Dr. Penny Sartori, Ph.D.

Dr. Penny Sartori, Ph.D., is a British medical researcher and former intensive care nurse renowned for her groundbreaking work on near-death experiences (NDEs).

With a nursing career spanning 21 years, 17 of which were spent in intensive care, Sartori began her journey into NDE research after witnessing numerous patients who had profound experiences while near death. One particularly moving encounter with a patient in 1995, who asked to die in peace, prompted her to delve deeper into the subject. This eventually led to her decision to pursue a Ph.D. focused on near-death experiences.

In 2005, Sartori became one of the first researchers to conduct a long-term, prospective study of NDEs in hospitalized patients, and her findings formed the basis for her academic monograph *The Near-Death Experiences of Hospitalized Intensive Care Patients: A Five Year Clinical Study* (2008). Her work, which bridges both the medical and spiritual dimensions of end-of-life care, has received international recognition and media coverage, including endorsements from notable figures like HRH Prince Charles.

In addition to her Ph.D. research, Sartori has authored several popular books, including *The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences* (2014). In this book, she presents patient stories from her five-year clinical study, detailing not only the accounts of NDEs but also their profound impact on those who experienced them. She challenges the purely materialist view of consciousness, exploring the possibility that NDEs provide evidence of consciousness existing independently of the brain. Her research also touches on cross-cultural NDEs, childhood experiences, and the long-term transformative effects of these phenomena on individuals.

Sartori continues to share her insights through lectures, workshops, and media appearances, contributing to a deeper understanding of death, consciousness, and the potential for life beyond physical death. Her work is regarded as a valuable contribution to both the scientific and spiritual communities, influencing perspectives on life, death, and the afterlife.

Her contributions, particularly her five-year clinical study and popular writings, have made her a key figure in the study of NDEs, and she remains active in public discussions about the nature of consciousness and the implications of her findings for medical and spiritual care at the end of life.