Stanislav Grof

At a time when unbridled greed, malignant aggression, and existence of weapons of mass destruction threatens the survival of humanity, we should seriously consider any avenue that offers some hope.

Dying before dying has two important consequences: It liberates the individual from the fear of death and influences the actual experience of dying at the time of biological demise.

Individuals approaching death often experience encounters with their dead relatives, who seem to welcome them to the next world. These deathbed visions are authentic and convincing; they are often followed by a state of euphoria and seem to ease the transition.

A number of cases have been reported in which a dying individual has a vision of a person about whose death he or she did not know.

There are people who can start having very powerful experiences without taking psychedelics. It can happen against their will. This is a universal phenomenon.

I have taken part in ceremonies with North American and Mexican shamans, as well as Brazilian ceremonies.

Traditional academic science describes human beings as highly developed animals and biological thinking machines. We appear to be Newtonian objects made of atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, and organs.

Ancient eschatological texts are actually maps of the inner territories of the psyche that seem to transcend race and culture and originate in the collective unconscious.

Unlike scientism, science in the true sense of the word is open to unbiased investigation of any existing phenomena.

Dying people in pre-industrial cultures typically died in the context of an extended family, clan, or tribe.

I spent much of my later childhood and adolescence very, very involved and interested in art, and particularly in animated movies.

Many instances exist of small children who seem to remember and describe their previous life in another body, another place, and with other people. These memories emerge usually shortly after these children begin to talk.