Threshold is a first-of-its-kind, a book that deals with the mysterious and anomalous return of cognitive function at the end of life in patients with degenerative brain disease. The author does an excellent job of guiding the reader along without ever asking them to commit to any specific interpretation. Other than medical professionals, I would also recommend this book to anyone interested in emerging ideas related to the notion of extended consciousness for the simple reason that the facts in this book, whatever their ultimate meaning, can absolutely be interpreted as evidence in this direction. Essential reading from a careful, scientifically curious, and passionate author.
The first major account of terminal lucidity: the remarkable return of clarity and cognition at the end of life.
Terminal lucidity is a relatively common but poorly understood phenomenon. Near the end of life, many people - including those who have suffered brain injuries or strokes, or have been silenced by mental illness or deep dementia - experience what seems a miraculous return. They regain their clarity and energy, are able to talk with families and caregivers, recall their lives, and often appear to be aware of their nearing death.
In this remarkable book, cognitive scientist and Director of the…
For anyone interested in the true mystery and surprising complexity of the ghost experience, they should absolutely have this on their shelf. The number of cases the author reviews, primarily drawn from FATE magazine, is impressive, and the approach is equally so. The author weaves their thoughts and relevant illustrative cases in and out of what is an impressive and well thought out narrative. This book will show you that these encounters are not as straightfoward as they may sometimes seem.
Not everyone believes in ghosts, but ghostly encounters have been reported, in all sincerity, all over the world and for 3000 years at least. However, though everybody knows what is meant by seeing a ghost, few are aware that they fall into several distinct types, and seemingly always have.;First there are revenants, returning voluntarily or under duress to the world of the living. When these are recently-dead family or friends, one might well suspect wish fulfillment. Occasionally, though, revenants appear to complete strangers. Next there are haunters who always appear in the same place and may be seen by many…
This work is an excellent introduction to the less explored intersections between parapsychology and the social sciences. For anyone new to any of the topics discussed here, such as shamanism, mediumship, history of religion, psychology, magic, and so on, this book also serves as an introductory yet helpfully comprehensive primer there too. It comes highly recommended for anyone interested in the connections between the psychical experiences collected by the likes of the anthropologist during his or her fieldwork and those we still encounter among our contemporaries today.
Note: Formerly published as an ebook titled "Why People Believe in Spirits, Gods and Magic." Now also available in paperback. Across the globe and through time, diverse cultures have developed elaborate systems for understanding and interacting with strange forces and invisible beings. Since the nineteenth century anthropologists have theorised about the nature of the extraordinary experiences and beliefs recounted to them by their fieldwork informants, at home and abroad. "Spirits, Gods and Magic" is an introduction to the anthropology of the supernatural. The book features introductory chapters outlining key anthropological perspectives on Shamanism and Spirit Possession, Witchcraft and Magic, and…
Since ancient times, people from nearly every culture and corner of the world have experienced visions of loved ones that coincided with their faraway deaths. These otherworldly synchronicities, known as crisis apparitions, are not rare; in fact, they have always been a part of our collective experience, blurring the lines between our knowledge of life and our beliefs about the afterlife. In this work of spiritual scholarship, academic researcher Daniel Bourke explores the moment of death from a deeply illuminating perspective, giving readers unprecedented access to mystifying corners of paranormal study.
