The Afterlife Experiments

The Afterlife Experiments: Breakthrough Scientific Evidence of Life After Death is a book written by Gary Schwartz and bestselling author William L. Simon, with a foreword by Deepak Chopra. The book, published in 2003, reviews several experiments which aimed to investigate the possibility of life after death through the use of psychic mediums. Included in these experiments is one filmed and aired as part of an HBO special. Two studies stemming from the experiments were also published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. The substance of the book and the studies it describes was generally claimed by the media as scientific evidence of life after death. However, there was significant criticism from the scientific community of the studies, their methodologies, and resulting data analyses. About the authors Gary Schwartz, Ph.D., received his initial doctorate from Harvard University. Thereafter, he became a member of the psychology and psychiatry departments at Yale University. As of 2023, Schwartz was a professor of Psychology, Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Surgery at the University of Arizona. William L. Simon received two degrees from Cornell University. He has written several New York Times bestselling books, and is also a noted screenwriter. Synopsis The book contains reports detailing a series of experiments in which mediums attempted to provide clients (“sitters”) with unique information that they allegedly gleaned from contact with the sitters' deceased relatives and friends. A series of experiments were conducted over time, with several different methodologies implemented with each successive experiment. The resulting data and analyses of these experiments are discussed in varying levels of detail. Only partial data sets from many of the experiments are included in the book. The controversial conclusion drawn from the studies is that there is good evidence that consciousness persists after death. Initial experiments The first experiments described in the book involved two mediums. The first, Susy Smith, was tasked with “contacting” four deceased persons and drawing a picture that each of the deceased individuals allegedly suggested. She also drew a fifth control picture, and put all five in a sealed envelope. Thereafter, the second medium, Laurie Campbell, whom Susy Smith had never met, attempted to contact the same deceased persons and took notes.