Good Reads: Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife

I recently finished reading “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” by Eben Alexander. It’s a great book, to say the least.

Front Cover

If you couldn’t guess what it’s about, it’s a (supposedly true) story about a neurosurgeon who falls into a coma for 7 days. While in a coma, he experiences “the afterlife” and comes back to tell about it.

What’s so interesting about Eben Alexander’s experience is it’s almost like the perfect storm of near-death experiences. First of all this guy was a rigid, scientific atheist. A true skeptic. When in a coma, he lost all neocortex (our higher level, human brain) function. This resulted in his experience being without the incessant filtering and constraints of the analytical mind. Dr. Alexander also made a miraculous full recovery, allowing him to share his story.

Eben Alexander’s experience reinforces a lot of ancient spiritual teachings and Eastern philosophy. He describes a higher state of existence, beyond the limitations of this reality. Overwhelming, unconditional love, feeling (as opposed to deciphering with our worldly senses), and the non-existence of time as we know it are described. He also states how words fall short in describing his experience. Eben Alexander’s story seems to be very credible in my opinion. It reinforces many spiritual concepts I’ve understood. And this isn’t just some hippy on an acid trip. He’s a friggin’ neurosurgeon! He also systematically debunks every other hypothesis of what could have caused his experience, leaving a very convincing argument to this being a genuine experience.

I’m not using a grading system for these book reviews. Just offering my opinion and sharing some intriguing information.

Now here’s some of my favorite excerpts from the book. Enjoy!