ARCHIVE #13 — What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Consciousness with Dr. Bruce Greyson

There are moments in life—on hospital beds, in emergency rooms, at the edge of clinical death—when something extraordinary seems to occur. Moments in which consciousness appears to expand, rather than fade. In this profound conversation, I speak with Dr. Bruce Greyson, pioneering psychiatrist and internationally respected researcher of near-death experiences (NDEs), to explore what these liminal states may be telling us about the nature of mind, memory, and meaning.

Dr. Greyson’s journey began not from belief, but from a moment of disorientation: a patient, unconscious the night before, described leaving her body and observing things she could not have physically witnessed. That event catalyzed a decades-long inquiry. As co-founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies and long-time editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, he has been at the forefront of a field that quietly challenges the prevailing assumptions of neuroscience.

Together we explore:

• Common patterns that recur across cultures and contexts—transcendental visions, encounters with light or beings, life reviews, and a felt sense of unity
• The long-term psychological and spiritual aftereffects of NDEs—often marked by deepened compassion, reduced materialism, and a lessened fear of death
• The distinction between brain-based explanations and the possibility of consciousness as something more foundational—something that may not originate in the brain at all

Dr. Greyson’s recent book, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond, distills his research into a message that is both grounded and expansive. In this episode, he speaks not with dogma, but with clarity, humility, and wonder.

This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.