The mission of IANDS is to be the most reliable source of information in the field of near-death studies, encouraging scholarly study and the exchange of ideas about near-death, at-death and related experiences; disseminating educational information about them; serving as a common forum and community for experiencers and interested others; and facilitating the spread of knowledge to professional settings and people of all walks of life, religions, and cultures. 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.