The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) will host this weekend conference on 8/31/18 in Bellevue, WA where people will gather from all over the world.

Durham, NC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/20/2018 --The public is warmly invited to EXPLORE THE EXTRAORDINARY on August 31, 2018! Learn more about changes people experience as we focus on Aftereffects of Near-Death Experiences: A Deeper Understanding and Sharing of the Gifts. Keynote speakers will be livestreamed with Video on Demand packages also available. The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) will host this weekend conference in Bellevue, WA where people will gather from all over the world.

When IANDS was founded in 1981 as a nonprofit organization their mission included a goal to provide an educational program through which they could share their research findings concerning near-death experiences (NDEs) and spiritually transforming events (STEs) with professionals in many fields to include, medical, psychological, social work and chaplaincy. The original founders found an eager audience through television and radio interviews, and presenting information at professional conferences such as the American Psychological Association (APA).

Over the years the educational program has not been able to maintain a focus in these training venues giving more focus on conducting this annual conference which addresses the varied interests in health, research and science and providing support to the experiencers themselves. But IANDS is beginning to give new attention to restart sharing the importance of research findings with an invigorated Education Program.

On Friday August 31, 2018 an IANDS Education Program Focus Group will gather to review historical trends and future possibilities of providing training for credential professionals. The need to readdress these prospects was voiced during an interview in August 2017 by Kenneth Ring one of IANDS original founders. Ken provided a course to undergraduate students at the University of Connecticut for 10 years, ending in 1994. His academic program was never repeated after his retirement. But Kenneth's educational drive continued through his many books to include Lessons from the Light. He also shared his research indicating that people who have an interest in this field of study can get the "Benign Virus" which manifests itself by behavior changes similar to the Near- Death Experiencers aftereffects. Being able to share the reality of and a deeper understanding of these gifts allows all people to live life with love, hope, joy, compassion, awareness, and connection to others.

Anyone interested in joining this focus group to share insights on effective educational programs is invited to register for this specific evet at conference.iands.org and select the free event on Friday afternoon. Attendees will actively participate in workgroups to help brainstorm issues such as speaker development and funding. Input will be sought on initiatives of how to share the messages given by experiences and through research.

Conference details: Conference details: the conference will also include a number of exciting Workshops and a the opportunity to have Healing Sessions. Hotel rooms are $125.00 (single and double occupancy/$10 each additional person) at the Hilton Bellevue.

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.