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Top Books on Near-Death Experience

Dying · 4 min read · First published 2005 · Updated November 2026

Rows of lit candles glowing in the dark
Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash

A near-death experience, often called an NDE, is a vivid experience that some people report after coming very close to death, for example when their heart stops and they are brought back. People describe many things. Some describe a tunnel or a bright light, peace, a review of their life, or meeting loved ones who have died. Others describe frightening experiences.

People disagree about what these experiences mean. Some researchers believe they point to something beyond the brain. Others believe they can be explained by what happens in a body and brain under extreme stress. Many experiencers say their lives were changed. This list gives you both the experiencers' own stories and the research, so you can read with an open mind and decide for yourself.

The research

Life After Life: The Bestselling Original Investigation That Revealed Near-Death Experiences by Raymond Moody, MD (first published 1975; HarperOne 40th anniversary edition, 2015). This is the book that brought the phrase "near-death experience" into everyday use. Moody collected accounts from people who had come close to death and noticed the patterns in what they described. Keep in mind that it is a collection of stories, not a controlled study. [affiliate link: Life After Life]

After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond by Bruce Greyson, MD (St. Martin's Essentials). Greyson is a physician at the University of Virginia who has studied near-death experiences for more than four decades. He writes thoughtfully about what they may tell us about the mind and about consciousness, and he is honest about what is still unknown. [affiliate link: After]

Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience by Pim van Lommel, MD (HarperOne, paperback 2011). A cardiologist reports on what people experienced after cardiac arrest, and argues that consciousness may not depend entirely on the brain. Other scientists disagree with that conclusion, so read it as one serious view in an open debate. Stores sometimes run out of stock, so you may find it easier to borrow from a library or buy used. [affiliate link: Consciousness Beyond Life]

Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences by Susan Blackmore (Prometheus Books, 1993). Blackmore is a psychologist who takes experiences like these seriously as human experiences, and she looks for explanations in the brain. It is an older book, so research since then is not included, but it is a thoughtful voice from the other side of the debate. [affiliate link: Dying to Live]

Experiencers' own accounts

My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life by Howard Storm (Doubleday, 2005). Storm, a college art professor, describes an experience that began in terror and later became deeply loving. He went on to become a pastor in the United Church of Christ. This is a personal account written from a Christian point of view, and it includes a frightening part, so it may not be right for everyone. [affiliate link: My Descent into Death]

Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing by Anita Moorjani (Hay House; 10th anniversary edition, 2022). Moorjani tells of an experience during a serious illness, and of the changes in how she lived afterward. It is her own story, not medical advice, so please keep following your doctors' guidance about any illness. [affiliate link: Dying to Be Me]

A note on books I've left out

A few books that were popular years ago are not on this list. Some are hard to find new, and some have had their claims questioned. If you come across a book not listed here, it is fair to look at who the author is, what training they have, and whether other people have been able to check what they say.

Sources

Written by Words to Comfort

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