Hundreds of people who have "seen the other side," are gathering in the Chicago area.
The International Association For Near-Death Studies is holding its annual conference in Oak Brook over the next few days.
Janet Riley is the Association's Executive Director and tells WBBM, "it's a phenomenon that has been documented for centuries. But in the 1970s when Life After Life was published by Raymond Moody the field really exploded and we had reputable universities studying this phenomenon."
Riley says those who have come close to death "perceive the material world from a position outside the body and they perceive that they're interacting with beings not of the material world. And then they are profoundly changed when they return to their lives. It often prompts them reevaluate their priorities."
Researchers, physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, clergy members, and those who have actually come close to death will all be gathering to analyze the mysteries of life and death.
Riley adds, "I myself have not had a near death experience but I have certainly lost people, and the stories I hear from those who have give me great hope about what comes after, what happens when we die. Death is a comma, not a period."