Bruce Greyson first encountered the phenomenon of near-death experiences about 50 years ago. Back then, while still a trainee in the field of psychiatry, he was working at a hospital when he received an urgent message about a student who was admitted to the emergency care unit with an overdose. The girl was unconscious upon admission and given first aid by the doctors. Having performed a name-call check and realizing that the patient, Holly, was unresponsive, Greyson left the room to talk to her frightened roommate Susan.
The next morning, he returned to the patient’s room and called her name again. Holly lay with her eyes closed, and without opening them answered: “I remember you.” At first, the doctor did not understand what she meant. Holly, however, described his conversation with Susan and added, “You were wearing a striped tie that had a red stain on it.” Greyson suddenly remembered the sauce stain he had made when rushing to this same patient’s ambulance. No one had seen it but Susan because it was hidden behind a buttoned medical gown, which he had only unbuttoned during his conversation with her. This was the doctor’s first encountered an out-of-body experience during an NDE, which prompted him to investigate this phenomenon.
Bruce Greyson, now a renowned professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia, describes this case in his new book “After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond”, which is coming out in March of this year. Bruce Greyson is the author of the famous Greyson scale, which is widely cited in many scientific studies as the international standard for evaluating NDEs. The scientist himself likes to debunk the myths associated with this phenomenon, for example, that oxygen lack is the cause of hallucinations since, in most cases, doctors register an increased level of oxygen in the brain during an NDE.
Having researched this phenomenon for more than 50 years in patients with near-death experiences, Greyson is also a frequent guest consultant, for example, on Netflix’s recently premiered Surviving Death series. In his book, he not only shares the stories of patients, but also expresses his own opinion about NDEs. According to the author’s research, 5% of all people on the planet face a near-death experience, and about 10-20% of those who find themselves on the verge of death. Of course, this is based only on reported cases; the actual figures may be many times greater.
Greyson had never heard two accounts of near-death experiences that were alike. However, 80% of survivors talk about how they had left their bodies at the time of death. Another 25%recalls the events of their lives, up to birth or infancy. But what is even stranger, many say that during their experience they saw a person about whose death they would learn later. After decades of research, Greyson is leaning towards the idea that “the evidence overwhelmingly points to the physical body not being all that we are.” Our consciousness changes after death. “What’s intriguing is here’s an experience that in a few seconds can totally transform someone’s attitudes and behavior for decades after. I don’t know of anything else so powerful,” says Greyson.
The book is available on Amazon.
