On life After Death - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross - Review

After a death in the family, grieving, following an explosion of separation of all who were left, my focus went to the metaphysical and the spiritual. I went to many places and practices, a journey of personal and social discovery. It was only much later, when my childhood friend committed suicide, and my son's grandfather had been taken from cancer, that I discovered this tiny text. Doctor Kubler-Ross understands life, death and most of all, love. I gave away this book to a grieving woman after her husbands death. Some time later, this lovely woman came back to me, appearing bright and happy,thanking me for giving her the text... Perhaps this is an inappropriate time to speak about death, however, it's been on my mind lately, and I thought it perhaps, okay, to share this...as hope and love is what this holiday is all about...

Five Essays on Life, Death and Love.

This little book is a treasure.

Dr. Kubler-Ross is the author of "On Death and Dying", where she addresses the process of death and bereavement, offering coping skills for the parent, family member or child who have lost a loved one. In "On Life After Death", she discusses her twenty-five year research with the dying, illustrating what actually occurs to the person at the moment of death, taken from thousands of interviews with those that have had a near death experience, (NDE) concluding that this experience is virtually the same for everyone.

The book contains four essays on the subject. In the first essay she states her argument without hesitation, stating emphatically that after interviewing thousands of dying men, women and children, all told her virtually the same experience. They begin by having an out-of-the-body occurrence and a feeling of wholeness, and heightened awareness. These individuals reported "seeing" doctors, nurses and loved one's while they were clinically dead. She also goes onto explain that we are never alone when we begin to pass on, that there is always someone, a deceased family member, a guarding angel or guide to help us through this transition.

One of the more compelling stories Kubler-Ross conveys was the visitation from an old, deceased patient. The doctor was at a difficult time in her career, and she wanted to resign from her work with the dying. One day after delivering a seminar on the subject, she met her boss to resign when in the open elevator stood an old patient, Mrs. Schwartz. This individual was the first patient that Dr. Kubler-Ross interviewed for her studies on NDE, and had recently died. Mrs. Schwartz told her that she had "come back" for two reasons, first to thank the doctor for her help and also to persuade her to continue her work with the dying. As a scientist, Dr. Kubler-Ross did not want to believe she was speaking with a dead patient, and to prove to herself that this experience was indeed happening, the doctor put across to Mrs. Schwartz to write her a note, stating her request. Astonishingly, Dr. Kubler-Ross has this note in her possession to this day, and kept her promise to continue her work with the dying. As a scientist, writing about this experience and speaking about it to hundreds of people and colleagues, must have taken considerable courage.

Dr. Kubler-Ross is recognized as the world's foremost expert on the subject of death, the process of dying and the afterlife. These four astounding essays are written clearly and persuasively based on years of research on literally thousands of patients.

This is an important book. Dr. Kubler-Ross has conveyed a strong message of hope for all of us, concluding that the basic purpose of our lives is to learn, and most importantly, to love.

Craig Middleton