Durham, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/25/2018 -- Veterans and active duty military personnel will gather in Bellevue, Washington, next Labor Day weekend, August 30-Septemeber 2, 2018, to hear and share accounts about near-death experiences (NDEs). Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences: A Deeper Understanding and Sharing of the Gifts is the theme of the conference sponsored by the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS.org). Special registration scholarships are available for disabled veterans.

Special guest speakers include medical personnel and NDE researchers.

A military focused discussion session will be held Saturday, September 1, 2018, to review common characteristics, after effects and the impact of having an NDE. The Veterans Workshop will have Diane Corcoran, R.N., Ph.D., M.A as the guest facilitator. She is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the field of Nursing in recognition of her role as Registered Nurse, Nurse Educator, and professional consultant. She is currently the President Emeritus of IANDS.

Before her retirement from the military, Dr. Corcoran served as a Colonel in the U.S. Army. During her service she received recognition for many distinguished achievements including Army Nurse Corps Officer of the Year, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Medal with Stars, a Vietnam Service Medal, an Army Service Ribbon, an Overseas Service Ribbon with "2" numeral, and an Expert Field Medical Badge. She is currently a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Association of Military Surgeons (AMSUS).

While on active duty Dr. Corcoran provided training on NDEs to numerous military medical staff and has continued to provide training incorporating some of the newest research findings on physiological and psychological changes which may occur after having an NDE. The training clarifies that a Near-Death Experience is a profound psychological event that may occur to a person close to death or in a situation of physical or emotional crisis. The person may sense that he or she is dying and/or having an out-of-body experience (OBE). Being in a life-threatening situation does not, by itself, constitute an NDE. NDEs have a recognizable pattern of perceptions which transcend ordinary experience. They happen to people in all walks of life and are fairly common. They do not indicate mental illness. Recent training was provided at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, and Ft. Carson, Colorado. A recently produced training film Understanding Veterans NDEs is available at IANDS.org/vetvideo

Everyone is invited to EXPLORE THE EXTRAORDINARY and learn about the aftereffects experienced by Veterans and people from all walks of life. IANDS will host this event and focus on the worldwide impact of near-death experiences (NDEs) and other spiritually transforming events.

Also, a free introductory session is being presented in Spanish.

IANDS will have 2 tracks at this conference including Healthcare-Education-Research-Science (HERS), designed for professionals and others interested in this aspect of near-death studies, and a General Session which includes a variety of subjects. Early Bird Registration is now underway. For more information about this conference, the speakers, and IANDS, please go to: conference.iands.org

Conference details:
- Thursday, Aug. 30: Combined HERS and General Sessions
- Friday–Sunday, Aug. 31–Sept. 2: General Session: Presentations, Workshops, Healing Sessions
- Hotel rooms: $125.00 (single and double occupancy/$10 each additional person) Hilton Bellevue

Visit www.neardeathconference.com to see the entire list of notable authors, other guest speakers and workshops.

About IANDS
IANDS is the informational and networking center in the field of near-death studies, the first organization in the world devoted to exploring near-death and similar experiences. Members are researchers, laypeople, academics, and caregivers; experiencers and non-experiencers; professionals and the general public; from every continent but the Antarctic.

Like IANDS itself, the Association's publications and programs are unique. The quarterly magazine, Vital Signs, and the scholarly, peer-reviewed Journal of Near-Death Studies provide information and intelligent discussion generally not available anywhere else.

Around the US and Canada, 50 or so support groups meet regularly, with more in Europe, Australia, and Asia. For its periodic conferences in North America, IANDS pulls in top speakers, experiencers, researchers, and interested people for education, sharing, networking, and friendship.