Death: Let's Talk About it (new book by Marilyn Schlitz)

[Laird]

Turn Taboo Into Peace with Death: Let’s Talk About It
July 14, 2026
Marilyn Schlitz
IONS blog

In this new book, we will take a penetrating look into diverse views of death and the afterlife and explore how these views can inform and heal us, individually and as a global society. We will meet people who are of different ages and come from diverse walks of life, religious backgrounds, and cultural traditions. We will consider the great tableau of death and the terror that people experience when they deny the questions surrounding it. We will hear about how people’s direct personal experiences, which suggest broader realms of existence beyond the physical world, have helped them overcome this fear. We will learn about ways in which materialist scientists are approaching questions of consciousness beyond death and why the topic matters for our understanding of reality beyond our individual embodiment. We will ponder patterns that help illuminate new answers to age-old questions—and raise new questions from age-old answers. We will explore the realizations that are embedded in evocative questions about consciousness, death, and beyond. Additionally, there is a discussion guide to facilitate conversations on this vital topic and a guide for health professionals.