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Light & Death: One Doctor's Fascinating Account of Near-Death Experiences
APRIL 1999, VOL 69, NO 4
solving. Creativity is described in great depth in relationship to the global revolution. Traditionally, we learn from our personal experiences gained in an awake state. According to the author, our nonwaking state is an untapped resource for learning. Subsequent topics discussed include shaping of dreams, the process of innovation and seekCLARENCE FENTON ing solutions in sleep, commonalRN, MSN, CNOR ities and interpretation of dreams, and application of dreams to DIRECTOR OF SURGICAL SERVICES EASTERNMAINEMEDICAL CENTER technology and medical field disBANGOR coveries. In the chapter, “Royal road to empowerment,” the DARING TO DREAM: CULTIVATING author demonstrates how to use dreams in resolving multiple CORPORATE CREATIVITY issues. She professes that using THROUGH DREAMWORK dreamworks in resolving issues By Anjali Huzuriku can be an empowering tool when 1997,207 p p used by women. The author’s $1 7.9.5,paperback view is that women are already believed to have an intuitive t first glance, I was reluctant approach to life. A profession to read, let alone review, a such as nursing, with a majority book of such unconventional of members being female, can subject matter. After reading this relate to this less traditional fascinating book, however, I was method of empowerment. surprised at the applicability it Although beneficial to both has for perioperative nursing. sexes, women may be more Historically, nurses have always used creative and innovative drawn to this creative method methods to solve complex patient than men. issues. Using an anecdotal In the last chapter, the author method of writing, in the first describes her vision for the future regarding the adaptation of the chapter, the author presents her dreaming process to executive arguments for using “dreamworks” as a tool to stimulate cre- education as well as corporate team functioning. For further clarativity and problem-solving and critical thinking skills in the busi- ification of the process of dreamness world. Dreamworks is the works, three appendices that cover process of sharing, using, and general questions about dreams, a analyzing dreams-in a work dream interview cue card, and the group setting-for problem solvfour states of being are included at ing. In the subsequent seven the end of the book. Although the chapters, the author describes the author uses East Indian parables process of creativity, how dreams and metaphors, which may be work, and the application of unfamiliar to some readers, infordreamworks group sessions to mation is applicable to all culthe process of corporate problem tures, including the unique culture chapters that discuss not only different examples of public health issues, but also several different communities, their strengths, and the shortcomings in dealing with crises and outside help. This book is available from Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA, 9 1320; (805) 499-9774.
A
873 AORN JOURNAL
of perioperative nursing. For those who like to look at novel approaches to creativity and work, this book is well worth reading. Others may find it too impractical, quixotic, or unconventional. This book is available from Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 9 1320; (805) 499-0721. JANIE GOTTSCHALK RN, BSN, CNOR OR EDUCATOR LOVELACE HEALTH SYSTEMS ALBUQUERQUE
LIGHT & DEATH: ONE DOCTORS FASCINATING ACCOUNT OF NEARDEATH EXPERIENCES By Michael Sabom 1998,240 p p $12.99, paperback
N
ear death experiences (NDEs), like life after death, fascinate most people and require a leap of faith. Proof of the existence of either is slim, and belief in them often relies on an individual’s personal philosophy of life. The author of this book is a cardiologist in private practice who describes himself as a Christian. He has been involved in NDE research since 1977 and has published a previous book on the subject titled Recollections of Death. That book, according to the author, “allowed no space” for considering religion when evaluating an NDE. This book documents the experiences of a number of patients who have experienced an NDE and looks at their experiences from the author’s and from the patient’s religious viewpoints. The book recounts patients’ experiences of near death as they occurred during surgery, cardiac
APRIL 1999. VOL 69, NO 4
Latheterizations, resuscitations, and trauma events. The author raises questions about death and the sequence of events that lead to it; he discusses the criteria for death and how those criteria have evolved from looking for condensation on a mirror to the more complex criteria used today. The author attempts in his final chapters to prove that NDEs actually occur and that they are not biological or chemical neurological events that can be tied to hypoxia. He is relatively successful at this, describing activities and events that
patients recalled, which would require a fairly sophisticated knowledge of medicine and hospital procedures not common to most patients. The author also strives to prove that NDEs are a confirmation of life after death, the existence of God, and the presence of heaven. He has chosen a difficult task and he describes it best when he compares the process to “nailing Jello to the wall.” For those who do believe in God, NDEs are merely confirmation of their intrinsic beliefs. For those who are skeptical, this book will
hardly have the weight to convince them. What it provided for me was another lesson in the value of treating patients with dignity and respect, regardless of their condition, and a reminder that medicine does not have all the answers. In that sense, reading a book like this is always time well spent. This book is available from Zondervan Publishing House, 5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530. HELEN STARBUCK PASHLEY RN, MA, CNOR DENVER
Drug Use by America’s Young People Begins to Decline The 1998 national survey from the “Monitoring the Future” study of American secondary school students reveals that drug use among America’s teenagers is decreasing after six years of steady increase. Although the improvement so far is modest, all three grades surveyed showed some decline in the proportion of students who reported using any illicit drug during the 12 months before the survey. This represents the second year of decline among eighth-grade students and the first year of decline among 10th- and 1 1th-grade students, according to a Dec 18, 1998, press release from the National Insitutes of Health. The study, which is conducted each spring by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, surveys nationally representative samples of students in the eighth, loth, and 12th grades. In 1998, nearly 50,000 students in 422 public and private secondary schools participated in the study, which covered a wide range of substances and illicit drugs. In the 1990s, marijuana accounted for most of the increase in overall illicit drug use, and today it accounts for much of the observed decrease. Researchers have found that students’ drug use is largely driven by their attitudes and beliefs about a drug and the risk of harm they see associated with it. Researchers attribute marijuana’s decline to an
increase in students’ perceived risks and personal disapproval of the drug. Use of stimulants (ie, amphetamines) also has turned around. Use has declined for two years among students in the eighth grade, has declined for one year among students in the 10th grade, and has leveled among students in the 12th grade, according to the release. Use of hallucinogens, specifically lysergic acid diethylamide (ie, LSD), showed a downward movement in all three grades. Use of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ie, MDMA, ecstasy) was down for the second year in a row among students in the 10th and 12th grades. Inhalants (ie, glues, aerosols, butane, solvents) also showed a decline in all three grades. Some drugs did not indicate any improvement in 1998, although none showed a sharp increase. Use of both heroin and cocaine leveled. Tranquilizer use in the eighth grade halted, although it continues to gradually increase among students in the 10th and 12th grades, according to the release. Monitoring the Future Study Press Release-Drug Use by American Young People Begins to Turn Downward (press release, Ann Arboc Mich: National Instilutes of Health, Dec 18, 1998). Available from www.nih.gov/news/pddec98. Accessed 12 Jan 1999.
874 AORN JOURNAL
solving. Creativity is described in great depth in relationship to the global revolution. Traditionally, we learn from our personal experiences gained in an awake state. According to the author, our nonwaking state is an untapped resource for learning. Subsequent topics discussed include shaping of dreams, the process of innovation and seekCLARENCE FENTON ing solutions in sleep, commonalRN, MSN, CNOR ities and interpretation of dreams, and application of dreams to DIRECTOR OF SURGICAL SERVICES EASTERNMAINEMEDICAL CENTER technology and medical field disBANGOR coveries. In the chapter, “Royal road to empowerment,” the DARING TO DREAM: CULTIVATING author demonstrates how to use dreams in resolving multiple CORPORATE CREATIVITY issues. She professes that using THROUGH DREAMWORK dreamworks in resolving issues By Anjali Huzuriku can be an empowering tool when 1997,207 p p used by women. The author’s $1 7.9.5,paperback view is that women are already believed to have an intuitive t first glance, I was reluctant approach to life. A profession to read, let alone review, a such as nursing, with a majority book of such unconventional of members being female, can subject matter. After reading this relate to this less traditional fascinating book, however, I was method of empowerment. surprised at the applicability it Although beneficial to both has for perioperative nursing. sexes, women may be more Historically, nurses have always used creative and innovative drawn to this creative method methods to solve complex patient than men. issues. Using an anecdotal In the last chapter, the author method of writing, in the first describes her vision for the future regarding the adaptation of the chapter, the author presents her dreaming process to executive arguments for using “dreamworks” as a tool to stimulate cre- education as well as corporate team functioning. For further clarativity and problem-solving and critical thinking skills in the busi- ification of the process of dreamness world. Dreamworks is the works, three appendices that cover process of sharing, using, and general questions about dreams, a analyzing dreams-in a work dream interview cue card, and the group setting-for problem solvfour states of being are included at ing. In the subsequent seven the end of the book. Although the chapters, the author describes the author uses East Indian parables process of creativity, how dreams and metaphors, which may be work, and the application of unfamiliar to some readers, infordreamworks group sessions to mation is applicable to all culthe process of corporate problem tures, including the unique culture chapters that discuss not only different examples of public health issues, but also several different communities, their strengths, and the shortcomings in dealing with crises and outside help. This book is available from Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA, 9 1320; (805) 499-9774.
A
873 AORN JOURNAL
of perioperative nursing. For those who like to look at novel approaches to creativity and work, this book is well worth reading. Others may find it too impractical, quixotic, or unconventional. This book is available from Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 9 1320; (805) 499-0721. JANIE GOTTSCHALK RN, BSN, CNOR OR EDUCATOR LOVELACE HEALTH SYSTEMS ALBUQUERQUE
LIGHT & DEATH: ONE DOCTORS FASCINATING ACCOUNT OF NEARDEATH EXPERIENCES By Michael Sabom 1998,240 p p $12.99, paperback
N
ear death experiences (NDEs), like life after death, fascinate most people and require a leap of faith. Proof of the existence of either is slim, and belief in them often relies on an individual’s personal philosophy of life. The author of this book is a cardiologist in private practice who describes himself as a Christian. He has been involved in NDE research since 1977 and has published a previous book on the subject titled Recollections of Death. That book, according to the author, “allowed no space” for considering religion when evaluating an NDE. This book documents the experiences of a number of patients who have experienced an NDE and looks at their experiences from the author’s and from the patient’s religious viewpoints. The book recounts patients’ experiences of near death as they occurred during surgery, cardiac
APRIL 1999. VOL 69, NO 4
Latheterizations, resuscitations, and trauma events. The author raises questions about death and the sequence of events that lead to it; he discusses the criteria for death and how those criteria have evolved from looking for condensation on a mirror to the more complex criteria used today. The author attempts in his final chapters to prove that NDEs actually occur and that they are not biological or chemical neurological events that can be tied to hypoxia. He is relatively successful at this, describing activities and events that
patients recalled, which would require a fairly sophisticated knowledge of medicine and hospital procedures not common to most patients. The author also strives to prove that NDEs are a confirmation of life after death, the existence of God, and the presence of heaven. He has chosen a difficult task and he describes it best when he compares the process to “nailing Jello to the wall.” For those who do believe in God, NDEs are merely confirmation of their intrinsic beliefs. For those who are skeptical, this book will
hardly have the weight to convince them. What it provided for me was another lesson in the value of treating patients with dignity and respect, regardless of their condition, and a reminder that medicine does not have all the answers. In that sense, reading a book like this is always time well spent. This book is available from Zondervan Publishing House, 5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530. HELEN STARBUCK PASHLEY RN, MA, CNOR DENVER
Drug Use by America’s Young People Begins to Decline The 1998 national survey from the “Monitoring the Future” study of American secondary school students reveals that drug use among America’s teenagers is decreasing after six years of steady increase. Although the improvement so far is modest, all three grades surveyed showed some decline in the proportion of students who reported using any illicit drug during the 12 months before the survey. This represents the second year of decline among eighth-grade students and the first year of decline among 10th- and 1 1th-grade students, according to a Dec 18, 1998, press release from the National Insitutes of Health. The study, which is conducted each spring by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, surveys nationally representative samples of students in the eighth, loth, and 12th grades. In 1998, nearly 50,000 students in 422 public and private secondary schools participated in the study, which covered a wide range of substances and illicit drugs. In the 1990s, marijuana accounted for most of the increase in overall illicit drug use, and today it accounts for much of the observed decrease. Researchers have found that students’ drug use is largely driven by their attitudes and beliefs about a drug and the risk of harm they see associated with it. Researchers attribute marijuana’s decline to an
increase in students’ perceived risks and personal disapproval of the drug. Use of stimulants (ie, amphetamines) also has turned around. Use has declined for two years among students in the eighth grade, has declined for one year among students in the 10th grade, and has leveled among students in the 12th grade, according to the release. Use of hallucinogens, specifically lysergic acid diethylamide (ie, LSD), showed a downward movement in all three grades. Use of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ie, MDMA, ecstasy) was down for the second year in a row among students in the 10th and 12th grades. Inhalants (ie, glues, aerosols, butane, solvents) also showed a decline in all three grades. Some drugs did not indicate any improvement in 1998, although none showed a sharp increase. Use of both heroin and cocaine leveled. Tranquilizer use in the eighth grade halted, although it continues to gradually increase among students in the 10th and 12th grades, according to the release. Monitoring the Future Study Press Release-Drug Use by American Young People Begins to Turn Downward (press release, Ann Arboc Mich: National Instilutes of Health, Dec 18, 1998). Available from www.nih.gov/news/pddec98. Accessed 12 Jan 1999.
874 AORN JOURNAL