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"ANOTHER LOOK..." is an ongoing column I write for Vital Signs Newsletter, a quarterly publication of the International Association For Near-Death Studies. Each segment will appear here from now on, as well as in the Newsletter. This new feature gives me a format with which to explore varied issues about near-death states. Should you wish to make a comment or want to suggest future topics, please feel free to contact me. I may be able to use your suggestions directly. Thank you. P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)
P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) P. O. Box 7691 Charlottesville, VA 22906-7691
I addressed the touchy subject of "heavenly justice" with Near-Death episodes last time. Now I'm tackling another difficult topic. . . money. And I'll do this in two installments: the first directed toward the research community, the second concerning Near-Death experiencers.
With the exception of yours truly, researchers in the field of Near-Death studies usually hold or are retired from full time, salaried positions most often in academia or the medical profession. Others are students, fulfilling thesis requirements for advanced degrees through some type of Near-Death research.
Did you ever wonder why this is so?
Money.
Only a small handful ever received grants or donations to help them do their work, and none of those moneys were that substantial. Fascination with the subject, curiosity, even passion may fuel interest, but it's that separate and steady paycheck that pays the bills. There were a few who negotiated large advances and royalties on book sales; but, contrary to what you might think, they later told "sob stories" on how they lost the money or were nearly forced into bankruptcy because of illness, divorce, problems with publishers, or the like.
As an example of how discouraging things can get, my April 2002 Statement of Royalties for The Complete Idiot's Guide to Near-Death Experiences, shows total sales of 8,180 copies in two years with a net payment to me of $376.41. The one for Children of the New Millennium covers a three-year span of sales totaling 5,205 copies not enough to count. When you factor in the income from all five of the books I wrote about the research I did, that raises my total earnings for almost 24 years of work to just shy of $30,000. That's it. If I had spent those years clerking at a KMart, I would have earned a fortune by comparison. And my story is by no means unique.
So, why does anyone bother doing Near-Death research?
A quick look at the roster of those who have published papers or books on the subject is rather revealing. Several of the researchers were so deeply affected by the death of loved ones and dear friends, that they were driven to learn what they could about the existence of an afterlife and what better venue to investigate than the stories of Near-Death experiencers. A number were diehard skeptics who were trying to disprove any such "nonsense," but wound up believers after confronting facts they could not disprove. Some were on an ego trip and craved the sensationalism they managed to achieve. Many, like myself, were motivated by a sense of "mission," the idea that what they learned from their studies could uplift and inspire others perhaps make a positive difference in society itself. Although none expressed a desire to "make a million," most were on the lookout for funding.
Thanks to Pim van Lommel, M.D. and the Dutch Study that was published in Lancet last December, the Near-Death experience is once again a popular subject.
Only this time participants are truly global; cases, cross-cultural. What was once a dominate viewpoint is now a potpourri of different voices and ideas. And among the new voices are sounds of frustration and impatience, and statements such as:
"We cannot be expected to work for free. There must be a way to earn a decent living from the research we do."
Prepare yourself, folks. An influx of research entrepreneurs is headed our way and it is timely that they are.
No one should have to sacrifice to the degree that I and so many others have. It is reasonable and proper that fees be charged, that a market for products and services flourishes, that grant moneys open up, and that paid employment be a possibility not only in the research field but within the organization of IANDS. We once had an office staff on payroll at IANDS and we need to have one again.
Profit is not a dirty word. It can be a motivator for the kind of enthusiasm and creativity that reaches across boundaries to spark new growth and understanding. That's not greed, it's green energy and we're the stewards of "best use."
I said an influx of research entrepreneurs is headed our way. Here's one in
the way of a research proposal I received from a group of scientists in Russia. The main contact is Vladimir S. Zhdanov, an evolutionist. Other members on the team are V. A. Geodakyan (doctor of biology, professor, theoretician in biology), V. A. Derecha (doctor of medicine, hypnotist), V. V. Prikhodko (doctor of medicine, reanimator), Yu. V. Tchaykovsky (candidate of technical science, evolutionist), and S. E. Shnol (doctor of biology, professor, biophysicist).
These men are fascinated with the subject of immortality and four variants of
how that might be obtained: through cloning an individual, cryogenic preservation (freezing) of a person's body after death so that it can be repaired and rejuvenated later on, cryogenic preservation of only the head (supposedly to save the individual's "conscience") so that it can be transplanted once a clone is readied, and/or storing the individual's conscience in computer memory banks until a suitable clone can be created for memory file transplantation.
The scientists admit that successful cryogenics, cloning, and how to preserve personal consciousness is probably 50 to 100 years away, if then; but they are willing to work with "customers" who could pay for the theoretical work needed to be done now and for ways to test those theories. As revolting as such ideas may seem to members of IANDS, that kind of free thinking is exactly what has turned these men to the subject of the Near-Death phenomenon a subject relatively unknown in their country except for an abundance of case histories and findings that already exist.
In Russia, there are records dating back 25 years that cover the testimony of women in childbirth who experienced near-death states, numerous studies of the
fetus in utero, methods of applying what has been learned about the "hereafter" in actual medical practice, 40 years of work on "global evolutionism" that provides a place for Near-Death states in an integral model of consciousness transformations.
Their proposal makes it clear that the mere increase of quantitative data on new case studies of Near-Death experiences is not productive, nor desirable. What is really needed, they believe, are new ideas, new assessments, new criteria for establishing the veracity of present findings. In other words, what do we do about what we already know? . . . let the solution to that question be our goal.
The specifics of what they want to accomplish once they receive needed funding are as follows.
I. Produce a book, tentatively titled "To the Issue of a Possibility for Personal Immortality of Humans." They project that this book will cover: Paradigms of Cognition (a sketch that provides for a better understanding of the coevolution of matter, humans, larger systems of connection and interconnection); Evolutionary Systems (ethics of sphere by Jung and Sheldrake, the hypothesis of Gaia, extraterrestrial civilizations, other variants); Near-Death Experiences and Visionism (the virtual versus the real, perspectives of research); What is Behind AfterDeath Alienation (the concept of a soul and an afterlife, when and why this might have started);ManMade Immortality (possible linking of personal immortality with the laws of nature and changing generations, problems of incarnation); and A System of Postulates (a forecast which begins to come true).
II. Project plans and methodologies for supplemental laboratory, archival, and research orientations. Design experiments to be carried out at particular Russian clinics and research institutions. They include in their proposal an offer to do a comprehensive analysis of 150 years of medical, psychiatric, and ethnological practices, as well as undertaking a study of the variants of physical immortality. And they are prepared to begin this enormous project as soon as they receive $10,000. Amazingly, they are also willing to grant whoever funds them the full and exclusive right to use the conclusions and recommendations resulting from their efforts.
Should you or anyone you know be interested in this Russian proposal or in providing funds, contact Vladimir Zhdanov directly at (phone) 3532 72 33 10, (fax) 3532 77 65 88, (email) zuv@mail.ku.ru, (postal) Ul. Tchkalova, 56171, Orenburg 460001, Russia.
I am very excited about the possibilities here, and especially with the idea of including Russian records, case histories, and thoughts in the expanding community of researchers and those devoted to exploring the mysteries of life and death. I hope the necessary funds come through for them, and soon. Yet more importantly,I affirm that the day is rapidly approaching when all of us can feel good and think positive about a myriad of products and services, educational and spiritual opportunities, that can arise from what we know about the Near-Death phenomenon. It's time to apply what we've learned.
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P.M.H.Atwater, L.H.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) Is the author of many books concerning near-death states,
the latest being FUTURE MEMORY, CHILDREN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, and THE COMPLETE
IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE. Check out her website at www.pmhatwater.com
for more information about her other books, the Subtext, and her "Brain
Shift/ Spirit Shift" model for exploring transformations of consciousness.
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