The most recommended books about near death experiences

Junger, a non-religious man, very nearly died even as he lay conscious in the midst of high medical drama. He hears his father's voice. This is a true story, a powerfully written page turner, that will make you think about what may be outside our direct knowledge.

I am a self-help junkie and have read a ridiculous amount of books about relationships. But if I had to pick one, this would be it. This little book reveals the secret to peace in your relationships… and it’s not what you think. Anthony de Mello teaches that love is found only in fearlessness and freedom. He provides a simple formula for releasing the angst caused by unhealthy attachments to our partners, so we can feel joyful and complete in their company or on our own. Anthony de Mello’s wisdom has been instrumental in my personal healing and provided the foundation for my own teachings. 

Lotz's book is an intense character study, painting a portrait of her protagonist in masterful strokes.

Simon Newman is complex – simultaneously thrill-seeking but lazy, ambitious but anxious, traumatized but desperate to hide his weakness.

He has no business searching for bodies in the notoriously dangerous Cwm Pots, and he takes away exactly the wrong lessons from his survival. He certainly has no business on Mount Everest, and knows it. But now he's haunted by the (possibly literal) ghosts of his own bad choices, and he's in too deep now.

This book is a journey in its own right. 

This heart-in-the-mouth sweep of life-or-death moments had me hooked from the very first page. I simply couldn’t put it down. The reader in me gripped the edge of my seat as one dramatic twist succeeded another; the writer in me saluted the sense of immediacy and the crisp, concise style.

Linguistically, O’Farrell offers a masterclass in using the right words sparingly to maximise their punch. Personally, she shows just what can be achieved against the odds when life deals you a less-than-ideal hand.

So many aspects of her story resonated with me, most notably the conundrum of juggling writing and caring for a child with extra needs. The greatest proof of success? In the busy whirlwind of life, I actually read this book twice.

This book includes essays by some of the foremost thought leaders of our time, on the topic of consciousness seen through the eyes of postmaterialist science. Each seeks a scientific understanding of consciousness that is not reducible to physical processes in the brain. Their intention is not to exclude traditional science and its reliance on neurology and the brain, but rather to reach for a broader view of reality, one that includes well documented nonphysical dimensions of conscious experience, including phenomena such as out-of-the-body and near-death experiences, as well as telepathy, precognition, and more.

Each of these authors is well known and respected in their own field and presents here the cream of a lifetime of research in these areas.

This book was co-edited by my own PhD supervisor, Prof. Paul Badham, a well-known British theologian and philosopher on afterlife beliefs and near-death experiences.

When “defecting” from archaeology to religious studies, two things drew me to Prof. Badham. First is that he takes seriously the evidence of near-death experiences. Second is his understanding of the importance of looking at the beliefs of different cultures around the world in making claims about human spiritual realities. 

These traits are evident in the selection of contributions to this book. A series of chapters cover death and immortality in African traditional religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, though the book also features sections on the philosophy and parapsychology of the afterlife. Even disbelief is covered, in an article by Linda Badham which has become a classic.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in world religions or the afterlife.

Hideaway explores the question: what would happen if people who’ve had near-death experiences bring something back with them from the other side? Koontz offers two characters resuscitated after being clinically dead for more than half an hour, one who tastes Heaven while the other sees Hell. Is the carnage that follows the result of their angel/demon hitchhikers wreaking havoc among the living, or is something else at play? The novel offers unique perspective on the desire to return to the land of the dead, and how closely the forces of Heaven and Hell are linked to the realm of the living. 

A thoroughly interesting book on the belief in witchcraft and magic in 19th century Somerset (UK), which came very handy when I was doing research on the beliefs of the country folk living in Somerset village of Dunster.

Some stories are quite heartbreaking and paint a sad picture of what life was like for those who did not conform to the worldviews of their uneducated and highly superstitious fellow villagers.

This generational read opens with an encounter with suicide that took a supernatural occurrence to escape. From there, readers travel through pages of a child’s near-death experience, surviving flames of a house fire that left her with third-degree burns to encounters that only she can explain. As the author chronicles her process of facing elementary taunts of bullies, to the 30 reconstructive surgeries she endured to regain her mobility, readers uncover a story of the father’s love and the family ties that we can all relate to.

See His Glory, unravels the broken pieces of this burn survivor’s past to reveal a most beautiful work…her story. What I really love the most about this author and the story is how she highlights the love she experienced from different people through her suffering. She described one of the lessons she has learned along her journey is the universal language of love… show more.

Dr. Moody spent many years researching near-death experiences. This book is a classic on the subject. It discusses death, after-death, and attitudes about dying...all from the most positive point of view. If, in a near-death experience, people report seeing and talking to long-deceased loved ones, and all in the same way, how can life simply stop at the grave?

Dr. Moody's courageous research helped launch an entire movement. So much is known now that wasn't known before about death, no longer the ultimate experience. Just a quick stop on an enormous journey!