Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death is a dramatic and sustained response to decades of research into near-death experiences (NDEs) - the first to credibly bridge the gap between the competing factions of science and spirituality.

Introduction 1. A Brief History of NDEs 2. A 'DeafeningSilence': Theology and the NDE 3. Defining the Light: Language, Epistemology and the NDE 4. Of Plots and Minds: Neuroscience, Narrative and the NDE 5. Second Sight? NDEs and the Blind 6. The RERC Study 7. Building Bridges of Fighting Wars? Religion, Spirituality and the Future of Near Death-Studies Notes Bibliography _ _

'Fascinating, the analysis/explanation, drawing on cognate research into religious and mystical experiences, is of a sophisticated order clear, lucid, engaging and to the point. Highly recommended!' - Paul Heelas, Lancaster University'Encyclopedia and scholarly; it pushes the boundaries further than any work on this topic in the last few years. There hasn't been anything quite like this for a long while.' - Allan Kellahear, La Trobe University, Australia"A fascinating overivew ... extremely illuminating for those interested in the question of NDEs ... the value of this work is in bringing together a range of different perspectives." - Jeremy Carrette, University of Stirling"The most exciting study of NDE's that I have seen in 10 years." - Allan Kellehear, La Trobe University, Melbourne'Research into NDEs constitutes a fascinating and fast-growing field. In Religion, Spirituality and the Near-Death Experience, Mark Fox has admirably brought together a mass of this research carried out over the past thirty years ... This he presents in a clear and unbiased fashion, leaving the reader to make up their own minds on the issues.' - Russell Stannard, Times Literary Supplement'Mark Fox ... has written the most sensible, accessible and helpful books so far on near-death experience' - Rt Revd David Atkinson, Church Times'In Religion, [Mark Fox] attempts to connect the latest research in near-death experiences to philosophical musings. His efforts yields plenty of compelling first-person yarns, culled from more than 100 survivors.' - Psychology Today'His treatment is a model of interdisciplinary investigation, mapping out evidence coherently and even-handedly ...' - Milltown Studies'Religion, SPirituality and the Near-Death EXperience is the most sophisticated philosophical and theological analysis of NDE to appear to date.' - Network'In short, Religion, Spirituality and the Near-Death Experience provides an excellent introduction and overview of research on near-death experiences, with a special emphasis on the religious implications thereof.' - Studies in Religion'[Fox] has written a comprehensive guide to a subject which has been growing over the last twenty-five years ... a welcome standby for serious students of the subject.' - Christian Parapsychologist