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The Next World: Extraordinary Experiences of the Afterlife
In
The Next World
, historian of religions Gregory Shushan explores the relationships between extraordinary experiences and beliefs in life after death. He first shows how throughout history and around the world, near-death experiences have influenced ideas about the afterlife. Shushan also takes a deep dive into the problem of similarities and differences between NDE accounts. Not only do they vary widely, but so does a culture's way of responding to them and integrating them into their belief systems.
In this book Shushan also compares NDEs with accounts of shamanic spirit journeys to afterlife realms, intermission states between reincarnations from people who remember past lives, and descriptions of otherworlds by souls of the dead communicating through mediums. Accounts of all these phenomena bear striking similarities to NDEs, though also have important differences. Examining them each in relation to the other results in a kind of reciprocal illumination, in which each type of extraordinary experience sheds light on the other.
Drawing on over two decades of research into cross-cultural afterlife beliefs and extraordinary experiences, The Next World presents not only an accessible overview of Shushan's work, but also takes a bold new step in psychical research. By combining ideas and methods from a variety of disciplines - archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and the study of religions - Shushan's unique take on the issues leads to new understandings of them. Unlike any of these disciplines, however, Shushan also crosses over into metaphysics, philosophy, and parapsychology, considering the implications of the cross-cultural data for the survival Are NDEs and other extraordinary experiences actually glimpses into another world and a taste of the true spiritual reality? If so, what could this afterlife actually be like in light of all the diversity of accounts?
"...an original treatment of the subject, as wide-ranging in thought and feeling as it is rigorous and scholarly. Heartily recommended." ~ Michael Grosso, Journal of Scientific Exploration.
"Gregory Shushan is one of the brightest lights in the rising generation of scholars in psychical research." ~ Alan Gauld, author, The Heyday of Mental 1880s - 1930 Investigators, Mediums and Communicators.
"This fine new book by Gregory Shushan encapsulates his decades of painstaking ethnohistorical
research on NDEs and various related phenomena, spanning a remarkable range of cultures and times. Strongly recommended!" ~ Edward F. Kelly, co-editor, Irreducible Mind, Beyond Physicalism.
"Advances our understanding of NDEs and of our own nature as few other books have. This truly is a remarkable book." ~ Bruce Greyson, author, A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond.
"What a breathtaking tour of the expanse of human experience! It left me with a sense of
wonder and admiration." ~ Zofie Weaver, author, Other Realities? The Enigma of Franek Kluski's Mediumship.
"This extraordinary book provides concise, clearly-written text describing important NDE universal, cultural, and individual layers; revelations; geographical and historical perspectives; reincarnation; academic and popular hypotheses. Shushan provides abundant NDE narratives, illustrating his arguments.
In this book Shushan also compares NDEs with accounts of shamanic spirit journeys to afterlife realms, intermission states between reincarnations from people who remember past lives, and descriptions of otherworlds by souls of the dead communicating through mediums. Accounts of all these phenomena bear striking similarities to NDEs, though also have important differences. Examining them each in relation to the other results in a kind of reciprocal illumination, in which each type of extraordinary experience sheds light on the other.
Drawing on over two decades of research into cross-cultural afterlife beliefs and extraordinary experiences, The Next World presents not only an accessible overview of Shushan's work, but also takes a bold new step in psychical research. By combining ideas and methods from a variety of disciplines - archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and the study of religions - Shushan's unique take on the issues leads to new understandings of them. Unlike any of these disciplines, however, Shushan also crosses over into metaphysics, philosophy, and parapsychology, considering the implications of the cross-cultural data for the survival Are NDEs and other extraordinary experiences actually glimpses into another world and a taste of the true spiritual reality? If so, what could this afterlife actually be like in light of all the diversity of accounts?
"...an original treatment of the subject, as wide-ranging in thought and feeling as it is rigorous and scholarly. Heartily recommended." ~ Michael Grosso, Journal of Scientific Exploration.
"Gregory Shushan is one of the brightest lights in the rising generation of scholars in psychical research." ~ Alan Gauld, author, The Heyday of Mental 1880s - 1930 Investigators, Mediums and Communicators.
"This fine new book by Gregory Shushan encapsulates his decades of painstaking ethnohistorical
research on NDEs and various related phenomena, spanning a remarkable range of cultures and times. Strongly recommended!" ~ Edward F. Kelly, co-editor, Irreducible Mind, Beyond Physicalism.
"Advances our understanding of NDEs and of our own nature as few other books have. This truly is a remarkable book." ~ Bruce Greyson, author, A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond.
"What a breathtaking tour of the expanse of human experience! It left me with a sense of
wonder and admiration." ~ Zofie Weaver, author, Other Realities? The Enigma of Franek Kluski's Mediumship.
"This extraordinary book provides concise, clearly-written text describing important NDE universal, cultural, and individual layers; revelations; geographical and historical perspectives; reincarnation; academic and popular hypotheses. Shushan provides abundant NDE narratives, illustrating his arguments.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2022
31 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Shushan
7 books12 followersGregory Shushan, PhD, is the leading authority on near-death experiences and the afterlife across cultures and throughout history. He is the author of The Next World: Extraordinary Experiences of the Afterlife; Near-Death Experience in Indigenous Religions; Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations; and The Crossover Experience (with Pim van Lommel and D.J. Kadagian).
Currently Visiting Fellow at University of Winchester, and Research Fellow at the Parapsychology Foundation, Dr. Shushan was previously Honorary Research Fellow at the Religious Experience Research Centre at University of Wales, Perrott-Warrick Researcher at University of Oxford's Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, and Scholar-in Residence at the Centro Incontri Umani (The Cross Cultural Centre), Ascona, Switzerland. He has lectured at universities in the UK, Ireland, and Switzerland and has given numerous talks on his research in nine countries.
Currently Visiting Fellow at University of Winchester, and Research Fellow at the Parapsychology Foundation, Dr. Shushan was previously Honorary Research Fellow at the Religious Experience Research Centre at University of Wales, Perrott-Warrick Researcher at University of Oxford's Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, and Scholar-in Residence at the Centro Incontri Umani (The Cross Cultural Centre), Ascona, Switzerland. He has lectured at universities in the UK, Ireland, and Switzerland and has given numerous talks on his research in nine countries.
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April 19, 2024
The Next World: Extraordinary Experiences of the Afterlife" by Gregory Shushan examines in a very detailed way the extraordinary area of near-death experiences (NDEs) across an array of cultures. Shushan's broad research compares and contrasts visions of the afterlife culled from many different global traditions, placing them alongside contemporary NDE accounts. His is a scholarly but approachable analysis, challenging the reader to think about universal themes and cultural specifics that form our conception of life after death. All in all, this book has to serve as an eye-opener for NDE enthusiasts to the spiritual implications NDEs hold and the shared human quest for meaning beyond life. That, among other things, makes this quite a solid read—a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review