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At the Hour of Death: A New Look at Evidence for Life After Death Paperback – January 1, 1997

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

Presents the results of a four-year study of fifty thousand terminally-ill patients, describing the visions and elevated moods experienced just before death

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A major contribution to the scientific study of the question of postmortem existence. -- Raymond A. Moody, M.D., Author of Life After Life

The deathbed is the gateway to another existence. The visions of the dying are glimpses through the window of eternity. --
Alan Vaughan, Editor of New Realities magazine

About the Author

Karlis Osis, Ph.D., was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1917, and is one of the few psychologists to have obtained a Ph.D. with a thesis dealing with extrasensory perception (University of Munich, 1950).

He's well known for his long-distance ESP experiments - up to ten thousand miles - and for his research on the ESP channel - that is, an unknown energy which transmits ESP.

In the '70's, Osis conducted extensive laboratory experiments on out-of-body experiences. These involved perceptual, physiological (EEG), and physical measurements. Together with Dr. Erlendur Haraldsson, he conducted a large-scale survey of the experiences of dying patients in India, which provided data for cross-cultural comparison between India and the United States. They also studied psychic phenomena in selected Yogis, particularly Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in southern India.

Erlendur Haraldsson, Ph.D., was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1931. After finishing his studies at the gymnasium (college), he worked for some years as a journalist and writer, traveling extensively in western Asis and India.

Having studied psychology at the German universities of Freiburg and Munich, Haraldsson received the diploma of psychology, a degree equivalent to the M.A. in America.

Haraldsson has conducted numerous research projects, has published widely in scholarly journals in America and Europe, and written four books. At the Hour of Death, which he wrote with Dr. Osis, has appeared in over twenty editions. Over a period of ten years he made several journeys to India to study the famous "man of miracles" Sathya Sai Baba. Haraldsson's thorough study of Sai Baba resulted in Modern Miracles (the English edition is titles Miracles Are My Visiting Cards) which has been highly acclaimed by critics and appeared in fourteen editions.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hastings House Pub; Subsequent edition (January 1, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0803893868
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803893863
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1200L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2016
Very good book for anyone wanting, not a popular treatment, but a detailed look at the specifics of death bed experiences through the eyes of researchers who have done a very good cross-cultural study of the phenomenon. While it may be too detailed for many, for those who are seeking to get back to the facts will love it. Well-written. Good summaries at the end of each chapter and the end of the book. Would be interesting to see more people comparing the results of studies of near-death experiences with the studies on death bed experiences. Remember, these are researchers, not theologians. But the results, at least to me, have theological implications. Read what they uncovered and draw your own conclusions.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2017
Excellent information source for evidence supporting reports of similar experiences of persons who are dying
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
Good
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2007
I must say that I was a bit disappointed with this book. Perhaps I was looking for more real life experiences vs. statistical data comparison. Nonetheless it is a good book, giving you an idea what happens to people in their last moments on earth. But it doesn't really tell you what they see as in "how does the other world (if it exists) look", or can they hear the loved ones as they're "floating" away. I guess realistically, it's probably not possible to know those things but I guess that's what I was looking for in this book.
13 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2000
Anyone interest in near death experiences or life after death should strongly consider reading this book. The research involved here is some of the most extensive, albeit exhausing I have ever read on any subject.
The authors, all MD's, have exercised the utmost diligence and honesty in researching, compiling, and analyzing data from both India and the U.S. on this very vital, but often abused subject.
The reading can be tedious at times and very much text book in nature. Also, don't expect any profound conclusions or revelations about the research from the authors either. They have opted for a very conservative and non-commital conclusion to their vast research. The reader must draw his or her own conclusions.
For those who desire a well-researched and documented book where the author expresses an opinion in no uncertain terms, read Tom Harpur's outstanding "Life After Death" ... .
90 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2008
Having lost my only child, this subject is impossibly important. I do believe in 'life after death' and it is the moment of death, the process of dying, I am desparate to research.
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2009
This book was originally released over 30 years ago now, and the time tells. Researchers in parapsychology were still falling over themselves trying to stick as rigidly as possible to all aspects of academic procedure, one of which is to write dry, unemotive English. This book is a long way from the true dryness of academic literature, but readers of modern non-fiction may stumble in some parts, particularly the statistical ones. Having said all that, I think the authors made the right decision, as their thorough research and data analysis is pretty solid, and brings out some unexpected results. Not all experience death-bed visions. And if you're on medication, have any brain disorder or have previously experienced hallucinations, amongst other factors, then their analysis shows you probably won't. If you do though, it will probably be of someone living who's close to you. That's what happens to people hallucinating just prior to death under the influence of medication or a breakdown in brain functioning. When people of sound mind on no medication and without a history of hallucinations see visions of people in the minutes before death, it is invariably of people already dead, and they are happily surprised at the unexpected reunion with one or several passed away close friends or relatives, which explains the look of contentment or even happiness on many of these people's faces which nurses observe as they pass away. The authors don't directly state their conclusions at the end as these are obvious, the results of their analysis speaking for themselves. And if they'd added any speculations beyond what patients actually reported, the book would've lapsed into fantasy. It sticks to facts, so if you're looking for science fiction, you should look elsewhere.

All in all, a fantastic work and a milestone in human research, but it may be centuries before its true significance is realised.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars A dry but compelling classic which provides strong proof of life after death
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2009
This book was originally released over 30 years ago now, and the time tells. Researchers in parapsychology were still falling over themselves trying to stick as rigidly as possible to all aspects of academic procedure, one of which is to write dry, unemotive English. This book is a long way from the true dryness of academic literature, but readers of modern non-fiction may stumble in some parts, particularly the statistical ones. Having said all that, I think the authors made the right decision, as their thorough research and data analysis is pretty solid, and brings out some unexpected results.

Not all experience death-bed visions. And if you're on medication, have any brain disorder or have previously experienced hallucinations, amongst other factors, then their analysis shows you probably won't. If you do though, it will probably be of someone living who's close to you. That's what happens to people hallucinating just prior to death under the influence of medication or a breakdown in brain functioning. When people of sound mind on no medication and without a history of hallucinations see visions of people in the minutes before death, it is invariably of people already dead, and they are happily surprised at the unexpected reunion with one or several passed away close friends or relatives, which explains the look of contentment or even happiness on many of these people's faces which nurses observe as they pass away. The authors don't directly state their conclusions at the end but these are obvious, the results of their analysis speaking for themselves.

All in all, a fantastic work and a milestone in human research, but it may be centuries before its true significance is realised.
11 people found this helpful
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