Author: Yvonne Perry
Reviewed by Sheri Sinykin “sherics” on Amazon.com
Submitted 11.23.07
Readers looking to select a book about death, dying, and the afterlife come in two broad categories—those who have already found answers and are looking for books that reaffirm and don’t challenge their beliefs, and those who may have found answers, but are still open to hearing about others’ experiences. Readers of the second type—the seekers—will find much of interest in Yvonne Perry’s collection of firsthand accounts, More Than Meets the Eye: True Stories about Death, Dying and Afterlife.
Perry’s point of view is by no means dispassionate, but it is objective. She writes movingly about her own near death experiences and the spiritual journey that compelled her to study these subjects. No one religious ideology overlays the book. Rather, she shares views and experiences of many people, well-documented in her bibliography.
In “Souls and Ceremonies” (Chapter 4), Perry takes a fascinating look at the rituals of death from a historical perspective—from early Egyptian practices to modern embalming in the U.S. after the Civil War. Particularly interesting and comforting were the true stories of near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and spiritual visitation.
Perry’s honest, straight-forward style is not bogged down by a lot of jargon or diversions that wander from the subject at hand. Seekers will appreciate this book and be glad for the time they’ve invested in hearing others’ experiences with the Greatest Mystery on Earth.
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The book is also available at Amazon.com.
1 comment:
For those interested in supplementing the content of Perry's book with recent research at major medical institutions, the most credible source is the website of the International Association for Near-Death Studies at www.iands.org. In particular, you might want to check under the Research tab for published papers outlining new findings about near-death experiences (NDEs), particularly the two written by Dr. Peter Fenwick and Dr. Pim Van Lommel.
During the past 30 years, NDEs have been the focus of many scientific studies at universities and medical centers throughout around the world. Many medical professionals who have seriously studied the research – and it is extensive – no longer dismiss this phenomenon as hallucinations, intense dreams, or caused by physiological or pharmacological factors. There have now been many thousands of documented cases of near-death experiences: deeply mystical, often ineffable experiences. These accounts have a consistent internal structure and, cross-culturally, they reflect universal elements. That is, although no two experiences are identical, they all share at least some common elements.
The best analysis of the many physiological theories that attempt to explain NDEs is on a DVD that has a presentation by Dr. Bruce Greyson (from the University of Virginia Medical School) titled “T3-Explanatory Models of NDEs.” It can be obtained from the website above at http://www.iands.org/conferences/2006_conference_presentations
This presentation was from an international conference in 2006 at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
I am a member of the above association because I am interested in the topic. To join is inexpensive, and they keep you up-to-date with the latest NDE research along with e-mails of experiencer accounts every month.
Allen
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