Description
Book SynopsisThis book is about how, when, and why our dead visit us. Allan Kellehear—a medical sociologist and expert on death, dying, and palliative care—has gathered data and conducted studies on deathbed visions across cultures.
Trade ReviewA respectful examination of visitations from the dead on a deathbed and in bereavement, Kellehear adds to an emerging body of work that is of great interest.
Visitors at the End of Life does an excellent job addressing this topic with an objective and serious tone. -- Kenneth J. Doka, coauthor of
Death and Dying, Life and Living, eighth edition, and senior consultant, Hospice Foundation of America
Establishing quickly that near-death experiences, deathbed visions, and visions of the bereaved are commonplace, Kellehear examines how these experiences exemplify established principles of social interaction and addresses perhaps a crucial question: What can these experiences offer to the dying, their family and friends, and humanity at large? A must-read for anyone with a personal or professional interest in the human dying and bereavement processes. -- Janice Miner Holden, editor of the
Journal of Near-Death StudiesJust what is the social logic behind human experiences of our dead? This renowned death-studies scholar challenges us to create an ‘intellectual space’ to question simplistic answers by reframing our approach to the enigmas of experience encountered by millions across diverse world cultures. -- Douglas Davies, Durham University
In
Visitors at the End of Life, Allan Kellehear moves beyond whether visits from dead are real or imagined and probes the deeper question of what they mean. Illustrating with copious accounts of visitations, Kellehear makes them as understandable as any other social encounter.
Visitors at the End of Life contains much wisdom and much comfort for the bereaved. -- Bruce Greyson, University of Virginia
His description of key anthropological accounts will help interested readers frame these phenomena seriously so that they can be better illuminated and understood...Recommended. * Choice *
Table of ContentsPreface
Part I. Conflict and Context1. Visitors Near Death: Are They “Real”?
2. Hallucinations
3. Perception
Part II. Patterns of Custom and Solicitation4. Greetings and Other Customs
5. Advice
6. Transformation
7. Gifts
Part III. A Pattern Directing the Patterns
8. Vigils
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
