There has been a major shift in the field of near-death studies. Because of large clinical prospective studies done in a number of countries, an abundance of papers published in peer-reviewed journals, the phenomenon is now the number one choice of scientists worldwide to study consciousness itself. This work is ongoing, with the current AWARE Project (Awareness During Resuscitation) covering 25 medical centers and over 1,500 patients over a three-year period. Over 100 medical colleges teach classes about the phenomenon. Truly worldwide, today's discoveries are challenging what we think we know about brain development, our faculties, out-of-body experiences, the afterlife, and the importance of spirituality and prayer. This talk focuses on that shift and what we are learning about life, about death, about who we are as human beings. These are massive changes, taking us from the days where the myths of "the light at the end of the tunnel" and "the religion of the resuscitated" dominated the sensationalization of near-death experiences and the "Moody Miracle." Today we know near-death states are valid states of consciousness that engender significant changes in experiencers, whether child or adult. The one book that synergizes the entire subject and brings us uptodate with new material and new findings that are "rocking" the field, is P. M. H. Atwater's latest, "The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences: The Ultimate Guide to What Happens When We Die." Featured by "Newsweek Magazine" online, the book covers the phenomenon like nothing else. And so does its author, P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D.

Tags: Awareness during Resuscitation, Near-Death Studies