Farther Shores
Yvonne Kason, MD

One of the most fundamental questions a humans can ask is, "what happens when I die?" As far as we know, we are the only creatures on earth that realize our mortality. Some speculate all art comes from a desire to transcend our short lives. Most religions address the issue with varying theories of afterlife. I call them theories because none of us really know, in spite of the teachings of books holy to various religions.

However, some people that have had a near death experience tell an intriguing story, that they met a universal and loving intelligence, usually appearing as a bright white light. Some are told they have to return to life, others are given a choice. Many of the people with such experiences are utterly convinced that what happened to them was real, and their lives are usually profoundly changed. Some renew their faith in a religion they may have fallen away from. Others are convinced that existing religious teachings do not match the reality they experienced. They may become deeply spiritual, but not a believer in any particular faith.

Kason brings together a number of these experiences, often using the words of the person who had the experience. She starts with her own near death experience. Once recovered from the physical ordeal of nearly freezing to death in a lake after an airplane crash, she explored the literature to try to understand what happened to her. She is convinced that what happened to her was more than a dream or an electrolyte imbalance, as suggested by some of her medical colleagues. She brings together the near death experiences with the Kundalini experiences from Eastern Yogic studies, and shows what they have in common.

Although the two topics appear related, the book is not organized particularly well. Kason moves from one to the other throughout the book. For someone unfamiliar with Kundalini it can be very confusing. Section One is the most interesting and coherent. She discusses various near death or other mystical experiences. This was fascinating reading. Section Two discusses the Kundalini model. I was struggling here. This section reads much like a scholarly paper. I think she is reaching for the medical practitioner audience here. Section Three is the longest section, and the driest unless you are having some of the symptoms she discusses. I never really did get back into the book after section two.

There is no doubt that Kason believes that our physical life is only one aspect of our true selves. Whether we call it a soul or a spirit, something appears to leave a dying body and meets a higher intelligence. This may have been something that we were part of before we were physically born into our bodies, and return to after our "death". Our soul or spirit might exist within but separate from this intelligence, or might meld in somehow.

The point of the book is to help other people having such mystical experiences. They can spill over into all parts of life for the person involved. She offers practical ways of dealing with various problems, or making further progress if desired. She has much to say about a balanced life. Kason is very quick to point out that some of the mystical experiences do not replace knowledge or experience gained through the ordinary world.

I don't think I would buy this book unless I was trying to deal with some of the experiences she discusses. Such a person could well find this book to be quite literally a life saver.

Farther Shores by Yvonne Kason MD.
Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-00-638624-5