Materialistic science dismisses NDEs as delusions or hallucinations. But this is a bit of a stretch, considering that:

1. NDE experiences occur even in situations where no brain activity can be measured,
2. Conversations are heard and sights seen that are simply not possible from the location of the body, e.g., seeing scars on the surgeon’s scalp, describing medical equipment and procedures, etc.,
3. Person blind from birth able to see for the first time, including colors never seen,
4. Young children telling of seeing Angels, etc even though they are raised in secular families and no reason exists for them to anticipate such things.

Recommended readings:

'A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience' by ACBS Srila Prabhupada

'Light and Death - One Doctor's Fascinating Account of Near-Death Experiences' by Michael Sabom,  one of the best books on near death experience with thorough, accurate  scientific records.

       Near death experiences (NDEs), like life after death, fascinate most people and require a leap of faith. Proof of the existence of either is slim, and belief in them often relies on an individual's personal philosophy of life. The author of this book is a cardiologist in private practice who describes himself as a Christian. He has been involved in NDE research since 1977 and has published a previous book on the subject titled Recollections of Death. That book, according to the author, "allowed no space" for considering religion when evaluating an NDE. This book documents the experiences of a number of patients who have experienced an NDE and looks at their experiences from the author's and from the patient's religious viewpoints.

      The book recounts patients' experiences of near death as they occurred during surgery, cardiac catheterizations, resuscitations, and trauma events. The author raises questions about death and the sequence of events that lead to it; he discusses the criteria for death and how those criteria have evolved from looking for condensation on a mirror to the more complex criteria used today. The author attempts in his final chapters to prove that NDEs actually occur and that they are not biological or chemical neurological events that can be tied to hypoxia. He is relatively successful at this, describing activities and events that patients recalled, which would require a fairly sophisticated knowledge of medicine and hospital procedures not common to most patients.

          The author also strives to prove that NDEs are a confirmation of life after death, the existence of God, and the presence of heaven. He has chosen a difficult task and he describes it best when he compares the process to "nailing Jello to the wall." For those who do believe in God, NDEs are merely confirmation of their intrinsic beliefs and for those who are skeptical, this book gives a substantial food for thought based on many accurate, scientific evidences.

Partial reading of this book is online at Google library.