Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander

Feb 01, 2013 Jeremy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I might have rated Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife three stars had the author replaced the title with the subtitle. If you’re looking for proof of heaven or just an insightful and critical exploration of NDEs, you are better off moving on.

Proof is one neurosurgeon's personal account of heaven, or rather, a heavenly experience. What it's not is a scientifically rigorous and groundbreaking paper on the actuality of heaven.

Alexander offers a montage of his experiences...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Nancy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book should be called "A Doctor's Description of His Illness and How His Body looked to Everyone Else". Oops, guess that is too long - sort of like the book, too long. I actually was going to give the book one star, but Dr. Alexander went to a lot of effort to tell us about him and his illness and to interview people who told him what his body looked like while he was ill. The little discussion there was of the NDE (or up to the point when I decided to put the book down because life is too...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Stephen O'grady added it

For those like myself that struggle with their faith and what happens to us when we pass, this book gives a compelling view from a scientist and a self proclaimed skeptic. As a scientist, I feel today's religions use their dogma to control morality. When something doesn't fit into their belief system they want you go along just "because."

This book explores the idea of the afterlife in a secular way and challenges the neuroscience doctrinal assertions that completely dismiss near death experience...more

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Daniel Lambert Karen wrote: "Nelly wrote: "I did like the book and the unique situation of the author, but why do all these NDE people need to write books that sell...more
10. Mai, 20:48 Uhr

Jen I found, in this book, the closest I've ever had to an understanding of The Divine, Whom I call God. I never got the impression that the author was tr...more
10. Mai, 21:35 Uhr

Apr 30, 2013 Joe rated it 1 of 5 stars

very cleverly written and marketed trash. Those who want to believe are going to believe regardless, but all the "convincing" arguments he makes can easily be discredited:

1) It's implied that being a neurosurgeon somehow makes his experience more valid than that of say a teacher, or fireman, or even a bum on the street. Nonsense -- it does not make him an expert on the "afterlife"

2) The way he sequences events in the book strongly imply that he experienced these "out-of-body" events while his br...more very cleverly written and marketed trash. Those who want to believe are going to believe regardless, but all the "convincing" arguments he makes can easily be discredited:

1) It's implied that being a neurosurgeon somehow makes his experience more valid than that of say a teacher, or fireman, or even a bum on the street. Nonsense -- it does not make him an expert on the "afterlife"

2) The way he sequences events in the book strongly imply that he experienced these "out-of-body" events while his brain was effectively "dead". First of all, his brain was not in any way "dead" -- it was receiving oxygenated blood the entire time, which means neurons were alive, active, and firing, or he would truly have been bread-dead in a matter of minutes. And in the end, how does he know that he did not "dream" these events as his body was coming out of the coma in the last day or hours, or even minutes? He also implies that his brain suddenly came alive like a light switch when his eyes popped open -- more nonsense -- the human body (and brain) doesn't work that way. And how did these out-of-body experiences make it into his "dead" brain to begin with?

3) floating on "big, puffy, pink-white clouds" ? Ya, that one's imaginative -- what artist's depiction of "heaven" has not involved floating on clouds? You really think heaven is floating on clouds? Seriously? I would have been more likely to believe an underwater world, or perhaps floating in the gaseous red-orange upper layers of Jupiter.

4) a beautiful golden-haired girl with "high cheekbones" and deep blue eyes -- that one's a great touch -- what red-blooded American male hasn't had that vision? Had this been an Arab muslim, she no doubt would have been merely 1 of 72 very virginal dark-haired women with opal eyes (and high cheekbones). Or how about a gay guy? Would he have seen a very beautiful young boy (with high cheekbones) ? oh, but wait: gay people don't make it into heaven, or, if they do, they are quickly "straightened out" !

It should also be noted that his wife has an MFA in writing, and that he has probably already made more money on this book, than he has in his no doubt extremely lucrative profession as a neurosurgeon.(less)

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Apr 17, 2013 Carolina Montague rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of Near Death experience books

This nonfiction book about a neurosurgeon who suffers from a severe infection of the brain - so severe that it shuts down his neo-cortex and he drops into a deep coma - is one of the best Near Death Experience books I've ever read.

The author was an agnostic physician with expertise in the brain and consciousness. He started with a strong position that all consciousness is centered in brain function. If the brain stops functioning, you are dead and there is no coming back. He was skeptical of cl...more

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Dec 03, 2012 John Woltjer rated it 4 of 5 stars

For reason's unknown, I have been fascinated by questions of mortality since I was a teenager. Deeply skeptical of religion, I have always had a profound felt sense that we are a part of something vastly greater than we can even imagine. It seems absolutely absurd to me that all of this that we are engaged in is the result of some cosmic accident and that the Universe is simply random and ultimately meaningless. But, we live in a scientific age where if you cannot label something and test it it...more For reason's unknown, I have been fascinated by questions of mortality since I was a teenager. Deeply skeptical of religion, I have always had a profound felt sense that we are a part of something vastly greater than we can even imagine. It seems absolutely absurd to me that all of this that we are engaged in is the result of some cosmic accident and that the Universe is simply random and ultimately meaningless. But, we live in a scientific age where if you cannot label something and test it it isn't real. So, our intuition must just be largely ignored because it is too subjective and untestable. My understanding of what has opened us up more and more to metaphysics is that it has emerged from the shadows since the revolutions in quantum mechanics, the study of the subatomic universe, where cause and effect and all other Newtonian laws have been shattered. Since objectivity has been shown to be impossible, given the indivisible nature of fundamental reality, the limits of science have been severely circumscribed. So, when a hard bitten scientist like Eben Alexander, the author of this book, finds himself in an after death realm that was to him as real--no MORE real than the life he was untethered from for 7 days, it gives more credence to the view that there are vast, other dimensions beyond our own. It is why I read books like this despite the skepticism of the larger scientific community (after all, what else could they do but protest?) I also read, My Stroke of Insight, by the Harvard Brain researcher, Jill Bolte Taylor a few years ago. Both books are fascinating treatises on the possibilities that exist beyond our three dimensional reality here on earth. Dr Alexander's book goes well beyond Jill Bolte Taylor's, in that she recognizes that she had a profound experience beyond the reality she had constructed as a brain researcher, an experience that fundamentally altered her sense of existence but one which she was much more circumspect about defining. What Dr. Alexander does is to assert his absolute, unshakeable belief that he experienced a much more profound reality that was much more than the mere misfirings of neurons in an unconscious brain. He is absolutely certain that he entered a realm that is just as "real" as the one we exist in on this plane.

Well worth reading, but be willing to suspend your disbelief!(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating addition to the Near Death Experience stories. A previously very skeptical brain surgeon had a powerful NDE and clearly receives the message that a loving power forms the universe. The three main messages he received were 1) You are loved and cherished 2) You have nothing to fear and 3) There is nothing you can do wrong. These echoed thoughts I found in Anita Moorjani's book about her NDE titled Dying to be Me: "I no longer feared death, cancer, accidents or any of the myriad thing...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Lora rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a hard book to get through because the author tried to prove through scientific method throughout that his experience was real. Important, but not your typical NDE book. I thought it had some invaluable insights to life and purpose. "How do we get closer to this genuine spiritual self? By manifesting love and compassion. Why? Because love and compassion are far more than the abstractions many of us believe them to be. They are real. They are concrete. And they make up the very fabric of...more

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May 11, 2013 Cathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I will acknowledge that I am rating and reviewing this little less than halfway through. Full bias disclosure: I will also readily acknowledge that from the moment I heard about Alexander's account, I desperately wanted to read it—and believe it. The reason is simple: The snippets to which I'd been exposed in interviews and reviews so closely mirrored an experience with my late husband less than a week before his actual death and a full two years before this book's publication. His eyes were clo...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Colette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just started listening to the audio version of this book and am enjoying it so far. As a devout Christian, all I need do is attach the familiar religious labels I know to the author's experiences and it all fits together. I love his scientific view and indepth discussion of the brain. I studied neurology for a semester and found it be to very interesting as well as extremely difficult "matter".

A favorite quote:

"How profoundly knowledge of one's origins can heal a person's life in unexpected way...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Xox rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-and-bullshit

This book sucks. The end.

Why it sucks? OK. There is no afterlife. An educated person should know better. He is a neurosurgeon and he is fooled by his own near death experience.

Sam Harris said it better here. All in all. This book sucks.

A better article regarding the near death experience by Sam Harris, Science on the Brink of Death is a much better read.

The new article by Oliver Sacks, one of my favorite writers and professor of neurology said this about Alexander's bullshit.

"Alexander insist...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Elkjar rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is single-handedly the best trip-report book I've ever read. Far beyond anything Huxley could ever have dreamt up. Excellent read for every reason other than those the author intended.

Sam Harris' brilliant response to this book is the perfect addendum. I wish Christopher Hitchens was still around to comment, I'm sure his one line response would be more insightful than all 30+ of this books 2-3 page long chapters.

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May 20, 2013 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

After my wife died about 11 years ago, I became obsessed with reading about NDEs, consciousness, and anything that supported a view that we might have life after life. My attempt to deal with all of this, and the huge emotional impact of losing Vickie, is discussed in my book I Know You're Dead, But I Still Worry About You.

The thing that turned me negative on NDE then, and that still does so, even though this is the first such book I've read in years, is how the authors claim to "see" God, Heave...more After my wife died about 11 years ago, I became obsessed with reading about NDEs, consciousness, and anything that supported a view that we might have life after life. My attempt to deal with all of this, and the huge emotional impact of losing Vickie, is discussed in my book I Know You're Dead, But I Still Worry About You.

The thing that turned me negative on NDE then, and that still does so, even though this is the first such book I've read in years, is how the authors claim to "see" God, Heaven, Deceased Family Members, interestingly different space-time configurations, etc, without eyes. Supposedly their consciousness goes roaming around the galaxy and beyond, and "sees" everything that it comes across. If consciousness has this ability, then why do we humans bother with having eyes. The same can be said of hearing and of communicating ... interesting that even with a dead brain, NDE'ers can "communicate" with God and all the peoples and characters of the world the NDE's consciousness is visiting. Oh, and when "they come back to life," all of that stuff that their consciousness encountered and Understood is conveniently stored in their memory. Not at all clear to me how you can store memories in a dead brain.

Dr. Alexander's case is even worse than most in this regard, because he INSISTS that he was really, really dead, and that he didn't even have a "self" to journey through the land of oz he visited ... only a generic self. Yet, he has memories of the "event."

Who wouldn't like to believe Dr. Alexander? I would be Greatly comforted if I could truly believe, for any decent length of time, that her consciousness or her soul still exists and is happy. Dr. Alexander's book didn't really give me any reason to believe that this is the case.

Having poured all that negativity out, let me add that I would love to see a theory of consciousness that makes survival of death, in some form, meaningful. Despite my negative tone, I am open to the possibility that we can live on. I am currently reading Thomas Nagel's "Mind and Cosmos" and have some sympathy with his arguments that the mind cannot be explained via the physical (the brain). Keith Ward makes an even more convincing case in his "More Than Matter?" So, I remain open, and reading Dr. Alexander's story was not a waste, but it also did nothing to advance the dialog in this area.(less)

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May 18, 2013 Cristael Bengtson rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in nde's

I am a Near Death Experiencer. I was really excited when I ran across Dr. Eben Alexander's book on his Near Death Experience. I spent last night and most of today reading his book.

I am happy that someone with Dr. Alexander's years of experience and qualifications has told his story of one of the deepest and longest and most significant NDE's I've ever read about or heard of.

Dr. Alexander is a neurosurgeon who has worked at some of the finest hospitals in the country. He has also been a teacher a...more

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May 19, 2013 Richard Coady rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's difficult to review a book like this without reference to my own beliefs and without including patronising phrases such as "well, I'm sure he believes it...".

I found this book interesting (interesting enough, at least, to read the whole thing in a day), but I'm not entirely sure why I read it. I'm absolutely positive that there is no god, but then again I'm equally certain that I could well be wrong, so I was intrigued by the promise of the title: "Proof of Heaven." Of course, the book prov...more

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May 18, 2013 Jill Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before writing my review, I feel I should offer a couple of sets of opening statements so you will understand my biases.

The first set is about people who have read or will read this book. Readers will fall into one of three categories. The first group includes those who will read the book and disbelieve and dislike most of it because of preconceived ideas or snap judgments about the author and his credibility (or lack thereof). The second group consists of people who are desperate for hope and s...more Before writing my review, I feel I should offer a couple of sets of opening statements so you will understand my biases.

The first set is about people who have read or will read this book. Readers will fall into one of three categories. The first group includes those who will read the book and disbelieve and dislike most of it because of preconceived ideas or snap judgments about the author and his credibility (or lack thereof). The second group consists of people who are desperate for hope and something to cling to about life after death; they may or may not have any kind of religion or faith but need to hear from living witnesses something that offers proof beyond faith. The first group would call the second group gullible. The third is obviously those in between: uncertain, believing and faithful one day and something far different the next; able to be convinced but not easily; and able to doubt but reluctantly. The third group probably includes most readers.

My second set of statements is about my own mindset in opening this book. My Mum died 8 years ago, and all fear of death died with her because, quite simply, wherever she is now, there must be goodness and love. I am a Christian, but I believe more generally in the three great religions that support the belief that there is one God who loves us all and forgives us for our human transgressions. I don't believe in "hell" because I've seen too much of it here on earth, but, as to "Heaven", I'm not sure what that is. I'm only sure there is an "after" and it is good. I've read a number of books about near death experiences but have found most disappointing. I certainly believed the individuals went through the physical experiences they described, but their descriptions of what is beyond death were too brief, too hazy, too repetitive, or too much like others' descriptions. Obviously, if the "place" is the same, the descriptions will be similar, but all of us are different so surely we will "see" things with different specifics.

On to Dr. Alexander's book. I was really intrigued that a neurosurgeon nearly died and could describe his experiences with reference to other deaths and near deaths he had seen through his patients and also with a solid--make that admirable--background in medicine and science. Although an occasional churchgoer, Dr. Alexander was an agnostic before his own near death. His marriage and family life were ideal, and, although he was adopted as a baby, his adoptive parents and family were also beautiful. He had the same desire as most adoptees to learn about his birth family, and, although that was a lengthy journey, he succeeded in finding his birth parents and siblings who were also admirable and sympathetic. Despite his seemingly perfect life, Dr. Alexander says that something was missing; he doesn't describe it as God or as faith but more as a sense of emptiness. For after all, as a scientist, he knows the soul can be explained as the brain and all other aspects of human existence have medical and scientific bases.

Dr. Alexander's near death experience comes about when he contracts bacterial menigitis that destroys the cortex of his brain. His disease is impossible occurring in 1 in 10 million adults, untreatable, fatal. He spends 7 days in a coma with a family member always by his side. As suddenly as he became ill, he awakes from the coma with full brain function--an impossibility, a miracle. In between the chapters describing his medical status and his family's attempts to sustain and understand, Dr. Alexander writes about his experiences "elsewhere"--call it "Heaven" or give it any other name you please. He describes a dark, dense, jello-like "place" that also resembles soil crisscrossed by roots and trails or tracks like earthworms leave. He calls this the "Realm of the Earthworm's-Eye View". He has no understanding of relative time or space there. Filaments of light and sound appear at the "edge" of this Realm, and he passes into a world of golden, bright light and endless, impossibly green meadows. He flies over this land filled with earth-like landscapes that are beyond beautiful and that are populated with people and children in brilliant clothes. His flying companion is a beautiful girl on a butterfly. She speaks to him in a language without words telling him he is loved, there is no fear and no wrong. Clouds and floating orbs appear, and he and the girl fly near some central place or being. Dr. Alexander later calls this the "Core" and the green, earthlike place "the Gateway". God is not "He" or "She" but "Om", a pronoun somehow imprinted in the doctor, and God resides in the Core where Om exudes only love and compassion. The Doctor's companion tells him he cannot stay, and he sinks back to the Realm and finally out of his coma.

Dr. Alexander's descriptions are similar to those of others who have had near death experiences, but they are more vivid and more completely described, perhaps because of the time he was in his coma or because of his own descriptive skills. To find out if he encounters people he knew in life, you must read the book. He also tells us about his return to this life, his writing and attempts to communicate more about his experiences (as well as comprehending them himself), and what it all means. More books are certainly in order because Dr. Alexander will use his science training and education to dissect, analyse, compare, and hypothesize--that is in his nature and is demanded by his unique experience.

I found this book a more satisfying description of near death than any other because it is well-written with the medical descriptions of the patient that are unusual because of both his experience and perspective. There is a lot of good science, good medicine, and intuitive sensitivity. But Dr. Alexander himself describes the failings of his writing--he has to use human words and emotions for a "place", time, conditions, beings, and situations that we can't comprehend in this lifetime. We all want too much--to know everything we can't possibly understand here and now. I would recommend the book to the curious, the open-minded, and the compassionate. If you aren't open to it, you won't get it. I applaud Dr. Alexander not only for the obvious--his survival--but his courage in attempting the impossible when he returned to this life and trying to communicate all he learned and felt to us. He is a phenomenon in so many ways.(less)

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May 17, 2013 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this book, Dr. Alexander writes of his near death experience after contracting a rare brain infection that put him in a coma for a week. His recovery is a complete medical miracle. Prior to his coma, Dr. Alexander was a neurosurgeon who did not believe in Heaven, God, or the soul. When his patients or others claimed to have such spiritual experiences as he did, he completely dismissed it and tried to come up with a scientific reason for their experience. Dr. Alexander explains in the book tha...more

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May 16, 2013 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic, intelligible read. I make this statement as an objective reader rather than someone who approached this book with predetermined notions. The author seemed intellectually reflective, objective, and emotionally engaging with the events that took place during his NDE.

Given Dr. Alexander's credentials as a world class neurosurgeon with a wealth of expertise in brain biology, I can say that I find his experience and conclusions on there being an afterlife and a god more convinci...more

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May 13, 2013 Sean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, biography

I give this a 3.2. At times the simplicity of the writing style reminds me of books by Mitch Albom, but we're obviously dealing here with a writer who has a deeper knowledge of his material (compare Alexander's great depth of knowledge and experience in neurosurgery with Albom's treks to come to even a superficial understanding of his subjects). Alexander's writing should be most compelling when describing his own experiences during his coma, which in its structure might remind one of the Divine...more

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May 12, 2013 Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander always considered himself a man of science. His unwavering belief in evidence-based medicine fuelled a career in the top medical institutions of the world. But all this was set to change.

One morning in 2008 he fell into a coma after suffering a rare form of bacterial meningitis. Scans of his brain revealed massive damage. Death was deemed the most likely outcome. As his family prepared themselves for the worst, something miraculous happ

...more

Internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander always considered himself a man of science. His unwavering belief in evidence-based medicine fuelled a career in the top medical institutions of the world. But all this was set to change.

One morning in 2008 he fell into a coma after suffering a rare form of bacterial meningitis. Scans of his brain revealed massive damage. Death was deemed the most likely outcome. As his family prepared themselves for the worst, something miraculous happened. Dr Alexander's brain went from near total inactivity to awakening. He made a full recovery but he was never the same. He woke certain of the infinite reach of the soul, he was certain of a life beyond death.

In this astonishing book, Dr Alexander shares his experience, pieced together from the notes he made as soon as he was able to write again. Unlike other accounts of near-death experiences, he is able to explain in depth why his brain was incapable of fabricating the journey he experienced. His story is one of profound beauty and inspiration.

Review

“Dr. Eben Alexander’s near-death experience is the most astounding I have heard in more than four decades of studying this phenomenon. [He] is living proof of an afterlife.” (Raymond A. Moody, M.D., Ph.D., author of *Life After Life* )

“Eben Alexander brings a unique perspective to the sacred world combining a glorious, personal vision of spiritual consciousness with patient, insightful scientific inquiry. Proof of Heaven is a compelling story of what may lie ahead for all of us in the life beyond this one. We have nothing to fear.” —Allan J. Hamilton, MD, FACS, author of The Scalpel and the Soul and *Zen Mind, Zen Horse*

“I can highly recommend this important book that has the potential to break many scientific taboos.” —Dr. Pim van Lommel, cardiologist, author of *Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience*

“Proof of Heaven is more than just an awe-inspiring account of a profound encounter with spiritual reality. Dr. Alexander’s neuroscience career taught him that near-death experiences are brain-based illusions, and yet his personal experience left him dumbstruck. His honest struggle to make sense of this unforgettable journey is a gripping story, unique in the literature of spiritual experiences, that may well change how we understand our role in the universe.” —Bruce Greyson, MD, co-editor of *The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation*

About the Author

Eben Alexander, M.D. has been an academic neurosurgeon for the last 25 years, including almost 15 years at the Brigham & Women's and the Children's Hospitals and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

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May 12, 2013 Michael Cremin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, religion, science

This guy--a neurosurgeon from Harvard--got very ill and slipped into a coma for a week during which time he had no frontal lobe activity in his brain. While he was out, he says he had this incredible NDE (near death experience) that sounded a lot like the Robin William's movie What Dreams May Come. Because He!Is!A!Scientist!, he got on the cover of Newsweek a few months past, and is pushing his book on Good Morning America and wherever else.

There was nothing in this book that I couldn't have ma...more

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May 04, 2013 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander enjoyed life, his family and his work. Suddenly he the rare and mysterious bacterial meningitis-encephalitis that resulted in him falling into a coma. During this time his brain shut down and the author experienced a near death experience. The story is told from his own near death experience and from the experiences of Alexander’s family, friends and physicians. The author’s description of his own near death experience and how it transformed his life was beautifully t...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Elisha Condie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Eben Alexander is a fancy pants doctor who KNOWS that people who have near death experiences (NDEs) are actually just experiencing strange brain functions, after some kind of severe trauma. He knows it. He studies it, he practices it, he just knows it. He stresses this big time.

Until he falls ill with a freakishly rare medical condition that within a day puts him in a deep coma, apparently brain dead. There is no chance for survival, and he says over and over that if HE had been his own docto...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Dianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander had no time for the near death stories of his patients. He listened as they told him about seeing a bright light and beautiful beings, feeling peace and love in a way they never had before, and being reunited with family members long deceased. He would smile and nod then dismiss the stories as the turbulent dreams of a fevered or malfunctioning brain.

Then he got sick. His brain was attacked suddenly by bacteria that put him in a coma for seven days and had the top...more Neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander had no time for the near death stories of his patients. He listened as they told him about seeing a bright light and beautiful beings, feeling peace and love in a way they never had before, and being reunited with family members long deceased. He would smile and nod then dismiss the stories as the turbulent dreams of a fevered or malfunctioning brain.

Then he got sick. His brain was attacked suddenly by bacteria that put him in a coma for seven days and had the top doctors in the field telling his family there was no hope. They said if he did survive, he would be in a vegetative state needing constant care for the remainder of his life.

This is Dr. Alexander's account of where his spirit went while his body was in the coma. It's fascinating, but it's a bit disappointing that he tells us more about what happened at the hospital with his family and his comatose body than about what he was experiencing in his spirit. I expect he wanted to document thoroughly the seriousness of his illness so his colleagues would be convinced to believe his story, but I ended the book wanting more.

I don't quite know what to think of his "Heaven" experience. As a Christian I believe the Bible to be God's word, the truth. It's my compass and some of what the authour says, and doesn't say, sets the needle spinning. These are some of the questions/concerns I have:

1. He talks about a "vast, inky-black core that was the home of the Divine itself" and quotes a17th century Christian poet who wrote: "There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness...". The Bible says in 1 John "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

2. It's implied that Heaven is where we are all going after death. The Bible teaches that before there can be forgiveness, redemption and the promise of Heaven, there must be confession and repentance, and that this can only happen through Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved." I don't think there's any mention of sin, the Bible or Jesus in this book. (He may have mentioned seeing a painting of Jesus in a church he visited.)

3. Dr. Alexander says, quite beautifully: "None of us is ever unloved. Each and every one of us is deeply known and cared for by a Creator who cherishes us beyond any ability we have to comprehend." I believe that to be the truth and essentially the hope of every human being. But then he says: "That knowledge must no longer remain a secret." In fact, God has not kept His love for us a secret. Jesus lived and died to show us how much God loves us and the Bible reassures us of it over and over again.

I'm not suggesting there is nothing of truth in Dr. A's story. God has given us only brief glimpses of a more vast and wondrous Heaven than our human minds could ever comprehend and maybe the Doctor was experiencing a part or aspect or dimension of Heaven that we don't know about. I don't have answers for all these things, just questions.

Another thing I'm curious about is the authour's statement that he is "proof" of the existence of life after death. I don't question the fact of it, just the idea that he is proof of it. He was always able to dismiss other near death experiences as the wild imaginings of a sick brain and says his story is different because his brain was not functioning while he was in the coma and can therefore not be the cause of his experience. My question is this: if that's proof enough for him as a scientist, why isn't it proof enough for other scientists? He tells us that people "with medical degrees" were not all that anxious to hear his story. Why not? If the medical circumstances were scientific evidence enough to "prove" his claims, then why aren't other scientists satisfied?

It's definitely interesting reading and I haven't come away from it with only questions. It reminded me that my concept of God is often far too small and helped me regain a larger perspective. It reminded me, too, that love is the whole point. It is God's character, His motivation and His goal, and as such must be mine as well. For me this book was worth reading. It's made a positive difference even though it leaves me with questions.(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Marcus Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-age

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

18 April, 2013

PROOF OF HEAVEN
A neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
Eben Alexander, M.D.
2012

Sorry, there is no proof of heaven, and certainly not for sceptics. For those with a more open mind, there is evidence-- not of heaven -- but of enduring consciousness, beyond physical death.

An American neurosurgeon went into a deep coma after contracting a severe brain infection, death seemed certain. All the signs were that he would eithe...more Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

18 April, 2013

PROOF OF HEAVEN
A neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
Eben Alexander, M.D.
2012

Sorry, there is no proof of heaven, and certainly not for sceptics. For those with a more open mind, there is evidence-- not of heaven -- but of enduring consciousness, beyond physical death.

An American neurosurgeon went into a deep coma after contracting a severe brain infection, death seemed certain. All the signs were that he would either die or become severely mentally impaired. He lay in a coma for seven days while his family gathered around, hoping he would survive. Suddenly, when all hope seemed gone, he spontaneously regained consciousness. It took a further two months for his brain to regain all his knowledge, but nothing was lost. This was unprecedented, every other case with the severity of his had ended either in death, or massive brain destruction.

While he was in the coma, it was known that there could be no brain functioning in the realms of consciousness. His entire neocortex, the outer surface of the brain, was not working. It was only the primitive parts of his brain that were functioning. This was his Near Death Experience (NDE).

During this period of seven days he had remarkable experiences like nothing he had ever known. He felt a clarity of consciousness and thought beyond anything when he was alive. His new consciousness felt like he had woken from a deep sleep. He travelled to another place, call it heaven if you want to, for in every day language with have no other word to describe it.

Prior to his NDE he had been indifferent and sceptical about this talk of other dimensions, he had never considered that people who spoke of these things were speaking the truth. He would have given the usual reasons that their experiences were discounted, such as lack of oxygen to the brain. But now, with his expert knowledge he was able to dismiss the scientific objections. For once, those who had experienced NDEs had a neurosurgeon on their side who agreed with them.

Alexander believes that what he experienced while in a coma, near to death, was the most important story of his life. He felt compelled to tell this story, even though his colleagues maintained their usual disbelief. There is a vast body of work on NDE, this is one more to piece of the puzzle. There is another source of information that complements NDE, and that is deep hypnosis where there are hundreds of cases. The books of Michael Newton (Journey of Souls/ Destiny of Souls) contain even more information about the afterworld.

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Apr 16, 2013 Manish Bhoola rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is more about a personal account of how Dr. Eben coped with the NDE experience he went through during days of his unfortunate coma. what came across to me clearly was that the author was keen to put across his views as a scientific thesis or paper on experience with science rather than get philosophical and verbosely describe his NDE and his learning he carried back from GOD , or who he calls the core. He gives a general overview of what God has as a grand scheme of things , however the...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Kate Lawrence rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: spirituality-religion

Dr. Alexander's account of his near-death-experience (NDE) is quite unusual for at least two reasons. First, before the experience, he was a non-believer and scientist who did not accept that consciousness could exist outside the brain, nor that there was any kind of afterlife. When his patients would tell him of their NDEs or other supernatural events, he was polite to them but inwardly gave such experiences no credence. Secondly, his NDE occurred when he was nearly brain dead for seven days in...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Adam rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews

I have to rate this book a 1 out of 5. Yes I read it, some of it at least before I had to put it down for a really good reason. But first, many of you reading my review may be surprised to hear I'm a preacher. Most people who rate seemingly religious books so poorly are not of a religious background.

But let me explain why I rate this so poorly from a Christian perspective. God makes it clear throughout the bible, that anyone who has gone to heaven must not speak of the details.

One such scriptur...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm mixed about this book. I read it over the course of a few days, without wandering off to another book (a good sign that it captured my attention). Parts of this book I liked (particularly the medical aspect of what this man endured, as well as the experience that his family went through). Parts of this story I found a little far-fetched (particularly his naming and description of the "Realm of the Earthworm's Eye View". (That "part" of "heaven" did not appeal to me at all, so in the spirit o...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a short, easy read, but most importantly it gave me a sense of life and humanity back that I've been sorely lacking the last few weeks. I've been filled with fear over my Dad's death and thanks to a good friend who thought to lend me this book, I feel a sense of hope again. Even if you don't believe the story, the science and medicine was really fun to read about. I love science explained in terms I can understand - it never makes me cease to wonder and ponder about this magnificent uni...more This was a short, easy read, but most importantly it gave me a sense of life and humanity back that I've been sorely lacking the last few weeks. I've been filled with fear over my Dad's death and thanks to a good friend who thought to lend me this book, I feel a sense of hope again. Even if you don't believe the story, the science and medicine was really fun to read about. I love science explained in terms I can understand - it never makes me cease to wonder and ponder about this magnificent universe, yet mostly science escapes me because of the termanlogy and because sometimes it reduces things so far beyond my interest. I like to think on things that promote the whole and interconnectedness and science can really reduce things into nothingness.

"Depending on whom you talk to, consciouness is either the greatest mystery facing scientific enquiry, or a total nonproblem. What's surprising is just how many more scientists think it's the latter. For many - maybe most - scientists, consciousness isn't really worth worrying about because it is just a by-product of physical processes. Many scientists go further, saying that not only is consciousness a secondary phenomenon, but that is addition, it's not even real. ... We have been seduced into thinking that the scientific world view is fast approaching a Theory of Everything (or TOE). ... Each one of us is more familiar with consciousness than we are with anything else, and yet we understand far more about the rest of the universe than we do about the mechanism of consciousness."

"In the 1920s, the physicist Werner Heisenberg...made a discovery so strange that the world has yet to completely come to terms with it. When observing subatomic phenomena, it is impossible to completely separate the observer (that is, the scientist making the experiment) from what is being observed...We see the universe as a place full of separate objects (tables and chairs, people and planets) that occasionally interact with each other, but that nonetheless remain essentially separate. On the subatomic level, however, this universe of separate objects turns out to be a complete illusion...the physical universe is intimately connected with every other object. In fact, there are really no 'objects' in the world at all, only vibrations of energy, and relationships...It was impossible to pursue the core reality of the universe without using consciousness. ...consciousness is not only very real - it's actually more real than the rest of physical existence, and most likely the basis of it all..."

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Proof of heaven by been alexander	7	74	15. Mai, 08:16 Uhr
More Reasonable, Acceptable OOB, NDE Hapenings	2	34	14. März, 10:16 Uhr
Heaven	7	47	30. Januar, 18:58 Uhr
THE JAMES MASON C...: proof of heaven	1	4	27. Dezember, 16:32 Uhr

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