I was sitting in chemotherapy with my beautiful wife and decided to read the book “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” by Eben Alexander, M.D. It was an easy read and several key points distinguished this book from other near-death-experience (NDE) personal accounts. The most validating of course is, it is the personal experience of a neurosurgeon: a.k.a. a professional brain doctor.

The book would transition between family and friends who vigilantly stood by the hospital bed of a man whose brain was being attacked by e.coli and Eben’s experience in the afterlife. The flow of the book easily connects the reader with Eben’s psychological analysis of his life and a glimpse into the realm of spirit. This book clearly debunks scientific theories of what happens when you die.

This book was not about religion or dogma but how there is a greater reality awaiting us all: you can even call it the true purpose of living on earth. His experience raised many questions regarding the expected experience of death from a scriptural perspective. It touches on the purpose of dark matter and how the Creator is rooted in it. Eben experienced a feeling of unconditional boundless love and learned through thought transference.

His epiphanies included all things are connected, this life is an illusion, there are unlimited dimensions, and multiple Universes  God’s creation can be related to a mathematical formula with an answer that never ends — the decimal places continue infinitely. It makes sense the ultimate creator would be in a constant state of creation and because life is eternal his creation would be in a constant state of experiencing– itself.

Eben even sensed the evil on the earth and said there are other places in the universe with no evil. Eben felt evil is necessary on earth in order to drive our choices under free will. He was taken by his guide to “see” God and experienced the feeling of awe, wonder and love. The afterlife was similar to earth but the splendor of it was difficult for Eben to explain. There were places he was forbidden to go.

In my opinion, the most compelling value of his experience was when he reviewed all of this medical charts and narratives. He learned all the parts of his brain making him human were switched off.  Most if not all scientist claim near-death experience is the result of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) being released at the time of death. This compound is secreted by the pituitary gland to the neocortex and causes hallucinations: however, the neocortex part of his brain was not working! This is clearly a fly in the buttermilk for the scientific community.

I do not want to spoil everything for you so I left much out, but you get the picture. If you have not read NDE books before this is a great one because it is written by a neurosurgeon. Before Eben’s NDE he was a skeptic now he is not.  Another amazing aspect of his whole NDE is that he is alive. What he suffered with kills 90% of the people who get it and if you live you are guaranteed to be a vegetable.