Does consciousness survive death?

Does consciousness survive death?

From Afternoons by RNZ

April 28, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

Professor Jesse Bering discusses his research on consciousness and the afterlife, inspired by Dr Ian Stevenson's work on reincarnation and near-death experiences.

Professor Jesse Bering has spent almost three decades researching the way we think about the afterlife. That research led him to the work of the psychiatrist Dr Ian Stevenson. Dr Stevenson dedicated his career to documenting consciousness after death, travelling the world to investigate cases of reincarnation, apparitions and near-death experiences. Now Professor Bering, who the Director of the Centre for Science Communication at the University of Otago, has released a book about what he found.

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Jesse Bering

Topics covered

  • consciousness
  • afterlife
  • reincarnation
  • near-death experiences
  • psychology
  • research

Keywords

  • consciousness
  • afterlife
  • reincarnation
  • Dr Ian Stevenson
  • Professor Jesse Bering
  • near-death experiences
  • psychology
  • research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Centre for Science Communication, University of Otago

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