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Uncategorised Article Count:  27

Archived pages Article Count:  2

Copies of earlier versions of pages

News & Media Article Count:  0

Select a news topic from the list below, then select a news article to read.

NDEs in the news Article Count:  55

NDEs in the Movies Article Count:  2

Films with NDE or similar content:

1. Hereafter

Front Page News Article Count:  32

Press Releases Article Count:  1

Other Media Sources Article Count:  16

The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) is the first organization in the world devoted exclusively to the study of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and Near-Death-Like experiences. Founded in 1978, it has become the premier NDE resource for research, education and support.

Based on scientific and scholarly research roots, IANDS is the most trusted source for researchers, experiencers, professional care providers, clergy and seekers of greater meaning.

Research Article Count:  3

IANDS supports and encourages research in the field of near-death studies by:

If you are writing a paper on the near-death experience, we have resources here.

Research Requests Article Count:  2

Researchers are looking for volunteers to participate in the following new studies

 

Research News Article Count:  1

Important Studies Article Count:  11

Included here are articles about research that is of special interest in the field of near-death studies.

 

Education Article Count:  0

As an educational nonprofit organization, IANDS focuses most of its resources into providing the highest quality educational information available for NDE-related subjects.

Conferences

Our North American conferences provide current and topical information about NDEs in an informal setting. Near-death experiencers, educators, caregivers and the general public find programs and activities of interest in these events.

IANDS NDE Radio

IANDS NDE Radio host Lee Witting presents weekly live broadcasts every Monday at 11:00 AM Eastern time on TalkZone.

Seminars

More details coming soon.

Educational Credits

Professional educational Credits are available from our new CEU program.

Educational Resources

IANDS provides the following educational resources to learn more about NDEs:

Index to NDE Periodical Literature Article Count:  7

Link

Literature & References Article Count:  2

Link to new bibliography

Education News Article Count:  5

Education Materials Article Count:  2

IANDS provides the following educational resources to learn more about NDEs:

Educational Programs Article Count:  1

Professional Educational Credits are available from our new CEU program.

About IANDS Article Count:  0

About IANDS

As an educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) focuses most of its resources into providing the highest quality information available about NDE-related subjects. It is the only such membership group in the world.  

In addition to maintaining this information-rich website, IANDS publishes a peer-reviewed scholarly journal and a member magazine, sponsors conferences and other programs, works with the media, and encourages the formation of regional discussion and support groups.

We invite you to join today to become a part of this mission and keep up to date on what is known about this fascinating subject.

IANDS’ purpose is to promote responsible, multi-disciplinary exploration of near-death and similar experiences, their effects on people’s lives, and their implications for beliefs about life, death, and human purpose. Where scholarship does not indicate a reasonably clear position on the origin or interpretation of these experiences, we remain impartial and open to the presentation of varying points of view; however, while all personal beliefs will be respected, IANDS is under no obligation to consider them all equally supportable. Whatever the viewpoint, IANDS never supports proselytizing.

IANDS serves a broad range of people:

  • Experiencers: People who have had a near-death or similar experience
  • Researchers: People who are interested in the objective academic or clinical study of near-death experiences and/or near-death-like experiences
  • Health care professionals: People who care for experiencers’ physical and/or mental health
  • People close to experiencers: Family and friends of persons who have had an NDE.
  • Educators: People who teach about near-death and near-death-like experiences
  • Interested other people: People with terminal illness, those in grief, and the general public.

IANDS Programs and Activities

  • IANDS provides reliable information to caregivers, experiencers, and the public by publication of the approximately quarterly magazine Vital Signs; maintaining this active and growing website; working with media around the world; sponsoring periodic North American conferences, continuing education programs, and other programs; offering a speaker's bureau; and producing a wide variety of educational materials.
  • IANDS facilitates support. Near-death and similar experiences can raise deeply troubling questions for many experiencers. Aftereffects of the NDE can be disturbing to the experiencers as well as to their families, friends, and caregivers. To meet these needs, support and interest groups have developed across North America and around the world.

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Special Projects Article Count:  1

Research fund

Web development

Combat study

Angel fund

Dorothy Johnston Library

Leadership Article Count:  1

Giving to IANDS Article Count:  3

IANDS is supported financially by membership dues, contributions, and program income. If you believe our work is important, we invite you to share what you can. 

IANDS Information Article Count:  8

IANDS News Article Count:  19

Light the Way Article Count:  6

Light the WayHelp Light the Way!

Envisioning a future in which near-death and related experiences have become part of the common wisdom, enriching the human search for meaning and inspiring a better world.

Wherever in the world knowledge from NDE research reaches, and wherever compassionate people educated by that information are able to offer understanding and support to their community - that is IANDS in action.

For over thirty years, IANDS has been educating the world about near-death and similar experiences, offering reliable information, education,and supportive understanding to the public and to experiencers and their families. It has helped change the public perception of what it is like to die; it has deepened our understanding of how best to live.

Now we ask you to help us move the IANDS mission forward!

This is the beginning of a new era for IANDS, crowded with plans and ongoing ventures.

  • The new IANDS office location in Durham, North Carolina offers exciting prospects for interdisciplinary programs, outreach, and collaboration.
  • We're developing a major outreach to hospices and palliative care units, reaching out to the many thousands who work or volunteer with the dying, to teach them about NDEs and make them aware of IANDS.
  • We're organizing a new series of multimedia programs to provide the kind of information you've asked for, from old voices and new, about the meaning and integration of NDEs and related experiences.
  • We're building a new online program for nurses and another for clergy, incorporating the best of what we know about helping new experiencers.
  • We want to make twenty years' worth of articles from the Journal of Near-Death Studies available as downloadable files on our web site, building support for new research, and creating an unparalleled resource for potentially millions of readers who want to learn as much as possible about NDEs and similar experiences. 

We need you to help keep the IANDS mission moving forward!

Light the Way is a recurring donation program to support existing programs and defray the expenses associated with new outreach initiatives. Your gift will enable us to share new levels of understanding while reaching out to thousands of new people. We have the energy, the plans, and the passion. What we need are the funds to make it possible. Please give generously to help make this happen!

You can pledge an amount to contribute monthly or quarterly until you choose to stop, or you can make one or more contributions throughout the year. All donations are tax deductible.
 

To make an on-going monthly pledge, please use the link below to print out a donation form and mail or fax it to the address on the form.

pdf Light The Way On-going Pledge Form

Or you can call the IANDS office in the United States during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern time). Click here for address and phone number.

To make a convenient, one-time online donation to IANDS, click on this link to help us Light the Way!

 

Below are just a few of the many reasons our Light the Way donors are contributing.

Membership Article Count:  4

Your IANDS membership to help us build global understanding of near-death and near-death-like experiences through research, education and support. Our vision is to unlock the mysteries of the NDE --what it reveals about the nature of human consciousness and the ultimate meaning of life--in order to increase tolerance and love for one another, to build bridges between religions and cultures, and to create a world of greater harmony and peace.

We need the support of members like you to accomplish these goals. All of our work is done by volunteers, with the help of a small office support staff.

Conferences Article Count:  0

Click on "CDs, DVDs, & Handouts" in the shopping cart to see available media from past conference presentations.
Watch the Home page and "Conference News" sections for information about upcoming conferences and events.
See descriptions of historical conferences using the "Past Conferences" link.
Some excerpts from past conference videos can be found on the "Conference YouTube Videos" link.

Conference CDs, DVDs, & Handouts Article Count:  1

Click on the list on the left for the conference(s) you are interested in. Also check out the conference videos that are available on YouTube:

Speaker Bios Article Count:  10

Conference News Article Count:  56

Our annual North American conferences provide current and topical information about NDEs in an informal setting. Near-Death Experiencers, Educators, Care Givers and the general public all find programs and activities of interest in these events.

About NDEs Article Count:  9

What is a Near-Death Experience?

The term “near-death experience” (NDE) was coined in 1975 in the book Life After Life by Raymond Moody, MD. Since then, many researchers have studied the circumstances, content, and aftereffects of NDEs. The following material summarizes many of their findings.

An NDE is a distinct subjective experience that a minority of people report after a near-death episode. In a near-death episode, a person is either clinically dead, near death, or in a situation where death is likely or expected. These circumstances include serious illness or injury, such as from a car accident, military combat, childbirth, or suicide attempt. People in extreme conditions such as profound grief, deep meditation, or extreme physical exertion—or sometimes people just going about their normal lives—have described experiences that seem just like NDEs—near-death-like experiences (NDLEs)—even though these people were not near death. Many near-death experiencers (NDErs) have said the term “near-death” is not correct; they are sure that they were in death, not just near-death. Nevertheless, because they were not permanently, irreversibly dead, the term “near-death” can be understood to mean “actually in the first moments of death though not permanently dead.”
 
NDErs have reported two types of experiences. Most NDErs have reported pleasurable NDEs. These experiences involve mostly feelings of love, joy, peace, and/or bliss. A small number of NDErs have reported distressing NDEs. These experiences involve mostly feelings of terror, horror, anger, isolation, and/or guilt. Both types of NDErs usually report that the experience was hyper-real—even more real than earthly life. NDEs range from relatively simple, with few and/or less emotionally intense features, to relatively complex, with many and/or more emotionally intense features.
 

Four Aspects of Pleasurable NDEs

The “classic” pleasurable NDE includes four phases that tend to happen in a certain order. However, each NDE is unique. It can include any combination of phases, and the phases can occur in any order. The phases can even overlap, seeming to occur at the same time. Any two people describing the same general phase will describe differences between their two experiences.

The phase that often occurs first can be termed disassociated, because pleasurable NDErs no longer feel associated with their physical bodies or with any particular perspective. They feel detached and completely peaceful, without seeing, hearing, or feeling anything in particular. They sometimes describe a floating sense of freedom from pain and of complete wellbeing.

In the naturalistic phase, NDErs say they became aware of the “natural” surroundings—typically their bodies and the surrounding area—from a perspective outside their bodies. They usually say things looked and sounded like normal but unusually clear and vivid. They also often say they had unusual abilities, such as being able to see walls and also see through them, and being able to “hear” the unspoken thoughts of the people nearby.

In the supernatural phase, the pleasurable NDEr meets beings and environments that they do not consider to be part of the “natural” world. They may meet deceased loved ones or other non-physical entities. They say communication with these beings is “mind to mind” rather than spoken. They say they went to extremely beautiful environments in which objects appeared lit from within. They sometimes say they heard beautiful music unlike any worldly music they’d ever heard. They often say they moved rapidly through a tunnel or void toward a light, and then entered the light, only to discover that the light was actually a being. They say they felt completely known and completely loved by this being. They sometime say they experienced a “life review”: All at the same time, they re-viewed, reexperienced, and experienced being on the receiving end of, all their actions throughout life. Some pleasurable NDErs say they went beyond the light, seeing cities of light and knowledge.

The final phase of the pleasurable NDE is a return to the physical body. About half of pleasurable NDErs say they chose whether or not to return. When they chose to return, it was because of a love connection with one or more living people. The other half say they didn’t choose to return: They either were told or made to return, or they were just suddenly “back” in their bodies.

The Four Types of Distressing NDE

People describe distressing NDEs much less often than pleasurable NDEs. The following four types of distressing NDE appear in order from most to least often reported. Distressing NDErs most often describe the powerlessness type as having the same phases as a pleasurable NDE, but they say they felt powerless while this experience was “happening to” them, so they resisted, were afraid, or were angry. In the nothingness type, they say they felt as though they did not exist, or they were completely alone in a total and eternal void. In the torment type, they say they were in ugly or scary landscapes, sometimes with evil beings, annoying noises, frightening creatures, and/or other human spirits in great distress. Only a couple of people have described the worthlessness type in which they felt negatively judged by a Higher Power during a life review.

Some distressing NDErs said that once they “gave up” fighting the distressing NDE and surrendered to it, or once they sincerely asked for help from a loving Higher Power, their distressing NDE became a pleasurable NDE. Only very, very rarely have NDErs said their pleasurable experiences turned into distressing ones.

Who Has NDEs

Available literature, from ancient texts through modern publications, reveals that people have had NDEs throughout history and across cultures. It seems likely that NDEs have been happening much more often in the last few decades because of medical advances, as more people are being brought back from the brink of death. Also, as public acceptance has grown, more people are willing to tell their own stories. Depending on how restrictively the NDE is defined, studies have indicated that between 12% and 40% of people who go through a near-death episode will later say they had an NDE. It is clear that in the United States alone at least several million people have had NDEs.
 
NDEs are “equal opportunity” experiences. People from many cultures and backgrounds, and of all ages—from infants (describing their NDEs once they could talk) to elderly people—have had NDEs. NDEs have been reported by males and females, people from all levels of education, of all religions as well as people not involved in any religion or spiritual practice, people of all social/wealth levels, heterosexuals and homosexuals, people with a variety of belief systems including various beliefs about life and death, people with a life history of “good” or “bad” actions, and people with and without mental illness. None of these aspects of a person has made it possible to predict who will or won’t have an NDE, or whose NDE will be pleasurable or distressing.
 
Research also has shown that no personality traits predict the likelihood of having an NDE or which type a person will have. One exception involves a characteristic called “absorption”—the ability to focus attention on something without being distracted. However, it is unclear whether higher levels of absorption contribute to the greater occurrence of NDEs or whether NDEs contribute to higher levels of absorption. Research also shows that an NDE is not, in itself, an indication of mental disorder. Most NDErs—like most people in the general population—are mentally healthy.

NDEs in Special Populations

NDEs in Western cultures such as Europe and Australia seem similar to those in the US. Studies in non-Western cultures have shown some differences but also some underlying similarities. For example, spiritual beings and encountering a border between the earthly and spiritual domains are common features in NDEs worldwide. On the other hand, in countries where tunnels have been constructed as part of the infrastructure, NDE descriptions may include mention of movement through a tunnel; in countries without such infrastructure, people do not mention tunnels--but they may describe moving through the neck of a gourd or the funnel of a plant.  A person’s culture and personal experiences almost certainly influence the exact form that those features take and the experiencer’s interpretation of them. It is now generally understood that NDEs have a deep structure—general features that occur to people across cultures; a cultural surface structure—specific forms that those general features take which relate to the NDEr’s culture; and a personal surface structure—a version of a specific form that is unique to each NDEr.
 
Children’s NDEs are especially interesting because the younger the child, the less the child’s NDE has been influenced by culture. Children’s NDEs do, however, have the same features as adults’ NDEs—just in a simpler form. Child NDErs say they felt different from most other children while they were growing up.
 
People who have had an NDE during a suicide attempt also are of particular interest. An important finding from research is that, although ordinarily a person who has attempted suicide is more likely to try again, suicide attempters who had an NDE are much less likely to try again. They say they have learned that their lives have purpose. They see life as a gift. They have learned that when they face hard times, their job is to deal with the problem constructively. They see all life experiences as opportunities to deepen their ability to love and to increase their knowledge.
 
Also of interest are NDEs that involve veridical perception—accurate description of specific, unique events happening around the NDEr’s unconscious physical body that the  person could not have seen or heard, and that the NDEr could not have figured out through reasoning and logic. Most often these descriptions involve the presence, physical appearance, or activities of people nearby or of family members even at a distance. There are also reports of NDE vision in persons blind from birth. One case of veridical perception involved NDE vision and hearing in a woman undergoing brain surgery who was fully anesthetized, whose eyes were taped shut, and whose ears were plugged with a small speakers emitting loud noise. Nevertheless, from the material aspect of her NDE, she correctly described instruments used by the doctors and conversations held between the doctors and nurses conducting the operation. So NDEs are subjective experiences, but they also may be objective—“real” in terms of physical, earthly reality. Researchers around the world would like to find the funding to conduct more systematic study of veridical perception in NDEs.
 
Most NDErs say their NDEs have changed them. Some changes happened right away, others more gradually over time. Many people who have had NDEs need time to integrate the experience. Some people need months; others need years. People who have had distressing NDEs may feel especially challenged to make sense of their distressing experiences. Research shows that the great majority of people who have had NDEs, whether pleasurable or distressing, sooner or later come to see them as beneficial. Often they think their NDEs were the most profound and helpful experiences of their lives. For more detailed information about NDE aftereffects, visit this page. 

What Causes NDEs

In a scientific age, it is only natural that people want to understand the biological or psychological origins of experience, and a variety of neurological and chemical explanations have been proposed as the cause of NDEs: lack of oxygen, excess of carbon dioxide, seizure activity in the temporal lobe, the effect of drugs such as DMT or ketamine, hallucination, psychological avoidance of death, normal shutting down of brain activity, and a dozen or more other possibilities.

No scientific explanation so far has satisfactorily accounted for all aspects of NDEs or their effects. For example, numerous patients who were being clinically monitored and were known to be well oxygenated have later reported having an NDE during that time; drugs are not a factor in all NDEs; the characteristics of sleep disorders and NDEs are not identical. Hallucinations are highly individual and produce confusion and hazy memories, exactly the opposite characteristics of NDEs, which tend to share characteristics and be remembered vividly for decades as being "realer than real." For every medical cause that has been put forward, there are reasons the NDE researchers say, “Not quite right.”

Further, despite reports that scientists have been able to induce NDEs through the use of drugs or electrical stimulation to the brain, none of the reports has been altogether convincing. The reports have been based on a partial similarity to a limited aspect of NDE, or they have involved very few people—sometimes only a single individual—in an experiment that does not really replicate a full NDE, or the aftereffects do not coincide with those of a true NDE. After decades of investigation, researcher and psychiatrist Bruce Greyson, MD, has reported, “No one physiological or psychological model by itself explains all the common features of NDE.”*

Thousands of documented NDEs challenge mainstream Western thinking and belief systems. Expectations about an afterlife may be challenged, and some people abruptly develop radically new interests and abilities after an NDE. One subject of debate is whether consciousness (mind) resides exclusively in the physical brain. For example, many people who have had an NDE accurately report events that occurred around their bodies when they were unconscious or even clinically dead—in at least one case, when clinical monitoring clearly showed no brain activity. Some NDEs have revealed family secrets, such as the existence of a never-mentioned sibling. According to the prevailing belief system of industrialized societies, these things are scientifically impossible. Readers interested in such cases can find them compiled in the book The Self Does Not Die: Verified Paranormal Phenomena Associated With Near-Death Experiences.

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*Greyson, B. (2001). Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71, 368–373.

 

More NDE information is available through the following links:

If you are interested in NDE research, be sure to check our Research Section.

If you have had an NDE, you may submit your experience to our Archives.

Articles for caregivers and families Article Count:  3

Helpful articles for experiencers Article Count:  7

Links

Experiencer Retreat Article Count:  2

NDE FAQs Article Count:  13

Members Only Article Count:  0

Pages related to members only functions

Professional Networking Directory Article Count:  1

Content pages associated with the Professional Directory.

Members Only Article Count:  3

General Member pages. Note, these pages are only available to registered, logged in members.

NDE Stories Article Count:  0

NDE Archives

Below are links to some of the hundreds of near-death experience accounts that have been submitted by internet to the IANDS archives since 2002. They are divided into four sections:

  • Links to video and audio segments in which individuals describe their NDE.
  • Near-death experiences (NDEs) that resulted from a health crisis, submitted since 2006.
  • Near-death-like experiences (NDLEs) that were not the result of a health crisis, submitted since 2006.
  • Links to an older archive of NDE experiences of both types, accounts submitted 2002-2005 are at the bottom of this list.

If you have had a near-death experience we encourage you to submit your experience to the archives by clicking on this link. Submit your NDE account

NDE Accounts Article Count:  598

These NDE accounts were submitted to our website and are published here anonymously. Minor edits have been made to protect the identity of the experiencer and others who may have been involved with the experience. Note to researchers and authors: IANDS cannot grant permission to publish quotations from these NDE accounts because we have not received permission from the NDE authors to do so. However, we advise authors who wish to use quotations from these accounts to follow the Fair Use Doctrine. See our Copyright Policy for more information. We recommend adopting this practice for quotations from our web site before you have written your book or article.

NDE-Like Accounts Article Count:  229

These near-death-like experience accounts were submitted to our website and are published here anonymously. Minor edits have been made to protect the identity of the experiencer and others who may have been involved with the experience. Note to researchers and authors: IANDS cannot grant permission to publish quotations from these NDE accounts because we have not received permission from the NDE authors to do so. However, we advise authors who wish to use quotations from these accounts to follow the Fair Use Doctrine. See our Copyright Policy for more information. We recommend adopting this practice for quotations from our web site before you have written your book or article.

Third Person Narratives Article Count:  27

In this area, you can find NDE accounts told by someone other than the experiencer. Like the other accounts, these have been lightly edited to remove direct references to actual names and places. Note to researchers and authors: IANDS cannot grant permission to publish quotations from these NDE accounts because we have not received permission from the NDE authors to do so. However, we advise authors who wish to use quotations from these accounts to follow the Fair Use Doctrine. See our Copyright Policy for more information. We recommend adopting this practice for quotations from our web site before you have written your book or article.

Video/Audio Accounts Article Count:  22

Welcome to the new NDE video and audio section, featuring individuals describing their near-death experience. Some of these NDE accounts were recorded at various IANDS sponsored events; others are from the news media. A few derive from other sources.

All of these links are to video or audio files that are in the public domain on the Internet. Most reside on youtube.com, the largest repository of non-commercial video on the internet, and we link to them. (With each segment, youtube.com will post thumbnail links to other videos. The quality of those — and sometimes the content — will vary. We are unable to screen their links, as they frequently change.) A high-speed Internet connection is highly recommended to view these NDE accounts.

Sample of Monthly NDEs Article Count:  4

These are samples of previously published Monthly NDEs which are sent monthly via email to members. Join IANDS as a member to receive the Monthly NDE emails.

Groups Article Count:  0

Group Resources Article Count:  26

IANDS Affiliated Groups serve near-death experiencers by providing understanding and information to those who have had such experiences. Groups also offer education and discussion of near-death and related experiences to the general public in a supportive, accessible setting. Located in various cities in the U.S. and a number of other countries, the IANDS Groups hold regular meetings for NDErs and the general public.

IANDS Groups allow freedom of interpretation of NDEs and similar experiences and do not proselytize any single point of view. They provide support to NDErs, not therapy. While fostering the free exchange of ideas through open discussion, the Group safeguards the stability of its participants by refraining from demonstrating or teaching techniques which are known to be emotionally hazardous for some individuals.

 

Starting an IANDS Group

IANDS Group representatives or individuals interested in organizing an IANDS group in their location may find the following information useful:

1.  IANDS Group Affiliation Policy and How to Register an IANDS Group
    ( definition and requirements to register as an IANDS Affiliated Group )

2.  Tips on starting a new IANDS group.

3.  Resources for IANDS Groups (access authorization required):

a. IANDS Group Leaders Website

b. IANDS Group Leaders Forum

c. IANDS Speakers Bureau

Publications Article Count:  0

IANDS has two main publications

Vital Signs (VS) Article Count:  8


Vital Signs, a quarterly magazine, contains NDE accounts, commentary and perspectives on near-death experiences, association news, and articles of general interest.

Previous issues can be viewed below. These articles offer good examples of the type of content featured in Vital Signs.

Vital Signs COVER 42 3 2023DIGITAL Vital Signs 42 4 2023
LINKS TO VITAL SIGNS:  2023

42-1   PDF HERE

42-2  PDF HERE

42-3 PDF HERE

42-4 PDF HERE

Back issues are available from the IANDS Store.

PDFs of  past issues are available

 

Journal of Near-Death Studies (JNDS) Article Count:  45

Journal of Near-Death Studies

The Journal of Near-Death Studies (JNDS) is the only peer-reviewed scholarly journal (ISSN 0891-4494) dedicated exclusively to the field of near-death studies. It is cross-disciplinary.

  • From its inception in 1981 through 2018, JNDS was published quarterly, with each volume containing a Fall and Winter issue in one calendar year and a Spring and Summer issue in the following calendar year.
  • Beginning in 2019, JNDS has been published three times per year: Each volume number corresponds to a calendar year and contains a Spring, Summer, and Fall issue.

For more information, click here.

Instructions to authors for articles.
Instructions to authors for media reviews.

To subscribe:  Join IANDS as a Professional member and also receive all of the other benefits of IANDS membership.

 All JNDS issues are in-print and available as PDFs:

  • Articles more than three years old can be downloaded at no charge from the Internet; click on the volume below, then on the doi associated with the article.
  • Articles three or fewer years old can be ordered from the IANDS Store.

 Table of Contents:

Click on each volume to view the table of contents.

Book Publications Article Count:  5

IANDS Book Publication Policy

IANDS resources for book publications are limited. If we have time and a proposed book meets these criteria we will consider publishing it. The criteria are that the book must be: 

  • In the health/education/research/science (HERS) category,  
  • A unique and valuable contribution of current interest to the field of near-death studies, 
  • Attempted to be published but not able to be published by an established publisher,  
  • In English or translated into English, and 
  • Approved by the IANDS Board for funding and royalty arrangements. 

 

Past Conferences Article Count:  0

Our annual North American conferences provide current and topical information about NDEs in an informal setting. Near-Death Experiencers, Educators, Care Givers and the general public all find programs and activities of interest in these events.

This section contains a summary of previous IANDS conferences and links to materials from them.

Click here for the details of each conference and the available CDs, DVDs and handouts.

1997 San Antonio, TX Article Count:  1

1997 North American Conference

 

October 30 - November 1, 1997

San Antonio, TX

 

 

 

 

Conference highlights:

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

1998 Salt Lake City, UT Article Count:  1

1998 North American Conference

 

October 8 - 10, 1998

Salt Lake City, UT

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

1999 Vancouver, BC Article Count:  1

1999 North American Conference

 

August 20 - 22, 1999
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC

 

 

 

 

Conference highlights:

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

2000 Philadelphia, PA Article Count:  2

2000 North American Conference

 

July 13 - 15, 2000
Korman Suites Hotel
Philadelphia, PA

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

2001 Seattle, WA Article Count:  7

2001 North American Conference

 

July 26 - 28, 2001
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, WA

 

 

 

 

2003 Honolulu, HI Article Count:  1

2003 North American Conference

 

January 8 - 10, 2003
Sheraton Waikiki Hotel
Honolulu, HI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

2004 Evanston, IL Article Count:  1

2004 North American Conference

 

June 24 - 26
Best Western University Plaza
Evanston, IL

Note: Presentations are listed
in the order that they appeared
during the conference.

 

The 2004 IANDS conference featured Professor Steven Fanning from the University of Illinois describing his life review and its implications for all of us - one of the best descriptions ever of this very powerful experience; British researcher Dr. Peter Fenwick offering an engaging and personal perspective on NDE research to date; and Dr. David Kessler, a leading expert on end-of-life care and collaborator with Elizabeth Kubler Ross until her death - plus presentations on the impact of NDEs on the creative spirit and panels of experiencers describing what happened during their NDEs.

 

2005 Virgina Beach, VA Article Count:  1

2005 North American Conference

 

September 8 - 10
Virginia Beach, VA

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

The 2005 IANDS conference featured fascinating presentations by Dr. Pim Van Lommel (author of the largest prospective NDE study that was published in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet) talking about NDEs and the continuity of consciousness; Bruce Greyson (editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies) discussing the NDE aftereffects on the religious and spiritual lives of experiencers; long-time NDE researcher PMH Atwater discussing techniques for experiencers to integrate their NDE into their lives; plus many experiencers describing their NDEs, often with special emphasis on the aftereffects.

1996 Oakland, CA Article Count:  1

1996 North American Conference

 

August 8 - 10, 1996

Oakland, CA

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

1995 Hartford, CT Article Count:  1

1995 North American Conference

 

1995

Hartford, CT

 

 

 

 

Conference highlights:

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

2008 Durham, NC Article Count:  10

2008 IANDS Conference, Durham, NC2008 North American Conference

October 3-4, 2008
Millennium Hotel
Durham, North Carolina (United States)

 

Near-Death Experiences: What Do They Mean?

A Featured Guest Speaker was Maggie Callanan, RN, always a popular presenter, hospice nurse, best-selling author of Final Gifts, originator of the term nearing-death awareness. Maggie presented on Final Gifts and on her new book, Final Journeys: A Practical Guide for Bringing Care and Comfort at the End of Life. We regret that there are no recordings of Maggie's presentations.

1993 St. Louis, MO Article Count:  1

1993 North American Conference

 

1993

St. Louis, MO

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

1994 San Antonio, TX Article Count:  1

1994 North American Conference

 

1994

San Antonio, TX

 

 

 

 

Note: Presentations are listed in the order that they appeared during the conference.

2006 Houston, TX Article Count:  41

2006 North American Conference

2006logoThe 2006 IANDS conference was hosted by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Center in Houston, Texas. The conference reviewed 30 years of research into NDEs, spanning the field of near-death studies that began in 1975 with the book Life after Life by Raymond Moody, MD, PhD. To order DVDs, CDs or audio downloads for the conference presentations, please click on the links below.


Segment One - The First Two Days: DVDs are available for the eleven presentations from the first two days of the conference. These DVDs, featuring many of the world's foremost NDE researchers, represent a comprehensive review of all research on NDEs. They are a unique collection that represents the accumulated knowledge that we have about near-death experiences. Each DVD incorporates the visual slides that were used by the presenters. CDs and audio downloads are also available for these presentations.

Segment Two: The Last Two Days: The presentations during the latter two days of the conference, for which only CDs and audio downloads are available, build on the presentations during the first two days. The sessions probe deeper into specific topics through a variety of lectures and panels of experiencers discussing their experiences--most notably childhood NDEs and those resulting from combat or suicide attempts--and the effects of NDEs on marriages.

 

Pricing is as follows:
DVDs: 
First DVD: $25 regular price; $16 for IANDS members ($9 discount on the first DVD)
Second DVD: $18 regular price; $12 for IANDS members ($6 discount per DVD)
Full set of eleven DVDs: $150 regular price; $100 for IANDS members ($50 discount)

Audio Files:
All 25 presentations on one CD in MP3 format: $59.95 regular price, $29.95 for IANDS members ($30 discount)

Individual CDs: $11.95 regular price; $9.95 for IANDS members ($2 discount per CD)
Individual Audio downloads: $9.95

To join IANDS to support our mission of research, education and support, and to take advantage of the member discounts, click here.

 

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