John Graden - Near-Death Experiences of Doctors and Scientists

The Near-Death Experiences of Doctors and Scientists

Doctors and Scientists Go On The Record About God, Heaven, and the Afterlife

By John J. Graden

Other Books in the Near-Death Experiences Series

Near-Death Experiences of Suicide Survivors

Near-Death Experiences of Children

Near-Death Experiences in Hell

Are We Just Biological Robots?

Does Consciousness Need a Brain to Exist?

What constitutes me or you or all of us? Are we just a biological mass with a brain whose existence ends upon death? Or, are we spiritual beings having a physical experience in preparation for an after-life?

Does our consciousness cease to exist when our brain dies? Is consciousness a product of the brain or is the brain a conduit for consciousness?

Religion and the NDE

From the earliest records of mankind, the predominate belief has been that after death we transition into an after-life. Millions of people have reported visiting the other side and returning in a near death experience (NDE).

The first reported NDE was in Platos The Republic around 380BC. A soldier died and came back to report an experience that shares many of classic NDE elements. More astonishing is the story from the Holy Bible that the apostle Paul may have had an NDE after he was stoned and dragged to the garbage pile in 46 AD as described in Acts 14:20. In Corinthians 12:2:5 he shares his story and some believe it was an NDE he was describing.

Some presume that the NDE experience is spawned from the religious beliefs of the NDEer. As youll read, religion has no presence in these extraordinary NDEs even though God and Jesus play huge rolls. Religion is a man-made concept and virtually all religions are based upon a preparation for an after-life. However, God and Jesus predate any religion and their message of love and compassion has never wavered.

This is a source of frustration for many NDE skeptics as religious bias would be a convenient way to dismiss the NDE.

NDEs and the Skeptic

I think healthy skepticism is important and helpful, but many skeptics seem militant in their canned responses at the first mention of an NDE. Often, their dismissive arrogance fuels a closed minded response that is not of their own discovery or investigation but a regurgitation of one of their skeptic heroes sound bites.

Like unruly teenagers dreading a trip with their parents because they claim to already know where the journey will take them, many skeptics are not interested in following the truth to where it leads them but are instead canceling the trip altogether. If they would look at the science they would have to conclude that these experiences are more than lack of oxygen.

A common argument among skeptics is, If you cant prove it scientifically, it doesnt exist. To that I ask, Have you ever been in love? Yes? Then prove it.

I think it is the height of audacity to think that all there is to know and understand about life has to be measured under a microscope or brain scanner.

Thats why I wanted to profile physicians and scientists who have had an NDE. Virtually every person in this book was a skeptic before his or her NDE. I think they bring an interesting and credible testimony to the discussion.

The NDE and Science

There are decades of scientific study on the highest levels to support the hypothesis that NDEs are real and not of a physiological origin. One of the more recent studies was especially convincing.

This scientific study included 344 cardiac patients who were resuscitated after a cardiac arrest. Upon recovery, these patients were immediately interviewed about their experience. 62 patients reported having an NDE. This study was conducted in 10 hospitals in the Netherlands and was published in the medical journal The Lancet, v. 358, # 9298.

These patients had a cardiac arrest and were clinically dead with unconsciousness caused by anoxia or insufficient blood supply to the brain. In other words, they flat-lined. Because the patients were interviewed right after they were resuscitated it is clear their NDEs were not something they made up years after.

As Pin van Lommel, MD, the cardiologist conducting the study says, Our results show that medical factors cannot account for the occurrence of NDE.

The fact is that we know very little about the brain and the mind or even if there is a difference (my money is on there is a huge difference.)

Remember, there was a time when science was convinced that bleeding someone was the best way to treat his or her ailment. In 1633, Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment for insisting that the earth was not the center of the universe.

We are just beginning to scratch the surface of how the brain works. Personally, if the human brain is not evidence of intelligent design, then I think there is a lot of denial going on among the intellectuals of the skeptic world.

The Limits of Time and Context

There is one constant refrain from NDErs that even our highly educated NDErs of science echo and that is, There are no words to describe what I experienced or saw.

What these people tell us is limited to the evolution and context of the current time in history. As an illustration, imagine you could transport Alexander the Great from the 335BC to today. You spend a few days flying him around the world in a jet. You take him to see a film in a 3-D cinema. You show him an HD video of the wonders of the world and space. You demonstrate how the entire world is just a click away in a tablet called an iPad. Then you return him back to 335BC.

How would he explain what he experienced? What references could he use that would make any sense to people in his time and place? I cant imagine that he would have any.

Like Alexander the Great, as educated as our ten subjects are they too are all limited by their current time and place context. When you experience a world without time, place or limitations, bringing a description of that experience back to the confines of our time based current world understandably would leave you at loss for words.

When highly educated, articulate NDErs struggle to accurately describe the indescribable it opens the doors for the skeptics frozen in the current time of science to discard and denigrate.

The stories you are about to read are from people of science who bring a rare perspective to the NDE experience. While they are all different in many personal ways there is a scientifically educated lens they view the world through. Pre-NDE, that perspective was narrow and set in stone. Post-NDE it was expanded profoundly.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have discovering them.

Note: For the sake of simplicity in this book, I will use, mind, spirit, consciousness, and soul somewhat interchangeably. There is an argument that they are all different but this book is more about 10 amazing stories than the nuance of definition.

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John Graden is an incredible guest. He combines humor, insight, and enthusiasm in a way that not only grabs listeners attention, but keeps them engaged as well. I recommend him for any show.

Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life

How to Replace Self-Doubt is a fascinating book that is easy to read with some very good advice for living a more fulfilling life.

Joe Hyams, Bestselling author of Bogie: The Biography of Humphrey Bogart