Bruce Greyson

The NDE Scale. In 1983 Greyson published a sixteen-item questionnaire for identifying and measuring near-death experiences.^[1] It gave researchers a common definition, and it remains the standard instrument in the field.

After-effects. Greyson's studies compared people who had near-death experiences with people who came equally close to death without one. Experiencers showed lasting changes: less fear of death, a stronger sense of purpose, and more concern for others.

Clinical questions. He examined whether the experiences could be explained by mental illness, medication, or low oxygen, and reported that none of these accounted for them. He also co-authored the main paper on distressing experiences.

Editing. He edited the Journal of Near-Death Studies for more than two decades.

His 2021 book After summarizes this work for general readers.^[2] In it he concludes that the evidence is hard to square with the view that the mind is only what the brain does, and he is careful to say that the evidence does not prove survival of death.

Skeptical researchers accept Greyson's descriptive findings and dispute his interpretation. They argue that known brain mechanisms can account for the experiences. See Skeptical accounts of near-death experiences.

The Bridge cites Greyson's research, in particular on the lasting effects of near-death experiences.^[3] Greyson has no connection to The Source of Aletheia and has not reviewed or endorsed Universal Panpsychism. In 2023 he argued in the Journal of Near-Death Studies that IANDS itself should not endorse any particular worldview.^[4]

1. Greyson, B. (1983). The near-death experience scale: Construction, reliability, and validity. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171(6), 369-375.
2. Greyson, B. (2021). After: A doctor explores what near-death experiences reveal about life and beyond. St. Martin's Essentials.
3. Ryan, J. C., & The Source of Aletheia Coordinating Council. (2026). The Bridge: Spiritual awakening handbook. The Source of Aletheia International Institute.
4. Greyson, B. (2023). Response to editorial "Should IANDS endorse a post-physicalist worldview?": Why IANDS should not endorse a specific worldview. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 41(2), 103-108.