For those who would like some leading suggestions / hints about the wide
variety of interest areas and authors about EHEs [not by that name, but
as a global subject] that I came across in my research, here are some I
found helpful:
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Naturally
first and foremost on this website, re: the experiential side per se:
see especially ..
R.A. White
-- who has created a holistic perspective with which to view all
potentially transformative spiritual / paranormal
experiences. She was the first scientist who recognized
parapsychology was totally missing the mark with its emphasis on
'laboratory science' and statistics, indifferent to the ultimate
key to the eternal Mystery -- the experiencers and their actual
experiences!
J. Heron
-- who as a transpersonal psychologist provides a disciplined
approach that fully honors the "inquiry in to the spiritual
and the subtle" with which to explore, encourage, even
cultivate such experiences. Furthermore, he [and in
their various ways, White and also Monroe, below] addressed in
an original and "organic" way the long-problematic
issue of languaging. Inclusive of the issue of
"loaded" language when talking of such experiences,
Heron teaches a simple way to help people describe their
nonphysical events, notorious for being felt to be "beyond
words."
Robert
A. Monroe -- As a CEO during the heyday of radio, he sought
help all over the country in the 1950s for what he thought was a
serious medical or psychiatric malady. He was having
spontaneous episodes in which his consciousness seemed to be
located outside his body, and he did not know how to stop them,
nor did he have any inkling of something termed 'out-of-body
experiences'. One of his medical doctors finally
suggested, after this prolonged and exhaustive diagnostic
testing/examination in which he always came up quite normal and
superbly sane, that he may actually be having some sort of
genuine experience that science just did not know about and that
maybe he should look into that directly. Giving it
considerable thought, Monroe decided he needed to discover how
to help others have the same kind of experience so there could
be a mutually validating means with which to study these
events. He became the first person who systematically
researched primarily out-of-body experiences with the tools and
disciplined approach of a scientist. In the process, over
the last four decades, programs at the Monroe Institute have
guided many thousands of people into altered states, including
self-induced out-of-body states.
Tiffany
Snow -- The title of her book says it well: Psychic Gifts in
the Christian Life: Tools to Connect. Post dramatic
NDE [think lightning strike!], this author came back with the clear conviction that "God
has historically used Supernatural Intervention to connect with
Him, and continues to today. ... That tiny voice inside is
just one line of connection to God. If you truly want your
life choices placed on a stronger footing, and a sense of
certainty and confidence in everything you do, you need to
develop more Tools to Connect." Although on
the surface [languaging], her
book may
particularly appeal to those of more traditional Christian
religious persuasion,
she also fully
respects all paths leading to the same eternal Knowing and
Being. In this regard, Snow is a much needed and highly
regarded bridge builder!
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From
the
practical issues of bereavement and grief to the inspirations and
reassurances of mystical
and visionary experiences: see, e.g., L. Carlson, N.
Coxhead, P. Hogan, E. Kübler-Ross,
M.
Maxwell and V. Tschudin, E. Morgan, N.J. Poer,
C.
Zaleski.
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From
spiritualism [see E. Garrett, D. D.
Home, V. Hugo] to the beginnings of serious scientific investigation
into the possibility of Something More than mere physical existence,
beginning with the
inception of the British and American Societies for Psychical Research [see F.W.H. Myers, W. James,
R.M. Bücke], and to the further hope and eventual
disappointment of what became parapsychology [see K. Osis
and E. Haraldsson, D.S. Rogo].
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Into
the recently birthed, exciting, and already oceanic field of what is loosely
called 'consciousness studies' [see S.
Grof, E.
Laszlo, A. Mindell, E.D.
Mitchell and D. Williams, C.T. Tart].
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And
the traditional sciences [see D. Bohm,
M. Emoto, A. Goswami,
B. Lipton, R.
Sheldrake, C.
Pert, L.J. Shepherd, W. Tiller, F.A. Wolf].
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More
specific forays into near-death studies and transpersonal psychology [see P.M.H.
Atwater, G. Doore, J. Heron, A. Maslow,
R. Moody, Jr., M. Morse,
K.
Ring].
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Continual
visits into the vast eddies of Eastern thought [see H.H.
the Dalai Lama, S.
Kikhilananda, G. Krishna,
N.
Norbu, D.K. Roy and I. Devi, Satprem]
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The
singular field of ufology. I confess I avoided this for
many years because I had no referent for judging the genuine
literature and resources from those that may not be.
But after sliding some hesitant toes in the water, a few authors
/ experiencers / researchers struck me as highly commendable,
among them: John Mack
of PEERS/Princeton University, Jacques
Vallee, Northwestern University, and [this one came highly
recommended and is less familiar to me] Steven
Greer, childhood EHEer and medical doctor.
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A
full-stop focus into the recent, often exciting and clarifying scholarship
of anthropologists and sacred-text researchers, such as those who translate and study
the renowned Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi library, both
discovered in the mid 1940s. Much of this material,
withheld from public scrutiny for decades, was finally forced
into being released into the hands of scholars worldwide,
ensuring that various pet biases would not poison the
translations and continued research into their origin and their
time of origin. Like the most delicate work required to
unearth and clean away the debris that may hide any ancient
treasure, and with exquisite care to protect these works from
further damage, together and stroke by gentle stroke, they have
been bringing to light much of the story of that epoch, and yes,
stunningly different in ways we could not have
guessed!
I must confess I too was initially fearful of the possibility of
a glib scientist or religious with hir own conscious or
unconscious motives, shredding something priceless within my
soul, with either utter indifference or an ulterior
agenda. But what has happened instead is, through this new
understanding steadily coming to light, my faith has been
thrillingly replenished and multiplied! The more accurate
and richly complex story becoming revealed about that era is
fully in synch with so many other seemingly holographic
facets of our human potential and development, sourced in
everything from the sciences to the growing unity of social
conscience and consciousness, yet most of all in people's
personal exceptional and exceptional human experiences, from the
present and from the past, from all over the world.
To me, the picture, the story, that is emerging out of those
times offers yet one more (and speaking of timely) clarifying
validation of the Eternal Story being enacted during the
similarly intense drama of our times as well, having to do with
our innately spiritual nature and the challenge and struggle to
come to terms with that fact, very much an individual Journey,
even as it is our collective evolutionary Journey as a
species. The congruity is unmistakable. All to say, banish
your fears and doubts, open your heart-mind, and if you have not
already done so, just go explore! [Especially
recommended: Stevan
Davies' translation of the Gospel of Thomas with Andrew Harvey's
commentary; Elaine Pagels;
Robert Eisenman.]
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Actual
EHEs of great variety of type and the experiencers / EHEers themselves [see
the majority of titles on the website; of special note: D.
Brinkley, E. Garrett, A.
Guirdham, E. and J. Hicks, Dianne
Morrissey, J.
Roberts, H. Storm, E.
Swedenborg,
R. Steiner, D. Spangler, Rhea A. White].
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Quite
a few other and certainly related subject areas, such as healing arts, shamanic interests,
entheogens [see R. Crosley,
S. Ingerman, L.
Keyes, O. C. Simonton, T.
Leary, R. Strassman].
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Ultimately
a major subject area, but here only briefly mentioned: methods
for cultivating EEs / EHEs [see M.
Erickson, W. Fezler, S.
Greer, S.
Grof, John Heron, R. Steiner,
D. Spangler].
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A
number of philosopher-teacher experiencers of recent-to-current times, some
referred to as saints or seers [see Adilakshmi,
J. Heron, L.
Keyes, K. Leland, R. A. Monroe, A.K. Mozumdar,
Neville, Saint/Padre Pio, J. Roberts, D. Spangler, R. Steiner].
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.. And these were the
discoveries only of the first week! .. ;-D .. well actually, over
quite a few years, but it has always felt about that intense. Only after
continual immersion in this kind of searching did I finally feel I had at last
gotten a fairly reasonable overview, although to this day, new things still
regularly pop up, and no doubt they will continue to! You can see how
things-experiential of this nature can run literally all over the map of basic human
knowledge!
Among those whose work has
particularly contributed to the broader lines of my understanding, whose ideas
are pervaded with a sense of heart wisdom as well as outstanding intellect, the
following people have been especially influential in my approach to this work. They
have broadened, deepened, set on fire, and gifted many people with their knowledge
sourced in experience regarding the import of EHEs [and not to be perceived as
'separate' ultimately from the sacredness of our moment-to-moment living, which
is where they find us]; the interrelationship and
valuing of transcendent, inscendent, and immanent experience / awareness; ways
to actively explore or become more aware of that which is so evident to so many,
yet beyond the grasp of western science as we have known it. Each one in
highly individual ways is a most remarkable pathfinder who lives to serve the
wholeness of who and what we are as an extraordinary and evolving species of
uniquely gifted spirit beings.
Stevan
Davies / Andrew Harvey
John Heron
Neville
Elaine
Pagels
David Spangler
Rudolf
Steiner
Rhea A. White
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