Reading Proof of Heaven, Dr. Eben Alexander’s near death experience (Photo credit: Lost A Sock)
I loved reading Eben Alexander’s book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. When it was first published, I mentioned the book to a friend who is both a theological school professor and a minister. Although I strongly endorsed the book and assumed she would be eager to read it as well, she gave me reason to pause when she said, “I do not need to read a book to know Heaven is real.” In a sense, she was right! And not only about her own belief, but about mine as well.
Whether one conceives of heaven as another dimension or as a higher plane of existence, it remains possible that consciousness is not entirely confined to the brain or to physical processes. Some philosophers and researchers in the study of consciousness therefore suggest that consciousness may not be entirely reducible to brain processes and may, in some form, persist beyond physical death. Such possibilities remain unproven within contemporary science, yet they remain legitimate questions for philosophical and metaphysical reflection.
Trained as a Penn State, and Yale Medical School clinician and researcher, I hold deep respect for empirical science. At the same time, I am a Jungian and transpersonal psychologist; consequently, I do not assume that materialist or purely sensory frameworks exhaust the full range of human understanding. The history of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality suggests that reality may be approached through multiple modes of inquiry: including empirical, reflective, symbolic, and contemplative, with each offering its own distinctive window into the nature of mind and existence.
Questions about consciousness, meaning, and the possibility of realities beyond the material world have long occupied philosophers, theologians, and psychologists. While science remains an indispensable tool for understanding the physical universe, it does not necessarily exhaust every form of inquiry through which human beings explore the nature of existence. Recognizing this distinction allows for a thoughtful openness to questions that may lie at the boundaries of current scientific understanding.
I did not value Alexander’s book because it made one or more higher dimensions (or what many traditions might call heaven) seem more real to me personally: for me, that possibility was already real. Rather, I valued it because it helped make the idea of heaven, or at least the possibility of it, more plausible to many readers who previously had little reason to believe such a reality could exist.
Alexander has therefore become an important voice in contemporary discussions within consciousness studies and transpersonal psychology. Many researchers, clinicians, practitioners, and scholars in these fields share his interest in science and possess strong scientific training, and many have explored questions of consciousness and spirituality for decades. Alexander’s entry into this conversation therefore represents a somewhat different pathway into the subject.
His contribution is distinctive for another reason. As a highly trained academic neurosurgeon who practiced at hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School and possessed a deep scientific understanding of the brain, his public willingness to take seriously experiences and forms of knowledge that he had previously regarded with skepticism is noteworthy. For many readers around the world (including some former skeptics) his account encouraged a reconsideration of questions surrounding consciousness and the possibility of an afterlife.
Alexander fell into a coma after contracting a rare and severe form of bacterial meningitis that affected the brain. During this period he later reported a profound Near-death experience. After his recovery, he described the experience as transformative and interpreted it as suggesting that consciousness may not be entirely produced by the brain alone.
Alexander has also helped establish an organization called ETERNEA, which promotes dialogue about the relationship between science, consciousness, and spirituality. I encourage readers who are interested in these questions to explore its work.”
ETERNEA’s Website: ETERNEA – The Convergence of Science and Spirituality.
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March 18th, 2013 at 9:31 am
Thank you, Dr. Jennings, for sharing your perspective on this book and this subject. It inspiring. Can’t wait to read more!
March 18th, 2013 at 9:32 am
Thank you so much for your blogg on an excellent book and an intriguing subject. Can’t wait to read more!
March 18th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
I appreciated reading this . . . thanks for the link as well.
March 25th, 2013 at 7:25 am
Is consciousness spirit?
March 25th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
I believe the widely published author and lecturer Deepak Chopra, MD, is inclined to view consciousness as spirit.
Personally, I think there are different types of consciousness. At this point in my thinking, I am not willing to state that soul or spirit and consciousness are exactly the same thing, but at some level maybe they are? Perhaps, it may make more sense to claim that one’s spirit has “cosmic consciousness” as opposed to saying that one’s spirit is “cosmic consciousness.” I’ll just have to see where I am in my thinking down the line, perhaps even years from now; although hopefully, it will not take that long, as I continue to ponder your question, and finally come up with a personally satisfying answer.
March 25th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Thank you for responding to my question.
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March 30th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
[…] Eben Alexander’s Book: Proof of Heaven and Eternea Website (passagesbeyondthegate.com) […]
October 7th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
I have just finished reading Proof of Heaven and found it very interesting. I am a retired RN and have also had questions such as you describe. However I have had an experience that I can’t relate as a NDE since I was not near death; but it was an out of body type dream that left me with this awesome sense of a pure love that can not be described in normal human language. It was overpowering and I felt glowing for days after and even now as I relate to it. I had lost my husband 2 years prior and the visionary dream involved him and I knew it was an ending. I actually saw a bright yellow square with a huge eye inside it and I knew it was God. It was not scary at all and was an overpowering feeling of love and warmth. I related to knowing without words what was happening and I instantly knew that I was witnessing God. I remember saying I have to go back…I am needed yet and immediately I was back. It certainly made me unafraid of death and a knowing that there is something out there much greater than this earth we are on. Thank you for your bravery and honestly in your book.
January 16th, 2014 at 5:26 pm
I am so lucky to read Eben Alexander’s book. Proof of Heaven. My son had an experience here where he talked to my departed sister Gwendolyn and she described a beautiful place where my mother and grandmother were and herself and they garden and animals are there. So, when he spoke of heaven and seeing his sister there it made me a true believer.
October 13th, 2014 at 8:51 am
Thank for shearing your experience
January 27th, 2015 at 5:14 pm
I thought the book was great and I believe Dr. Alexander was actually given a view of Heaven. I don’t doubt a word that he wrote. I think, however, the story isn’t over. I think Dr. Alexander was given a glimpse of hell and then was allowed to see what Heaven would be like so he could make sure he would never end up there. What a wonderful second chance. Satan, himself, knows there is a God. To know there is a God will not get you into Heaven when you die. Before Jesus came into the world, people made sacrifices on an alter to God for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Without asking Jesus to forgive your sins and inviting Him into your heart to dwell in you, in the form of the Holy Spirit, you will not enter Heaven. My prayer is that Dr. Alexander has accepted Jesus and somehow I just missed that part as I read the book. Amazing experience!!
February 10th, 2015 at 5:15 pm
I just finished Proof of Heaven. I can’t document a personal experience but I have a 35 yr old traumatic brain injured daughter. Her car accident was 1995 age 16..stuck in car hour cut out. Emergency over hr. We were told total brain injury broken arm and pelvic area they went about necessary surgeries put in induced coma and on life support as far as I can remember it all took a life of its own 7 weeks in ICU very high pressure on brain. We signed donor forms and took off machines..it was not her time.she came around but never talked she followed with eyes. 3 months in Charlotte rehab. Home for 5 yrs intensive therapy I remember first half smile. No one thought she was going to do anything. Life goes on divorce moved to care facility more surgeries on things. Feeding stop feeding all the regular things of one unable to move. Forward now will Be 20 years in May. The reason I write is you give me a peace. I have always said she is locked in but understands everything. As she has been with a lot same caregivers since 2007 most know she loves people going places men especially. She laughs smiles shows she knows some and pouts. It’s all facial. But for someone who has sat for almost 20 yrs I can’t imagine but everytime I pray and talk about Jesus she smiles. I have thought everytime I bet she had a experience but there is no way to document until God gives her speech again. She is such a loving girl and just lives for attention there is not much a 67 yr old mom on ss can do. The state has done well and God places her in a place where she has shown more alertness. I know God is aware of her and I can’t know his purpose but reading these stories helps me keep hope and to know we will move past this some day. Thank you.
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