In today’s episode, I’m happy to introduce you to the remarkable Dr. Bruce Greyson. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and 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.
Dr. Greyson has been collecting stories of near-death experiences for 45 years and has just published a new book called, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond, that documents some of these incredible stories and what they can teach us not only about what happens when we die, but also how to live.
He explains that through his work, he realized just how incomplete our understanding of life and death, the mind and the brain actually was. And while he had peers that did not support his work, he felt it would actually be a disservice to science to not investigate further.
“Paradoxically, becoming less afraid of death makes you live life more fully.” ~ Dr. Bruce Greyson
This conversation and the ideas and perspectives Dr. Greyson shares is truly extraordinary. He has learned that the death of the body is not the end, and that death is often a beautiful, blissful experience. Many people with near-death experiences say that loved ones were waiting for them on the other side. Dr. Greyson says that this shows us we can let go of the fear of dying alone.
He talks about what happens to our brain and mind during these experiences, why not everyone has a near-death experience, and how the explanation of what happened is dependent on a person’s cultural and religious background.
One of the biggest impacts of Dr. Greyson’s studies and the stories of near-death experiences is not necessarily explaining what happens when we die, although that is remarkable as well. What may be even more powerful is what these stories teach us about living. Most near-death experiencers say that it teaches us about life and how to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. It turns out that not being afraid of death helps us to open up to living life to the fullest.
While I know this conversation and information can’t take away the pain and grief of losing a loved one, I do hope it offers some comfort.I hope that you find your way to this book, the stories are truly remarkable. I’d love to hear what you thought of this conversation. Please comment below or share with me on social media. Please share it with your friends and family, and be sure to tag me if you share it on social media so that I can say thank you. I’m @christinarasmussen7 on Instagram and @ChristinaRasmussen2014 on Facebook.
More About Dr. Bruce Greyson
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.
You can connect with him via his website.
Things We Mention In This Episode
Website: brucegreyson.com Book: After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond, by Dr. Bruce Greyson Book: Dying To Be Me, by Anita Moorjani Website: Dr. Raymond Moody Book: Where Did You Go? by Christina Rasmussen Book: Second Firsts by Christina Rasmussen Newsletter - Message In a Bottle: Sign up for Christina’s weekly letterApple podcast reviews and ratings are really important to help get the podcast in front of more people to uplift and inspire them too, which is the ultimate goal. Thank you!
