According to a Gallup Poll, as many as eight million Americans have had at least one near-death experience. This fascinating phenomenon has been the focus of much investigation in recent years -- but its after-effects, the ways that near-death experiences can dramatically change both the personalities and lives of survivors for years to come, have never been explored in depth until now. Based on extensive interviews with over two hundred near-death survivors and thousands of their friends and relatives, Atwater, herself a "survivor" of three near-death experiences, examines the major positive and negative after-effects which survivors experience.

Considered an authority on death, near death, and the afterlife, Atwater has written a book that gives details and deep insights into what really happens when you die and what it truly means. She also explores such mysteries as heaven and hell, the souls’ existence after death, the power of prayer, and delves into the truths and myths about death that may shed new light on the real truth about life and living.