Consciousness Beyond Life - by Pim Van Lommel (Paperback)

About the Book

In Consciousness Beyond Life, the internationally renowned cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel offers ground-breaking research into whether or not our consciousness survives the death of our body. If you enjoy books about near-death experiences, such as those by Raymond Moody, Jeffrey Long, and James Van Praagh; watch televisions shows like Ghosthunters, Touched by an Angel, and Ghost Whisperer; or are interested in works that explore the intersection of faith and science, such as Spiritual Brain, Signature in the Cell, and When Science Meets Religion; you ll find much to ponder in Consciousness Beyond Life."

Book Synopsis

In Consciousness Beyond Life, the internationally renowned cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel offers ground-breaking research into whether or not our consciousness survives the death of our body. If you enjoy books about near-death experiences, such as those by Raymond Moody, Jeffrey Long, and James Van Praagh; watch televisions shows like Ghosthunters, Touched by an Angel, and Ghost Whisperer; or are interested in works that explore the intersection of faith and science, such as Spiritual Brain, Signature in the Cell, and When Science Meets Religion; you'll find much to ponder in Consciousness Beyond Life.

From the Back Cover

As a cardiologist, Pim van Lommel was struck by the number of his patients who claimed to have near-death experiences as a result of their heart attacks. As a scientist, this was difficult for him to accept: Wouldn't it be scientifically irresponsible of him to ignore the evidence of these stories? Faced with this dilemma, van Lommel decided to design a research study to investigate the phenomenon under the controlled environment of a cluster of hospitals with a medically trained staff.

For more than twenty years van Lommel systematically studied such near-death experiences in a wide variety of hospital patients who survived a cardiac arrest. In 2001, he and his fellow researchers published his study on near-death experiences in the renowned medical journal The Lancet. The article caused an international sensation as it was the first scientifically rigorous study of this phenomenon. Now available for the first time in English, van Lommel offers an in-depth presentation of his results and theories in this book that has already sold over 125,000 copies in Europe.

Van Lommel provides scientific evidence that the near-death phenomenon is an authentic experience that cannot be attributed to imagination, psychosis, or oxygen deprivation. He further reveals that after such a profound experience, most patients' personalities undergo a permanent change. In van Lommel's opinion, the current views on the relationship between the brain and consciousness held by most physicians, philosophers, and psychologists are too narrow for a proper understanding of the phenomenon. In Consciousness Beyond Life, van Lommel shows that our consciousness does not always coincide with brain functions and that, remarkably and significantly, consciousness can even be experienced separate from the body.

Review Quotes

"The conventional view of consciousness is a rickety scaffold, clumsily constructed over the years by skimming off the top -- accepting ideas that confirm age-old biases and ignoring those that do not. In Consciousness Beyond Life, cardiologist Pim van Lommel constructs a model of consciousness that courageously builds on all we know. The resulting view... is as bright and hopeful as the current materialistic view is dark and depressive. And van Lommel's view has the redeeming feature of being consistent with scientific data, which in our era makes all the difference." - Dr. Larry Dossey

"In Consciousness Beyond Life, cardiologist Pim van Lommel constructs a model of consciousness that courageously builds on all we know. The resulting view is... bright and hopeful... and has the redeeming feature of being consistent with scientific data, which in our era makes all the difference." - Dr. Larry Dossey

"Pim van Lommel shows that the symphony of human consciousness... continues and also remains accessible in the nonordinary states of consciousness that in our culture occur most frequently at the portals of death. His evidence is robust and can no longer be ignored either by the science community, or by society at large." - Dr. Ervin Laszlo

"Pim van Lommel shows that the symphony of human consciousness does continue... [even] at the portals of death. His evidence is robust, and can no longer be ignored either by the science community, or by society at large." - Dr. Ervin Laszlo

"Most books on NDEs only touch on some of the ideas that are presented, but the distinctive contribution of this book is that it presents and defends a complete theory of consciousness. It makes an impressive argument for a non-materialistic approach to consciousness and it deserves a great deal of attention. What a brilliant, erudite and magisterial book van Lommel has produced.... A magnificent achievement, clearly a landmark book. " - Dr. Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut

"Most books on NDEs only touch on some of the ideas that are presented, but the distinctive contribution of this book is that it presents and defends a complete theory of consciousness.... What a brilliant, erudite and magisterial book. A magnificent achievement, clearly a landmark book. " - Dr. Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut

"The most significant contribution to the field to appear in many years, containing as it does [van Lommel's] mature philosophical reflections on the implications of the findings of his study on near-death experiences in survivors of cardiac arrest." - David Lorimer, editor of the Network Review

"If van Lommel is right in his analysis, we should begin to consider ourselves as something more than merely physical bodies... because the very core of our personhood has a non-material nature. ...[The book] can perhaps contribute to a better explanation of the brain-consciousness relationship, and, maybe, of what it ultimately means to be a ''self'.'" - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Journal

"Consciousness Beyond Life confronts head-on the apparent enigma of clear thinking, accurate perception, and enhanced memory in people who are clinically dead. Dr. van Lommel examines the evidence for and against various scientific explanations, and shows convincingly that consciousness is not always confined to the brain. This rigorous and provocative book may change our ideas about the mind and how we practice medicine." - Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine

"Consciousness Beyond Life confronts the apparent enigma of clear thinking, accurate perception, and enhanced memory in people who are clinically dead. This rigorous and provocative book may change our ideas about the mind and how we practice medicine." - Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine

"Dr. Pim van Lommel's Consciousness Beyond Life is an exciting, informative, and thorough overview of near-death experiences. As one of the foremost experts in the field, his work moves us closer to rational comprehension of human kind's deepest mystery-- life after death." - Raymond A. Moody MD, PhD, author of Life After Life

"I highly recommend Consciousness Beyond Life. Van Lommel is convinced that NDEs are real experiences, not just some sort of brain malfunction. He... has studied NDEs for more than 20 years and this is an authoritative look, with solid medical background. " - Dr. Charles T. Tart, Ph.D.

"There have been several books published which explore consciousness, the near-death experience, or the brain, but van Lommel's book is the most comprehensive.... Consciousness Beyond Life ... raises awareness of the fact that human beings are something more than physical bodies. There is life after death. This topic is no longer a spiritual discussion only, but has been researched, studied, and verified as scientifically true. Read Consciousness Beyond Life and expand your mind with hope." - Basil & Spice

"There have been several books published which explore consciousness, the near-death experience, or the brain, but van Lommel's book is the most comprehensive.... Human beings are something more than physical bodies. There is life after death. Read Consciousness Beyond Life and expand your mind with hope." - Basil & Spice