After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond

Written by Bruce Greyson, M.D.

Narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins

This program includes three bonus interviews with the author.

The world's leading expert on near-death experiences reveals his journey toward rethinking the nature of death, life, and the continuity of consciousness.

Cases of remarkable experiences on the threshold of death have been reported since ancient times, and are described today by 10% of people whose hearts stop. The medical world has generally ignored these “near-death experiences,” dismissing them as “tricks of the brain” or wishful thinking. But after his patients started describing events that he could not just sweep under the rug, Dr. Bruce Greyson began to investigate.

As a physician without a religious belief system, he approached near-death experiences from a scientific perspective. In After, he shares the transformative lessons he has learned over four decades of research. Our culture has tended to view dying as the end of our consciousness, the end of our existence—a dreaded prospect that for many people evokes fear and anxiety.

But Dr. Greyson shows how scientific revelations about the dying process can support an alternative theory. Dying could be the threshold between one form of consciousness and another, not an ending but a transition. This new perspective on the nature of death can transform the fear of dying that pervades our culture into a healthy view of it as one more milestone in the course of our lives. After challenges us to open our minds to these experiences and to what they can teach us, and in so doing, expand our understanding of consciousness and of what it means to be human.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Essentials

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781250792259

Bruce Greyson, M.D.

Dr. BRUCE GREYSON is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He served on the medical school faculty at the Universities of Michigan, Connecticut, and Virginia. He was a co-founder and President of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, and Editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. A Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, he has received national awards for his medical research.

Reviews for After

[M-A Doyon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Scientific approach to understanding a paranormal experience. It changes life to be aware of these phenomena and to try to make sense of them. The unsuspected in our path to a complete picture of our total reality is fascinating! But, if I think of it, it all makes a lot of sense.

[Brooke Greene · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulously insightful and meaningful. Grateful to have learned about this book from a brief mention on a podcast. Amazing!

[caitlynv.may · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is probably the most life changing book I’ve ever read. It’s allowed me a science based approach to hope for what comes after our lives here, helped me out of the trenches of eternal oblivionism, and reinforced what I really wanted to believe — that what we do in our lives here matters.
I can’t recommend this book enough! Especially to anyone who has recently deconstructed a religion or past worldview. I’m so grateful to the author and want to keep researching this topic!

[flozander · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is probably the most important book I have ever read / listened to. Do your life a favour and listen to these incredible life affirming stories.

[James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great overview of near death experience research by one of the leaders in the field.

[Gina Smallwood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was well written, the narrator was excellent, and the topic was interesting. I appreciate learning about Dr. Greyson’s work.

[Tracie Douglas-Giesbrecht · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. I loved the level headed look at spiritual things. Thank you.

[Angela L. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such an important book! It’s been eye-opening and reassuring.

[Karen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A scientific approach to the subject. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this phenomenon.

[M Luna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Greyson put immense devotion into this book. Profoundly interesting; I only want more.

[Stephanie Mullany · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Greyson has hit the ball out of the park. While there have been many books written both by experiencers of so-called Near Death phenomena as well as clinician witnesses and researchers, he has approached his work with thousands who have reported a variety of similar experiences by collecting and analyzing details of these experiences systematically and using scientific methodology. Moreover, he is an unusually articulate and authentic psychiatrist, who is able to make his personal journey of development in tandem with scientific exploration of the topic easily understandable to the reader (or listener of the audio version). He graciously met with me on one occasion to allow me to share a mystical experience of mine, which occurred following my meeting with an imminently dying patient as a consulting psychiatrist. I can attest to his unusual ability to listen patiently and objectively. He is a credit to the medical profession and the human species. I have no doubt that one day Dr. Greyson will be warmly greeted in another state by numerous friends collected over half a century during his professional career. We fellow travelers owe him a profound debt of gratitude.

-Stephanie H. Mullany, MD

[Richard Southern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Book!! Scientific in explanation. Fascinating!
I loved this book. It gives you a perspective on death and eternal life. This book completely debunks in scientific ways (brain activity at death) the scientific communities explanations of NDES, such as saying it is just dreams etc. or the brain has low oxygen. You find in reality, it is the exact opposite of what scientists previously used as explanations saying this is all fake, when it is all real.