After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 13:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bruce Greyson
- ISBN：178763275X
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Summary
The world's leading expert on near-death experiences reveals his extraordinary exploration of these events and what they tell us about consciousness after death。
What happens when we die？ 10% of people whose hearts stop report near-death experiences （NDEs）。 Stories of lights， tunnels and loved ones have been relayed - and dismissed - since ancient times。 But when Dr Bruce Greyson's patients started describing events that he could not just dismiss， he began to investigate。
As a physician without a religious belief system， he approached NDEs 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 reconsider these experiences and what they can teach us about the relationship between our brain and our mind， expanding our understanding of consciousness， and of what it means to be human。
What happens when we die？ 10% of people whose hearts stop report near-death experiences （NDEs）。 Stories of lights， tunnels and loved ones have been relayed - and dismissed - since ancient times。 But when Dr Bruce Greyson's patients started describing events that he could not just dismiss， he began to investigate。
As a physician without a religious belief system， he approached NDEs 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 reconsider these experiences and what they can teach us about the relationship between our brain and our mind， expanding our understanding of consciousness， and of what it means to be human。
Reviews
Robert Luebke
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I have read several books on NDE's and all of them have been enlightening。 Dr。 Bruce Greyson， M。D。 is a psychiatrist who over 40 years of researching NDE's and using scientific investigation， presents his findings in this book。 One of Dr。 Greyson's main reason for publishing his findings is not only to make the public aware that "Near Death Experiences" are real， but to educate the medical community， so that those who have NDE's will be accepted as telling the truth about their experience and no I have read several books on NDE's and all of them have been enlightening。 Dr。 Bruce Greyson， M。D。 is a psychiatrist who over 40 years of researching NDE's and using scientific investigation， presents his findings in this book。 One of Dr。 Greyson's main reason for publishing his findings is not only to make the public aware that "Near Death Experiences" are real， but to educate the medical community， so that those who have NDE's will be accepted as telling the truth about their experience and not told they are hallucinating or crazy， which has happened frequently in the past。 。。。more
Johan Pretorius
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A must read！A well presented and reasoned treatment of NDE’s for believers and sceptics alike。 The book answered some key questions for me 。。。
Jeanne
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After is food for thought about life in the present and beyond the physical body。I highly recommend this book， not only for those who have experienced NDE's， but for anyone who has lost a loved one， pondered the meaning of life or just wonder about the afterlife。 After is food for thought about life in the present and beyond the physical body。I highly recommend this book， not only for those who have experienced NDE's， but for anyone who has lost a loved one， pondered the meaning of life or just wonder about the afterlife。 。。。more
Pat Carswell
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Interesting。 Plenty of anecdotal reports of NDEs。 I had one of my own when I almost drowned in a tropical undertow。 Yes， I saw the light so this book gave me more proof to believe the phenomenon is real。 Still， this concept of a painless death and/or an afterlife fills me with the same feeling I have about infinity in the universe。 It spooks me！ If only the book could have settled things down for me。
Brigitte Vansant
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I loved this bookThis book was so insightful on the subject of NDE。 The author wrote clearly and respectful on the subject。 Lots of examples of people who have had a near death experience。 His conclusions at the end were very thought out and made sense。 He is a medical doctor。
Judy Vasseur
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“The idea that consciousness is a phenomenon of the brain， the way digestion is a phenomenon of the stomach—is as fantastic as the idea of a self-playing orchestra。” —Bruce Greyson， M。D。“Is it possible that what experiencers call the “spiritual world” is not in fact a different physical location but rather a different aspect of our familiar world that we normally don’t see？”—Bruce Greyson， M。D。Initially I wished the entire book contained only anecdotes but there is value of putting them all in c “The idea that consciousness is a phenomenon of the brain， the way digestion is a phenomenon of the stomach—is as fantastic as the idea of a self-playing orchestra。” —Bruce Greyson， M。D。“Is it possible that what experiencers call the “spiritual world” is not in fact a different physical location but rather a different aspect of our familiar world that we normally don’t see？”—Bruce Greyson， M。D。Initially I wished the entire book contained only anecdotes but there is value of putting them all in context。 As a scientist this author makes important observations about the nature of these experiences as he discounts mental illness and studies them across the globe using percentages。 At times the author reads like a Dr。 Spock from StarTrek trying to understand and explain faith。。。and the struggle seems somewhat humorous。 For those with the gift of faith， this sort of study is not necessary but a welcome ray of sunshine and burst of consolation。 。。。more
Sarah Smith
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I really love your story， it deserves a lot of audience。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Richard Haddock
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Very interesting and validated a lot of my beliefs with scientific study。
Elisamatt
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Scientific and ReassuringI met Dr。 Greyson at a conference about 1。5 years ago when this book had not yet been published。 At the time， I was familiar w/ Ian Stevenson’s and Jim Tucker’s work on reincarnation—which I discovered by accident—but didn’t know much about NDEs。 I had barely heard about them。 I had not read Dr。 Greyson’s work prior and looked forward to reading this book。 It doesn’t disappoint， from its coherent and logical layout to the conclusions he draws。 He does not write as a “tru Scientific and ReassuringI met Dr。 Greyson at a conference about 1。5 years ago when this book had not yet been published。 At the time， I was familiar w/ Ian Stevenson’s and Jim Tucker’s work on reincarnation—which I discovered by accident—but didn’t know much about NDEs。 I had barely heard about them。 I had not read Dr。 Greyson’s work prior and looked forward to reading this book。 It doesn’t disappoint， from its coherent and logical layout to the conclusions he draws。 He does not write as a “true believer”， but as one who， having studied the evidence， is almost reluctantly drawn into his observations that there might be more to life than what we now know。 One possibility， for instance， is that we may be connected to something larger than ourselves。 As such， this is the best kind of “science writing。” When I discovered the initial JAMA article on Stevenson’s work years ago， I personally wasn’t in a good place， w/ two seriously ill children and a flagging career。 In further exploring the topic， some hope did arise that there might be more than misery ahead for us。 This book affirmed those thoughts—life might be more than a chancy jungle where the lucky and smart survive while the others （us） don’t。 So， the book has achieved at least that one goal of its author， （for me） as well as the other goals he mentions。 Some critics have dismissed this book as a review of known research （known to who？ I might ask）。 I’m less familiar w/ NDE research， so perhaps the critics are correct。 Big deal。 It’s the coherency of the presentation of even supposedly known fact in this book that makes it helpful。 Also， this book is not written for a scientific audience so assumptions about a purported reader’s prior knowledge of the topic cannot be made。 That criticism and others I saw as the usual cat fighting among academics that is often based in envy。 I was an academic， and I know more than I care to about this nasty behavior。It’s a good book。 Read it if you are interested。 And thank you， Dr。 Greyson， for writing it。 Sheila Wall， MD， MFA， CAc 。。。more
Kelly
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I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher， St Martin’s Press and NetGalley。 My review is voluntary and unbiased。After explores the stories of patients who experienced near-death experiences。 Although raised by a practical chemist， the author was drawn to study experimental psychology at Cornell。 He was initially interested in animal intelligence which eventually led him to medical school。 Always maintaining his belief of methodological and statistical research， he w I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher， St Martin’s Press and NetGalley。 My review is voluntary and unbiased。After explores the stories of patients who experienced near-death experiences。 Although raised by a practical chemist， the author was drawn to study experimental psychology at Cornell。 He was initially interested in animal intelligence which eventually led him to medical school。 Always maintaining his belief of methodological and statistical research， he was fascinated with what seemed to be a common universal theme of life and death。 In 1976， he was teaching at University of VA where he met Raymond Moody， who was a student after teaching philosophy。 Dr Greyson was intrigued by his book， Life After Life， in which he describes his life after a near death experience。 Dr Greyson began his own research and experimentation after several odd encounters with patients describing similar events。 He was eventually convinced that these stories had some theoretical basis。 He took history and science into consideration when formulating his own theories which he shared with others when he formed the International Association for Near Death Studies。 What I found interesting was the account in 1892 of Swiss geologist professor Albert von St Gallen Heim。 He had been mountain climbing when his brain became deprived of oxygen due to the altitude。 He reports a NDE where his thinking was rapid yet clear as if a slowing of time occurred。 Psychologist Joe Green wondered if Heim’s experience played a role in Einstein’s theory of relativity。 Heim wrote， “Time became greatly expanded” so time so that he was able to think through his situation as if time slowed down。 Einstein’s theory of relativity sites that time slows down the faster you travel。The stories from patients range from mildly eventful to extremely spiritual in nature。 Some report having “died” and actually seeing their body as well as other family who has passed away。 Others report a less extreme experience which almost seemed like a “dream”。 。。。more
Elizabeth Love
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Bruce Greyson didn't win me over with After。 This collection of near-death experiences （NDEs） has many interesting cases in it， but the presentation of those cases is lacking。 Since it reads like a text book， it's boring。 Still， there are poignant facts worth taking notice of if you can manage to slog through the pages。Do you remember that ending of the Lord of the Rings movies where it felt like it was ending， but then it didn't and fooled viewers three or four times？ Reading After is like that Bruce Greyson didn't win me over with After。 This collection of near-death experiences （NDEs） has many interesting cases in it， but the presentation of those cases is lacking。 Since it reads like a text book， it's boring。 Still， there are poignant facts worth taking notice of if you can manage to slog through the pages。Do you remember that ending of the Lord of the Rings movies where it felt like it was ending， but then it didn't and fooled viewers three or four times？ Reading After is like that。 Even in Greyson's final chapter where he's specifically summarizing each lesson learned， there were too many false wrap-ups with "and that brings us to the next lesson，" type of structure。 There were at least seven lessons spelled out in the conclusion。If the subject of what happens after we die appeals to you， there are certainly plenty of books on it。 Due to the various ways in which people face death， take note that suicide is addressed sporadically。 Greyson calls them "suicide attempters" which in 2021 when language has evolved to be more inclusive and sensitive， these subjects should be referred to as "suicide survivors" at the very least。 The main conclusion of addressing suicide is that， even though people had pleasant experiences when they left their bodies， they were not compelled to try again and get to that peace any quicker。 The opposite happened among that demographic。 They were more inclined to appreciate every moment of living。For others who were taken from their bodies by means of accident or natural causes， there were some cases where returning to their living state after having time in a state of complete peace left them utterly depressed。Greyson does interview subjects who have set religious practices and others who have lapsed and atheists。 Some people saw what they expected to see: deceased loved ones， Jesus， or a God of one form or another。 Certain people were surprised by what they encountered。Greyson has a passion for his psychiatric practice and for the NDE subject。 That much comes through。 The book just did not stick the landing in organization and presentation of people's deeply personal stories。 His writing between the stories is extremely repetitive。 。。。more
Dawn
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3。5 stars
MaryL
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This is the first book I have read about near death experiences。 I loved all of the experiences that the author relates to back up his points。 The people's tales of their near death experiences helped to bring the book alive。 The authors explanation of how the brain works and his theory of the difference between brain and mind were down to earth and easy to understand。 The question of "where is the consciousness generated" in brain or in mind？ doesn't have an answer and is a hard question to pon This is the first book I have read about near death experiences。 I loved all of the experiences that the author relates to back up his points。 The people's tales of their near death experiences helped to bring the book alive。 The authors explanation of how the brain works and his theory of the difference between brain and mind were down to earth and easy to understand。 The question of "where is the consciousness generated" in brain or in mind？ doesn't have an answer and is a hard question to ponder。 The experiences that the near death experiencers told give me comfort as I wonder what my future holds。 I will remember this book and think about it for a long time to come。 。。。more
Gail
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Author Dr。 Bruce Greyson began。 his exploration of near death experiences decades ago when an overdose patient related information to him that she could have only obtained during a period when she was unconscious in a hospital bed。 From his extensive interviews with those who have experienced NDEs， Greyson has come to believe that our brains are not the source of consciousness but rather focus our attention on information necessary for us to function in our world。The anecdotes are fascinating; h Author Dr。 Bruce Greyson began。 his exploration of near death experiences decades ago when an overdose patient related information to him that she could have only obtained during a period when she was unconscious in a hospital bed。 From his extensive interviews with those who have experienced NDEs， Greyson has come to believe that our brains are not the source of consciousness but rather focus our attention on information necessary for us to function in our world。The anecdotes are fascinating; however， anyone who has done much reading on the subject will recognize many of them。 Greyson allows the reader to come to his own conclusions on the validity of NDEs and life after death， while presenting the subject from a scientific point。Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Kerry
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If you are curious about life after death or near death experiences， read this！ Dr。 Greyson， a researcher and Psychiatris presents his 40 plus years of research of near death experiences and writes story after story of patient descriptions of their NDE's， His book is well written and the patient stories were very interesting， but I confess that there were so many patient NDE's that didn't read every one。 If you are curious about life after death or near death experiences， read this！ Dr。 Greyson， a researcher and Psychiatris presents his 40 plus years of research of near death experiences and writes story after story of patient descriptions of their NDE's， His book is well written and the patient stories were very interesting， but I confess that there were so many patient NDE's that didn't read every one。 。。。more
Daknees57
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A truly magnificent book， bringing scientific rigour to a common experience that most scientists and medical professionals prefer to ignore。 This is a groundbreaking work that I predict will have significant impact in the world。 Highly recommended！ Thank you Dr。 Greyson。
Tia
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First off， I would like to thank the publishing company for sending me an ARC， in return for a fair and honest review。 The opening chapter was perhaps the strongest start I have seen in a while and hooks you instantly。 However， I wish I could say that the momentum is kept up throughout but it is not。 By about the half-way point， I felt as if I had read enough with how some chapters were repeating the same points over and over regarding the author's cynicism。 The actual research and conclusions t First off， I would like to thank the publishing company for sending me an ARC， in return for a fair and honest review。 The opening chapter was perhaps the strongest start I have seen in a while and hooks you instantly。 However， I wish I could say that the momentum is kept up throughout but it is not。 By about the half-way point， I felt as if I had read enough with how some chapters were repeating the same points over and over regarding the author's cynicism。 The actual research and conclusions the author has drawn from them are fascinating， but ultimately I did not finish the book due to the repetitive nature of the author's musings and tangents。 Perhaps if the structure was a little tighter， I would have finished it。 Ultimately I would still suggest it for anyone who is interested in the nature of near-death-experiences or 'NDE's' as the author shortens them to， but don't feel bad if you get burned out。 。。。more
Sheila Pritchard
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The best Near Death Experience book I’ve read。 So thoroughly researched。 A great mix of personal stories and scientific research。 Very inspiring for living life now and not fearing death and what lies beyond。
Jennifer England
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What an interesting book with so many near death and other experiences。 I loved it。 I believe in Angel numbers and there is a very important exchange between Dr。 Greyson and the Dalai Lama on page 222。 Read this book and look up some meanings of 222， I think you will be amazed。 Messages of hope and a light for all。 Thank you Dr。 Greyson and all who were a part of this amazingly inspired book。 Namaste。
Carissa
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I found the perspective of this author so incredibly refreshing and validating。 A scientific and skeptical approach that doesn't immediately dismiss experiences and phenomena that we have yet developed the tools to understand， but instead explores them from an evidence based foundation。 Ego put aside for the sake of scientific exploration。 I found the perspective of this author so incredibly refreshing and validating。 A scientific and skeptical approach that doesn't immediately dismiss experiences and phenomena that we have yet developed the tools to understand， but instead explores them from an evidence based foundation。 Ego put aside for the sake of scientific exploration。 。。。more
Heather
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An interesting retelling of many NDE’s and the final chapter summarizes the common threads。 There are no answers though to the why， despite scientific research。Thank you to the author and publisher for the complimentary copy。
Alyssa
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Just 。。 wow。
Yameen
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A great introduction to those new to the phenomenon of NDES。 Documents Dr Bruce Greysons journey into discovering the NDE and his commitment to researching and questioning patients over the years。 Whilst people with previous knowledge of nDESs may not learn much from here newcomers will get the gist and understand the nature of NDES。 PROS - Easy to read for beginners - Written in very personal manner- Summarizes key aspects of NDECons - Not rigorous academic wise- No objective academic criticism A great introduction to those new to the phenomenon of NDES。 Documents Dr Bruce Greysons journey into discovering the NDE and his commitment to researching and questioning patients over the years。 Whilst people with previous knowledge of nDESs may not learn much from here newcomers will get the gist and understand the nature of NDES。 PROS - Easy to read for beginners - Written in very personal manner- Summarizes key aspects of NDECons - Not rigorous academic wise- No objective academic criticism of ndes so skeptics would be better looking at other nde texts 。。。more
Bec74
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Fascinating and a bit mind blowing。 The sections about his skepticism and scientific method were a bit repetitive。 I guess he was trying to respond to his critics， but he came across as very defensive。
Squaresparky
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I received an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads。Overall it's an interesting topic。 I wish the book would have flowed better。 It became tedious to read at times。 I received an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads。Overall it's an interesting topic。 I wish the book would have flowed better。 It became tedious to read at times。 。。。more
Sibyl Martin
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Amazing stories I first heard about this book on a podcast。 The doctor’s description of these patients’ lives after NDEs were so inspiring。 As their attitudes changed and evolved into a selfless lifestyle。 The book approached this subject in a very scientific manner， but still addressed each experiencer respectively。 I am a Christian and throughout the stories of NDE， different scriptures kept coming to mind。 It made me question how many things we believe as Christians are man made。 God is true Amazing stories I first heard about this book on a podcast。 The doctor’s description of these patients’ lives after NDEs were so inspiring。 As their attitudes changed and evolved into a selfless lifestyle。 The book approached this subject in a very scientific manner， but still addressed each experiencer respectively。 I am a Christian and throughout the stories of NDE， different scriptures kept coming to mind。 It made me question how many things we believe as Christians are man made。 God is true love and that’s what these NDE where finding out。 Some of them had no words to describe an enveloping love， but this book confirmed His existence for me even more。 。。。more
Robin
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Outstanding， I highly recommend this book！
Heidi Burkhart
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The book was well balanced with anecdotal information from people who had NDS's， and research。 There were some good interviews that Greyson did with other professionals in the field at the end of the book。 I wouldn't say that it was "gripping" reading， but I was quite curious about the topic。 If you are curious about this topic I would recommend it！ The book was well balanced with anecdotal information from people who had NDS's， and research。 There were some good interviews that Greyson did with other professionals in the field at the end of the book。 I wouldn't say that it was "gripping" reading， but I was quite curious about the topic。 If you are curious about this topic I would recommend it！ 。。。more
Elaine
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Another great win from a Goodreads giveaway！Greyson starts off telling the reader that this is NOT a scientific treatise for the academics， it is written in order for the lay person to understand his decades of research into Near Death Experiences （NDE）。 It is a very readable book， the science behind the research is explained clearly but if you want more in depth research， he provides an extensive bibliography。I have heard tales of my family members who've witnessed dead relatives appearing mome Another great win from a Goodreads giveaway！Greyson starts off telling the reader that this is NOT a scientific treatise for the academics， it is written in order for the lay person to understand his decades of research into Near Death Experiences （NDE）。 It is a very readable book， the science behind the research is explained clearly but if you want more in depth research， he provides an extensive bibliography。I have heard tales of my family members who've witnessed dead relatives appearing moments or even months after their passing so reading about NDE and others seeing more beyond this world is no surprise to me。 This book is a good reassurance to any who are questioning what is beyond death and what is the purpose of our existence。 Greyson has looked into how NDEs affect those who have them and the changes they've made in their lives afterwards。 。。。more
Michael Pasquarella
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