An important addition to research on distressing NDEs has just been published by former IANDS President, Nancy Evans Bush. Dancing Past the Dark: Distressing Near-Death Experiences is the first comprehensive exploration of disturbing NDEs and how people interpret them. The book has already received several very positive reviews: "Engagingly written", "A must for any experiencer of a near-death state", "The perfect combination of research, personal narrative, and analysis".

The book is packed with solid information and first-person narratives that, although marked by dismaying and even terrifying features, turn out to have something vital to say about life itself. It's now available as an e-book from several vendors. More information here.

Dr. Janice Holden, editor of IANDS' Journal of Near-Death Studies, was recently interviewed by Alex Tsakiris on Skeptiko.com. She commented on a recent paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences by Dean Mobbs and Caroline Watt, "There is nothing paranormal about near-death experiences", which concluded in part, "Research suggests that there is nothing paranormal about these experiences. Instead, near-death experiences are the manifestation of normal brain function gone awry."

Holden responded, "The material that’s out there actually supports a different conclusion. To quote my colleague Bruce Greyson, 'If you ignore everything paranormal about NDEs then it’s easy to conclude that there is nothing paranormal about them.'" ... Listen to the full interview here.

Near-Death Experience Information and Research is a website for NDErs to participate in ongoing research studies and for researchers to advertise their current research. If you are a near-death experiencer (NDEr), consider participating in one or more of these ongoing research studies.

The website was developed and is maintained by Cheryl Fracasso, Ph.D. This website provides a central place for researchers to advertise any NDE research that is currently underway and provides a database of NDErs who wish to participate in future research that can be shared with NDE researchers.

If you believe you have had an NDE and are interested in participating in future research, you can add your information to a participant list to share with NDE researchers. A variety of research studies is currently underway.

NDE researcher Bruce Greyson was recently invited to speak with the Dalai Lama at a dialogue between Western neuroscientists and Buddhist monks, as part of His Holiness's long-term effort to build a bridge between science and Buddhism. Greyson presented the Dalai Lama with a copy of The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences, which summarizes the first thirty years of research on NDEs; it is edited by Janice Holden, Greyson, and Debbie James. The Director of the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, which preserves and publishes modern editions of ancient Tibetan texts, asked for permission to translate the Handbook into Tibetan, so they could use it in the monastic curriculum for their monks.

In a recent YouTube video interview, Steven Greer, MD, known for his role as founder of The Disclosure Project, describes a profound near-death experience (NDE) at age 17 including an out-of-body experience with cosmic consciousness. Dr. Greer shares a fascinating description of non-verbal communication with two light beings during his experience and the discussion of whether he should return to his body.

Later in life, while hiking on a mountain he has a UFO encounter and meets extraterrestrial biological life forms (ETs). He then enters a state of cosmic consciousness similar to that of his NDE and goes on to teach the ETs what it's like to enter this state of consciousness from a human perspective.

YouTube URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scmfPpWwQbA

Alex Tsakiris of Skeptiko.com interviews neurosurgeon Eben Alexander about the nature of the mind and brain based on Dr. Alexander's near-death experience.

Dr. Alexander states, "[Before my NDE] it was very clear in [neuroscience] that the brain gives you consciousness and everything else, and when the brain dies there goes consciousness, soul, mind—it’s all gone. And it was clear.

"Now, having been through my coma, I can tell you that’s exactly wrong and that in fact the mind and consciousness are independent of the brain. It’s very hard to explain that, certainly if you’re limiting yourself to that reductive materialist view." (emphasis added)

Listen to the full interview here.