Scientists to Share Work on Study of Near Death Experiences, Dying and Consciousness

Final Passages: Research on Near Death & the Experience of Dying, is the topic of this year’s Annual International Bioethics Forum, hosted by the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute) and Promega Corporation on April 26-27, 2012, in Madison, Wisconsin.

"It is rare to find a group of such respected experts on these significant subjects in the same place and the same time. With so many opportunities to listen to and talk with these presenters, this year’s forum will be a unique experience for attendees," says Bill Linton, Promega CEO.

Icons in these fields--Drs. Stanislav Grof, Raymond Moody, William Richards and Pim van Lommel--will share their work and life experiences through presentations and informal conversations throughout the forum.

They will be joined by other highly regarded researchers, philosophers and healers, including Drs. Jeffrey Guss, Penny Sartori, Marilyn Schlitz and Eric Weiss. Well-known futurist Peter Russell will guide a closing meditation.

Registrants also have the opportunity to join a presenter for a small group discussion over dinner on Thursday evening, April 26.

Topics include:

-- What is a near death experience (NDE)? What has scientific research revealed about NDEs? Are the phenomena associated with NDEs caused simply by chemicals firing in the brain or is something more going on?

-- What do NDEs suggest about the possibility of consciousness continuing after death?

-- What do we know about the experience of dying? How is this knowledge shaped by different cultural and spiritual contexts?

-- What is a “good death”?

-- How does the study and exploration of mystical experiences and altered states of consciousness contribute to our understanding of death and dying?

-- How do interpretations of NDEs and the experience of death inform life choices? How can a heightened awareness of death lead to a more fulfilling life?

-- How do life choices influence NDEs and the experience of death?

The Annual International Bioethics Forum is dedicated to sharing scientific information and considering related social and ethical implications. It is open to the general public but limited to 350 participants.

Final Passages will be held at the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center (5445 East Cheryl Parkway) on the Promega Corporation campus in Madison (Fitchburg), Wisconsin.

In addition to the BTC Institute and Promega, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation are Platinum Sponsors of this event.

For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.btci.org/bioethics/default.html .

CONFIRMED PRESENTERS:

-- Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA)

-- Jeffrey Guss, M.D. (Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY)

-- Raymond Moody, M.D., Ph.D. (Author, Scholar/Researcher, Lecturer, Instructor and Private Counselor, Anniston, AL)

-- Steve Paulson (Executive Producer, To The Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio, Madison, WI and Public Radio International, Minneapolis, MN) (Moderator)

-- William Richards, Ph.D. (Psychologist, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD)

-- Peter Russell (Fellow, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, CA; The World Business Academy, Santa Barbara, CA; and The Findhorn Foundation, Moray, Scotland) (Closing Meditation)

-- Penny Sartori, Ph.D. (Nurse and Medical Researcher, The Intensive Therapy Unit, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, UK)

-- Marilyn Schlitz, Ph.D. (President and CEO, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, CA)

-- Pim van Lommel, M.D. (Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology, Rijnstate Hospital; NDE Researcher and Author, Arnhem, The Netherlands)

-- Eric Weiss, Ph.D. (Psychotherapist; Adjunct Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA and Sophia Center of Holy Names College, Oakland, CA; Distinguished Scholar, Esalen Center for Theory and Research, Big Sur, CA)

SOURCE: BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/scientists-and-global-experts-to-share-their-work-on-the-study-of-near-death-experiences-dying-and-consciousness-at-the-11th-annual-international-bioethics-forum-2012-04-03