[KITKAT]

There was a book on near death experiences that examines some of this. There are other books as well, but this one is the one I remember best. I cannot remember the title, but I think the author was Elizabeth Kubler Ross. She also does a couple of books on the PROCESS of dying, explaining many of the psychological aspects of it.

Most of the other books are religious in nature, so have their own slant, but Kubler Ross is a doctor, and examines the topic in as un-biased a manner as is probably possible in western culture.