. My father was a WW2 soldier and although he never communicated much of what happened during his 5 years of active service, when I asked him if he thought there was a God, he would always reply emphatically that there was. He was not a religious man, I only ever remember going to church with him a couple of times. I know he lost many close friends during his duty and suffered from post traumatic stress for the rest of his life, although he hid it very well from us children. Then I happened to see the TV series, I Survived Beyond and Back. I chose to believe those people's stories as I just felt they were honest. This changed my outlook on the concept of a God, and an after-life and all that may go with it. So now I'm a believer in God, although I shun all religions as inventions of earthly man. My religion is simply a collection of the things I've come across during my life, which I feel I can believe in. This book is as close as anyone can get to proper scientific research on this subject, and I choose, out of logic and my own sense of spiritualism to believe the accounts of the NDErs. I have a friend suffering from cancer who is close to passing on as I write this. I'd discussed with him the concept of an after-life, and he told me a few days ago that on three occasions whilst in the hospice he's seen a beautiful angel with golden hair, wearing a dress covered in butterflies, beckoning him. I choose to believe him, as I choose to believe the accounts in this book. It makes me happier, I have lost the fear of death, not just for myself but for those members of my family. All in all this book has benefited my life and I thank the author for that.