The Departed Among the Living: An Investigative Study of Afterlife Encounters
The Departed Among the Living is a profound challenge to the assumption that human consciousness is annihilated with the death of the brain and body. Dr. Erlendur Haraldsson's meticulous, fascinating research will validate those who already believe in life after death, and should stimulate serious reflection in those who do not.  This book will almost certainly become a classic in the field of survival research.  - Larry Dossey, M.D. Author of "Healing Words" and "Reinventing Medicine"      With nearly three quarters of Icelanders stating a belief in some form of survival of bodily death, we might expect a substantial amount of evidence to be reported. Thanks to Erlendur Haraldsson, one of the outstanding field researchers of our time, much of this evidence is now available to us, in one of the most important books of its kind since the classic 1886 survey Phantasms of the Living.     - Guy Lyon Playfair, author of The Flying Cow and Twin Telepathy       "When you start thinking about the meaning of your life and the best way to live, the question of whether it's all material, you die and everything is over, versus whether we continue on in some form as part of a spiritual existence, becomes very important.  Do I really care about meaning and the consequences of my actions since it all ends suddenly and I'm gone, no regrets, no real satisfactions? It would mean a lot to think you can plan for a long existence of spiritual evolution, but is that all a myth as we think science says, an opiate for the masses to keep them obedient while the smart exploit them?  Genuine science says investigate, not dogmatically affirm or deny survival, and while the survival question is generally ignored by those supposedly practicing science, a very few scientists, of whom Erlendur Haraldsson is a sterling example, search out and analyze the relevant evidence suggesting survival.  You will, to put it mildly, be fascinated by what he presents in this book - and perhaps the plan of your life will be changed.       - Charles T. Tart, Ph.D. Author of "The End of Materialism"      Known as a worldwide respected researcher of deathbed visions and past life memories, Erlendur Haraldsson has now published a very well-documented, and a highly inspiring and convincing book about encounters with deceased relatives, again referring to the probability of a continuity of consciousness after physical death. Highly recommended.                                    - Pim van Lommel, Cardiologist. "Author of Consciousness beyond Life."      The closed-minded skeptic will refer to the many interesting and intriguing stories collected by Dr Haraldsson for this book as anecdotal and dismiss them as the products of hallucinations, illusions, or wild imaginations, but the open-minded, discerning skeptic will see them as possible cumulative evidence of, as Haraldsson calls them, "afterlife encounters."                                                                             - Michael Tymn, Vice-President, Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, and author of "The Afterlife Revealed"