IANDS names keynote lineup for 2026 conference in Bellevue

By AI, Created 11:03 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The International Association for Near-Death Studies announced four keynote speakers for its 2026 annual conference, set for Aug. 27-30 at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Washington. The event will feature authors, researchers and spiritual media voices as the group seeks to draw more than 900 attendees to talks on near-death experiences and related research.

Why it matters: - The annual IANDS conference is a major gathering for people studying and discussing near-death experiences and related phenomena. - The 2026 event is expected to draw more than 900 attendees, making it a key public forum for research, personal testimony and spiritual interpretation. - The program also reflects growing public interest in consciousness, spirituality and the scientific questions around near-death experiences.

What happened: - The International Association for Near-Death Studies announced four keynote speakers for its Annual Conference, set for Aug. 27-30, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Washington. - The theme is “Expanded Lives: Exploring the Impact of Near-Death and Related Experiences.” - The keynote lineup includes Anita Moorjani, Helané Wahbeh, ND, MCR, Alex Ferrari and Vera Spillner, Ph.D. - Eben Alexander, III, MD, will also appear in a special evening interview session titled “A Conversation With Eben.” - Online registration for the conference opens in late May.

The details: - Anita Moorjani will open the conference on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. PT with a keynote titled “From Awakening to Embodiment: The NDE is not the destination; It’s the doorway into who we truly are.” - Moorjani’s talk will focus on what she learned from her cancer, coma and near-death experience, and how the experience transformed her. - Dr. Wahbeh, director of research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, will speak Friday, Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. PT. - Wahbeh’s keynote, “When Consciousness Awakens: Channeling, Discernment, and the Long Arc of Transformation,” will examine channeling as a human capacity that ranges from intuition and precognition to telepathy, mediumship and trance channeling. - Ferrari, creator and host of Next Level Soul, will speak Saturday, Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. PT. - Ferrari’s keynote, “Truth in the Age of Spiritual Noise,” will focus on discernment as a foundation for an authentic spiritual journey. - Spillner will speak Sunday, Aug. 30 at 9 a.m. PT. - Spillner’s keynote, “Oneness and Timelessness: What Fundamental Physics Can and Cannot Say About Near-Death Experiences,” will examine how ideas from theoretical physics, quantum mechanics and quantum cosmology relate to near-death experience reports. - Alexander will speak Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. PT. - Alexander was an academic neurosurgeon for more than 25 years, including 15 years at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. - Alexander said his worldview changed after a 2008 transcendental near-death experience during a week-long coma from an inexplicable brain infection. - Alexander is the author of Proof of Heaven, The Map of Heaven and Living in a Mindful Universe. - The annual conference typically draws more than 900 people to hear research on near-death experiences, personal accounts from experiencers and discussions of related experiences such as terminal lucidity, after-death communication and shared death experiences. - The conference will also include a Healing Center with a range of treatments and services, plus an on-site bookstore. - IANDS is a Durham, North Carolina-based educational nonprofit and 501(c)(3) organization focused on information about near-death experience-related subjects. - IANDS describes its mission as promoting responsible, multidisciplinary exploration of near-death and similar experiences and their effects on people’s lives and beliefs about life, death and human purpose. - The organization says it is the only membership group of its kind with local groups around the world.

Between the lines: - The speaker lineup blends firsthand near-death narratives with research, neuroscience, media and physics, signaling an effort to broaden the appeal of the conference. - The mix of speakers suggests IANDS wants to position near-death experience research as both a personal and interdisciplinary subject. - The inclusion of a special interview with Eben Alexander adds another high-profile name for attendees familiar with the field.

What’s next: - IANDS will open online registration in late May. - The organization will hold the conference Aug. 27-30, 2026, in Bellevue. - Attendees can expect keynote talks, research presentations and exhibit-style offerings including the Healing Center and bookstore. - More information is available on IANDS social media, Instagram and Facebook.