The Death View Revolution

Subtitled 'a guide to transpersonal experiences surrounding death', this book draws on extensive research in the field over the last 20 years, arguing that a new view of death beyond the hypothesis of extinction is required by the accumulated evidence and that this constitutes a revolution in the Kuhnian sense. Indeed the book begins with Kuhn's work and provides its own framework of understanding based on Carl Rogers and consisting of transpersonal approach, attribution theory and neurolinguistics. I found attribution theory a useful approach to the subject in terms of arriving at causal explanations. The book covers the whole field, including near death visits, out of body experiences, near death experiences, deathbed communications and after death experiences, discussing the implications in each case.

Each chapter also tabulates characteristics, helpful communication suggestions and documentation guidance. There is a useful discussion of six levels of evidence, beginning with opinions of authorities and/or reports of experts and individual case reports then moving on to evidence from descriptive or qualitative studies, systematic reviews, prospective studies and then studies that are randomised with appropriate controls. These are each discussed, and it is true to say that much evidence in this field is from the lowest evidence levels. However, the field does present significant challenges where spontaneous cases are involved. There is a separate chapter on the evidence for after effects and a concluding summary looking at transpersonal experiences in their totality. The book as a whole contributes to a more complete understanding of these significant phenomena.