Simon & Schuster Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife

I asked someone, who was of the Faith, do you believe in people coming back from the dead, of the dead being raised? And he said a loud "NO. Well, only one in a million." I unfortunately replied, "I'm shocked, you are a doubting Thomas"....after all, we had just discussed that Jesus was alive and dead at the same time. It's easy to understand why, when reading this book. Doctors have all been told, it's not possible, yet Acts 26:8 Says that God will raise the dead, it does not give an answer of how many, it says it is not a thing that is incredible. The Bible is from God, written long ago, so the number now is incalculable, how many, or will be, it happens every day. The author himself exposes this and the adage "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." ....you'll love this book!

Interessantissimo libro da leggere, che consiglio vivamente. L'originale in inglese è sicuramente preferibile, per chi conosce bene la lingua, alla versione in italiano, che, come tutte le traduzioni, non riesce a rendere a pieno il contenuto. La storia esperenziale del Dott. Eben Alexander è, nell'ambito della bibliografia sulle EPM, sui generis. Si tratta del racconto di quanto accadutogli durante un coma di 7 giorni, descritto con l'essenzialita' e la sobrietà tipica dello scienziato che, per natura, vuole descrivere i fatti... Un bel libro da rileggere di tanto in tanto. Lo consiglio a gutti.

“Proof of Heaven” by Eben Alexander is one of the most beautiful and genuine books I have ever read, a definite must-read. I loved how Dr. Alexander blends scientific understanding with his personal experience of God, consciousness, and spirituality in a way that feels honest, thought-provoking, and deeply human. His reflections on how modern Western society has drifted away from spirituality and a deeper understanding of consciousness really stayed with me. A very well written and highly engaging book, really appreciated the personal storytelling throughout. The book also became very personal for me, as my psychologist recommended it after the passing of my grandmother. She shared a powerful story of her own connected to it, which made the themes feel even more real and meaningful. Beautifully written and engaging throughout, especially in its personal storytelling, this book stayed with me long after finishing it and I would highly recommend it.

As someone who has experienced an NDE, and struggled with many of the same things that Eben discusses here, I am not surprised at the response that many are having to this book. To say "people who have NDE experiences often find the telling of their story, while trying to impart the information they receive during their experience, a difficult task," would be an understatement as vast as the universe. The clinical aspects of Dr. Alexander's experience are what make this story unique, along with his outright conversion from a "Scientific Reductionist" to someone who sees clearly that consciousness and the vast majority of "what is," are found outside of our space/time universe and current medical or science books. To get the most out of any book on NDEs, and especially one that intertwines a very personal journey to find family and self, you must start with an open mind and heart. Unfortunately, those who have already hardened their views on both sides of the spectrums of Science and Religion, will dismiss much of what anyone writes on this topic, because it doesn't fit their narrow, dogmatic view of the world. Even worse, it forces them to look outside of their safe little boxes, and take the effort to learn, while being open to the possibility that current models of both science and faith are a good starting point, but not the ENTIRE answer. Einstein's quote at the beginning of the chapter "A Final Dilemma" says it best... "I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be." Whether you begin as a Christian, a Buddhist, Quantum Physicist or a simple seeker of knowledge beyond current understanding, moving outside of the constructs of your current ways of thinking is imperative to discovery. Fundamentalism, whether it be religious or scientific, is really no different than intellectual bigotry, closed to expanded thoughts, or encompassing new ways of looking for expanded information. Eben's book embraces both worlds, and does so gracefully, without discounting any specific ideology. Eben's experience was certainly deeper, and far more expansive than most I have read (including my own NDE). I do agree that the lack of detail about his time in "heaven" (a term that I find limiting) is frustrating to a point. And yet, the need to spend much of this book on the technical side of his coma, his quest and victory regarding his family (past and present), as well as touching on the scientific aspects of the current science regarding external consciousness, make this short book an excellent jumping-off point for deeper study and discussion. And there's the rub... After experiencing my own NDE (in 1996), I spent almost two obsessive years trying in vain to "connect the dots of knowledge imparted to me," before putting it all back "in a box" so that I could get on with living my life. Through a series of events over the past two years, I find myself very much back into "telling the story." I now realize that no book, video, or movie is able to even scratch the surface of answering the great questions of life after death, consciousness, and how they all relate to quantum theory. Expecting "the answers" from a book of this size and configuration is naïve and lazy at best. There is a reason that the section in this book called "Reading List" is expansive. Much has been written on this topic from both the spiritual and scientific approach. If you are a true seeker of the truth, you will not start or end your journey for knowledge with Eben's book. Instead, you will appreciate the facts of his experience, the unique medical reality of his coma, and the amazing revelations about family, love and the eternal nature of consciousness, as the BEGINNING of the journey to true understanding. While this book in not an expansive, all-inclusive answer to the melding of Science and Religion, I give it 5 stars for being an important, unique story, bringing focus to the need for a global change in the perception and understanding of reality, consciousness and the interconnectedness of everything in creation.

The book is quickly read. Dr. Alexander is very convincing about his entire experience. I found the contents very interesting however for someone like me, who was never subject to such a supernatural occurrence, it is a bit fantastic. I don’t want to doubt that there is life after death; I don’t think anyone really does. The fact that he stresses is he should have been pronounced dead since his brain was not functioning; consequently everything he remembers after “awakening” from his coma happened in the afterlife. He describes what he believes to be heaven and is comforted by an angel which he later claims to have been his dead sister whom he had never met. During his time in the afterlife he declares that he recognized one of his wife’s friends who assert that she tried to contact his soul while he was in coma. All very colorful and the incidents seem to fit together perfectly. It is a very interesting read for the curious and the people who feel inclined to want to be persuaded by Dr. Alexander’s story of his proof of heaven.