Literature Review 1

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Summary & Author:

John Hagan is a board certified ophthalmologist who has also researched the science behind near death experiences. His book is a collection of papers written by other researchers or medical physicians with varying perspectives on the topic of near death experiences. Hagan and the other contributors develop evidence based research on near death experiences throughout this book. It is estimated that more than 10 million people in the United States alone have experienced an NDE. This book also talks about standards for how to treat a patient who has experienced an NDE as the after effects can be severe. There’s no doubt that near death experiences happen to people; however, the question is why. It's important to note that the book points out that there is still no definitive reason why near death experiences occur, just possible theories. 

Key Terms:

The first key term found in this book is psychological cause/ psychological distress. This is what many of the researchers use to describe the reasoning behind near death experiences. Also, another key term is consciousness. Near death experiences happen when people are unconscious, so the term consciousness refers to when people can describe their experiences. 

Citation:

Hagan, John C.. The Science of near-Death Experiences, University of Missouri Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4811265

Quotes:

“These putative neurological mechanisms, for which there is little if any empirical evidence, may suggest brain pathways through which NDEs are expressed or interpreted, but do not necessarily imply causal mechanisms” (Hagan 23).

“Researchers have noted that the value incongruities between NDErs and their families lead to a relatively high divorce rate among NDErs. The effects of an NDE “may include long-­ term depression, broken relationships, disrupted career, feelings of severe alienation, an inability to function in the world, long years of struggling with the keen sense of altered reality.”(Hagan 24).

“The strongest case for the neurophysiologic contribution to NDEs can be made for a borderland of consciousness. A borderland when the conscious states of waking and rapid eye movement (REM) blend, forming a hybrid conscious state.” (Hagan 118).

“In the end, the neuroscience of how the brain participates in near-­ death experiences does not demean their why or spiritual interpretation; these lie in the province of personal faith.” (Hagan 122)

Value:

This book will help me explore my research question because it directly relates to my question and it is very evidence based. Also, some of the researchers contradict and oppose each other, which helps me to derive my own thoughts and theories about the topic.