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The world's leading expert on near-death experiences reveals his journey toward rethinking the nature of death, life, and the continuity of consciousness.

Cases of remarkable experiences on the threshold of death have been reported since ancient times, and are described today by 10% of people whose hearts stop. The medical world has generally ignored these “near-death experiences,” dismissing them as “tricks of the brain” or wishful thinking. But after his patients started describing events that he could not just sweep under the rug, Dr. Bruce Greyson began to investigate.

As a physician without a religious belief system, he approached near-death experiences from a scientific perspective. In
After, he shares the transformative lessons he has learned over four decades of research. Our culture has tended to view dying as the end of our consciousness, the end of our existence―a dreaded prospect that for many people evokes fear and anxiety.

But Dr. Greyson shows how scientific revelations about the dying process can support an alternative theory. Dying could be the threshold between one form of consciousness and another, not an ending but a transition. This new perspective on the nature of death can transform the fear of dying that pervades our culture into a healthy view of it as one more milestone in the course of our lives.
After challenges us to open our minds to these experiences and to what they can teach us, and in so doing, expand our understanding of consciousness and of what it means to be human.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“With a well-written and clear narrative delivered in layperson’s terms, this book chronicles Dr. Greyson’s incredible quest to learn all he could about near-death experiences, or NDEs...A must read.”
Library Journal

“Dr. Greyson offers a highly knowledgeable, well-contextualized inquiry. He is not here to convert but to present his findings along with a variety of insights and themes...A bright, passionate journey through murky waters.”
Kirkus

“From a less authoritative source, these stories could seem mawkish or flaky. Told here with calm precision, and with a conversational flair, they are both absorbing and convincing. With so much evidence available for further investigation, the most vexing question now is not whether life continues in some form after we die, but why mainstream science is so resistant to the idea.”
The Daily Mail

"Captivating…a major contribution to the study of what happens when we die, and will quickly prove to be a classic in near-death studies."
Raymond Moody, M.D., Ph.D., bestselling author of Life After Life

"Dr. Greyson’s work has the potential to completely change our fractured and confused world, offering insights that may lead to an explanation of the nature of consciousness."
Eben Alexander, M.D., bestselling author of Proof of Heaven

"Dr. Greyson brings to near-death experiences what the Kinsey report established for human sexuality."
Lisa Miller, Ph.D., professor of Psychology and Education, Columbia University, author of The Spiritual Child

"A medical detective story that will grab your heart…We all owe Dr. Greyson thunderous applause."
P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D., author of Near-Death Experiences

"A major international book of lasting value."
Alexander Batthyány, Ph.D., professor of Philosophy and Psychology, International Academy of Philosophy, Liechtenstein Director of the Viktor Frankl Institute, author of Mind and Its Place in the World

"How can you live NOW without knowing what comes AFTER? You need to read this book."
Carl Becker, Ph.D., D.Psych., professor of Medical Ethics and Policy Science, Kyoto University, author of Breaking the Circle

"Bridges the gap between science and spirituality with elegance."
Anita Moorjani, bestselling author of Dying to Be Me

"Provides hope to the dying and comfort to those left behind."
Mary Neal, M.D., former Director of Spinal Surgery, University of Southern California, bestselling author of To Heaven and Back

"This book will define near-death research. It will change the way we live our lives."
Barbara Bradley Hagerty, M.L.S., NPR Religion Correspondent, author of Fingerprints of God

"Loaded with fresh, exciting, and enormously valuable new understandings."
Jeffrey Long, M.D., bestselling author of Evidence of the Afterlife

"Both inspiring and deeply personal...a book to savor."
Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut, author of Life at Death

"Engaging, appealing, and thoroughly informative…an absolute must-read."
Sam Parnia, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine and Director of Critical Care & Resuscitation Research, New York University Langone Medical Center, author of What Happens When We Die?

"This book will change the consciousness of many readers in a very positive way."
Pim van Lommel, M.D., author of Consciousness Beyond Life

"Dr. Greyson’s masterful intellect and laser-sharp focus on scientific rigor make his research recorded in this book virtually irreplaceable."
Michael B. Sabom, M.D., author of Recollections of Death

"Dr. Greyson takes us on a fabulous tour of near-death experiences in a completely new and engaging way…A must-read for anyone regardless of their religious, spiritual, or scientific background."
Andrew Newberg, M.D., professor of Emergency Medicine and Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, author of The Mystical Mind

"Dr. Greyson is both a scientific and medical expert on NDEs and the nature of the mind, and a practicing healer, a psychiatrist who knows how to help people understand and learn from unusual experiences rather than dismissing them as ‘crazy.’"
Charles Tart, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Psychology, University of California, Davis, author of States of Consciousness

About the Author

Dr. BRUCE GREYSON is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He served on the medical school faculty at the Universities of Michigan, Connecticut, and Virginia. He was a co-founder and President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, and Editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, he has received national awards for his medical research.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Essentials (March 15, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 125026586X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250265869
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches

About the author

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Bruce Greyson
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Bruce Greyson, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, is one of the leading experts on NDEs.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,490 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book interesting, compelling, and well-thought-out. They describe it as a masterwork of research that deftly examines scientific views of what happens in the brain of a person who dies. Readers say the book gives them more peace with this life and encourages renewed mindfulness.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

58 customers mention "Readability"58 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, interesting, and compelling. They say it's well-thought-out and informative. Readers also mention the author will transport them to another level.

"Book reads easily...." Read more

"...After is indeed not highly technical or overburdened with jargon; Greyson is an experienced teacher introducing his subject in a way that novices to..." Read more

"Very good, skeptical scientific examination over decades of study of near-death experience reports." Read more

"...I found the remainder of the book to be very interesting and thought provoking...." Read more

55 customers mention "Thought provoking"50 positive5 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking. They say it's a masterwork of research that deftly examines the scientific views of what happens in the brain of a person who has a near-death experience. Readers also mention the book reads easily, stays scientific and critical enough when reporting experiences. They also say the personal experiences are compelling and the author does an excellent job of analyzing and comparing various scientific views.

"Book reads easily. The author stays scientific and critical enough when he reports experiences and data that do not fit standard explanations that..." Read more

"Very good, skeptical scientific examination over decades of study of near-death experience reports." Read more

"...As such, this is the best kind of “science writing.”..." Read more

"...I am glad I purchased the book. At the very least it was very thought provoking as to what happens next for all of us." Read more

17 customers mention "Peace"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book profound, hopeful, and comforting. They say it encourages renewed mindfulness and inspires hope. Readers also mention the book brings much relief from anxiety about death. They say the author does a great job of leaving room for faith.

"...NDEs reduces the fear of death and at the same time removes the desire for suicide (some NDEs are the result of a suicide attempt)..." Read more

"...A positive view of our existance and possibly a better way to live." Read more

"This book has strengthened my faith in God and Jesus!! It’s one crucial “piece of the puzzle” in our journey through this life to earn Heaven...." Read more

"...Very good advice and I will gift this book to a few people I know. Very comforting." Read more

7 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, exciting, and easy to follow. They say it's careful not to be sensational and doesn't disappoint. Readers also mention the NDEs amaze them and challenge them.

"...It doesn’t disappoint, from its coherent and logical layout to the conclusions he draws...." Read more

"...It is exciting and comforting." Read more

"...methods applied in your research are easy to follow and not off-putting in any way. The language used is easy to understand and thought provoking...." Read more

"...in a life-long career of inquiry into NDEs, After will amaze you, challenge you, and give you solace. As the author of the Case for Heaven,..." Read more

Informative and well written!
5 out of 5 stars
Informative and well written!
Dr. Greyson has done a phenomenal job writing this book. The personal accounts shared of NDE’s are a source of hope for what lies beyond the physical journey. I found his explanation of the difference between the mind and the brain, particularly fascinating and highly educational.My interest in what lies beyond the physical world began following the sudden passing of the man I loved. His death and the grief that followed sent me spiraling into the grips of despair. Comfort was found in reading books written about NDE’s. The subject matter brought peace to my spirit and set me back on the path to life.I have self-published two books on my grief journey, in the hopes of helping others. I am a firm believer that we are far more than these physical bodies we currently inhabit. We truly are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience. Thank you, Dr. Greyson for authoring such an amazing book. Your collection of data and the scientific methods applied in your research are easy to follow and not off-putting in any way. The language used is easy to understand and thought provoking. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject of what happens when we die. This book inspires HOPE, something we desperately need in today’s world.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
Book reads easily. The author stays scientific and critical enough when he reports experiences and data that do not fit standard explanations that it is hard to dismiss the evidence he presents of conscious awareness after death, or in a coma.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021
Credit the progression of the Near-Death Experience (NDE) over the past 50 years from an event that raised eyebrows about the experiencer’s sanity to a phenomenon that merited serious consideration by scientific and medical professionals to the curiosity and persistence of Dr. Bruce Grayson, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, among many other professional credentials.

Dr. Greyson’s interest in near-death experiences began in medical school when he encountered a patient in the emergency room who stunned him with an account of leaving her body while unconscious, an event that challenged his orthodox beliefs about the mind and the brain and thus led him on a lifelong journey to study near-death experiences scientifically. He went on to co-find the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and serve as editor to the Journal of Near-Death Studies for 27 years.
As a writer myself who focuses on reincarnation and the paranormal, I found IANDS ten years ago, have attended several of its events, read widely on the subject, and observed related research by Dr. Gary Schwartz of the University of Arizona. This is not to blow my horn, but to give some standing in reviewing and recommending Dr. Greyson’s recently published (March 2021) memoir/autobiography of his work with NDE’s, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond. To those with considerable experience, direct or indirect, in the subject, Dr. Greyson’s work might, as a top Amazon reviewer put it, appear to be “interesting, not groundbreaking,” qualifying such bluntness by saying: “You will not be disappointed if you approach this book as a biography of Greyson and a late-in-life summation of his work and perspective on the NDE phenomenon. It isn't by any means technical or groundbreaking. It touches all the bases, but not in a deep or challenging way.” A left-handed compliment but the type of innuendo that Dr. Greyson as an academic working in a non-traditional field must be used to, and one I see as more of a positive than perhaps intended. After is indeed not highly technical or overburdened with jargon; Greyson is an experienced teacher introducing his subject in a way that novices to the concept of the NDE, his target audience, can readily absorb. That same reviewer also takes issue with the author holding to middle ground: “Greyson bends over backwards - and beyond - to maintain at least a façade of objectivity between the extremes of insisting NDEs are full-blown experiences of the afterlife and insisting they're products of natural processes.” Again, a left-handed swipe that can be seen as a compliment to Dr. Greyson’s ability to encourage the reader to think independently and synthesize the opposite sides of the argument for himself. He does this so elegantly when he writes: “One of the fruits of that open-minded attitude is an appreciation for things we can’t explain. Studying things that fit our preconceived ideas helps us understand their fine points better. But studying things that don’t fit our preconceived ideas is what often drives breakthroughs in science.”
And I believe he is plenty bold enough in stating what is obvious and incontrovertible about the NDE experience: “Whatever NDEs were, they were changing people’s lives as surely as our psychiatric drugs and psychotherapy. What’s more, they seemed to do this much faster, more profoundly, and more permanently. And beyond that, NDEs changed not only the experiencers’ lives, but often the lives of others who came into contact with them—including me.”

He takes on the tough, perhaps unfathomable, questions, a key one of which in his own words is: “What’s a better way to think about the relationship between the chemical and electrical activity in your brain and the thoughts and feelings in your mind?” He then points out the need to differentiate the mind from the brain, citing NDE phenomenon as evidence to that separation in the human makeup, a conclusion he is then content to leave open-ended: “We may eventually come up with another explanation, but until then, minds and brains as separate things, with brains acting to filter our thoughts and feelings, seems to be the most plausible working model.”

After is Highly recommended for those newly curious about to the subject of NDEs (there are also dozens of books with supportive case studies and alternate analyses) but equally valuable to the already initiated as a summary of the subject from a master and a well-crafted handbook for use in presenting this difficult but critical element of the life process to those who need to know about it. And if NDEs are as frequent and impactful as Dr. Greyson proposes they are, who shouldn’t know as much as can be known about them?
59 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
Very good, skeptical scientific examination over decades of study of near-death experience reports.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2024
I am a more Spiritual person rather than religious. But the scientific research described in this book can speak to both! I’ve never had a near death experience personally but I had a “remembered life” experience at the age of 3-4.

It left me with the drive to Live my current life with more determined experience and knowledge gathering . I was left with the Knowledge that my past life was cut short (8 years old) unexpectedly and I needed to live my current life to make up the lost time.

As I grew older I had doubts about this past life memory but I never lost the Drive to make up for lost opportunities to learn and experience. NDE explains a lot to my 77 year old self. Thank you Dr Greyson for your work!
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2023
Here are my takeaways from this book (some of which are nicely summarized in the last chapter):

1) Near death experiences (NDEs) are actually not uncommon. About 10%-20% of ppl who came close to death report such experiences. It happens to both religious and non-religious ppl.
2) Memories of NDEs are like memories of real events, in contrast to memories of imagined or hallucination events.
a. No correlation to mental illness, neither before or after
3) NDEs often lead to profound and long term changes to the experiencer’s life
4) NDEs reduces the fear of death and at the same time removes the desire for suicide (some NDEs are the result of a suicide attempt)
5) NDEs points to us being something more than just the physical brain. Our current understanding of the human brain does not accommodate for the possibility of the reported NDEs. Instead, it points to some form of continued consciousness after death.
6) Here are some of the common features of NDEs
a. The experiencers goes thru a “life review”, where the person’s entire life is re-played and experienced.
b. The experiencers often report indescribable peace, love, and bliss. They are often disappointed that
they did not die and are brought back to physical existence.
c. Some report out-of-body experiences
d. NDEs result in enhanced sense of meaning & purpose. These changes are long lasting and do not
fade with time
e. Most experiencers report encountering some kind of divine being. Some identify the divine being in
accordance with their particular religion, and some feel that any label is inadequate. (Chapter 14).

I appreciate Dr. Greyson’s approach to this research as a non-religious, data-driven scientist and practicing psychiatrist, which makes his work less vulnerable to biases.
45 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Lincoln Penner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in Canada on July 9, 2024
NDEs are a topic I discovered by accident after hearing an interview on CBC with a man who experienced one and wrote his own book about it. He referenced Dr. Greyson’s After which is how I came to this book.

This is an excellent study of the topic of NDEs. Simply learning about other peoples’ NDEs can have a profound change on your life. With that in mind, read this book and enjoy!
Ama
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading
Reviewed in India on October 6, 2024
Worth reading if you are curious about after life and searching real data to support stories
Filippo Fortunati
5.0 out of 5 stars Bello
Reviewed in Italy on October 10, 2023
Ottimo saggio scientifico sulle NDE.
di grande valore scientifico è anche la sua diretta testimonianza di una percezione extrasensoriale verificata della paziente in coma.
Ronaldo P P Santos
5.0 out of 5 stars Title
Reviewed in Brazil on April 10, 2021
An honest and a great job of Dr. Greyson. It really puts some light in the fantastic trajetory of each human being.
Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars The latest book in the area
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2023
This is the most recent book on the phenomenon of NDEs by a researcher with a database of over a thousand accounts. It’s based on about forty years of work in the area. Dr Greyson is a psychiatrist who was raised a materialist and atheist but whose respect for the truth would not allow him to dismiss accounts that seem to put either or both of those assumptions about the nature of reality in doubt. And the NDEs certainly are a remarkable and challenging phenomenon.

If memory serves, about two thirds of those who’ve experienced an NDE report meeting dead relatives. One might think that there’s an element of expectation and wishful thinking here. But how about those rare accounts where an experiencer reports meeting someone whom he did not know was dead at the time (see the story of the young South African man, the nurse and the red MG)? It’s also interesting that a similarly large proportion of experiencers (including agnostics and atheists) report meeting God—although one American woman reported meeting Buddhist Deity “The Iron Goddess of Mercy” and the Ancient Celtic god depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron who has the body of a man but stag’s antlers sprouting out his head, and what does one do with that?

The book also covers the effect NDEs have had on people’s lives. One mafia enforcer left the mob and began to work with battered wives and handicapped children after his—to the disgust of his girlfriend who wept over his personality change. Suffice to say that what most of us would see as desirable changes of perspective can be achieved through NDEs just like that—immediately—whereas years of psychotherapy can often do nothing for people. It’s a reminder that these are very significant events in more ways than one.

Dr Greyson has several chapters discussing different theories people have had about NDEs and that he has investigated and tested where possible. Most of these boil down to different theoretical ways of trying to put the embarrassing phenomenon back in a materialist box. All the ones he’s looked at fail to do that. These chapters involve interesting discussions and analysis.

There is also an attempt briefly to relate NDEs to other phenomena that seem to point to some of the same challenging conclusions—experiences with psychedelic drugs, meditation and prayer, induced states of ecstasy achieved by various methods used by tribespeople.

The nub of the matter is that all these appear to indicate that mind and body are not the same thing—and not even two different sides of the same thing. Consciousness is not an epiphenomenon of brain-states. The mind, in the normal way of things, it seems, uses the brain—but can also operate without it (or at any rate pretty much so). The rare but reported temporary recovery of lucidity in very late-stage dementia patients is another indication of this.

It turns out that studies have indicated that something like 60% of scientists working in disciplines related to the brain, and more doctors than not, do not see the mind as a “physical” thing.

I think one could say that something like Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory reminds us of the body. That theory, indeed, revolves around the importance of the body—in other words, the brain and central nervous system, the vagus nerve, the lungs and stomach and other organs and appendages. And that is all of critical importance in our everyday lives. But what happens when those systems go offline (or nearly so), as in NDEs? Then, it seems, we can see mind, which appears to be non-physical and non-local, functioning in ways that surprise us and revealing aspects of our world that we’re not normally aware of. Several experiencers have remarked to Greyson that it’s like lightning flashing and lighting up a previously dark scene.

Greyson is a close and careful thinker and researcher and uses language with great precision. I couldn’t really recommend this book enough. Anyone who’s havering over whether it’s worth buying or not might try going to a podcast directory and searching under his name—he’s given quite a number of interviews. Sample some of those, and you’ll probably find you’d like to hear him laying out his findings and his thoughts at greater length in this book.